Welcome back to our other sustainable fashion guide blog posts. We believe if you’ve read any of our previous blogs, then you’re truly someone who appreciates sustainable living. In our previous blogs, we’ve already discussed topics that communicate about sustainable living, fast fashion, upcycling clothing industry, and many more.
Today, we will talk about how you can completely utilize the clothes that you already own to their full potential. At Dwij, we only talk about sustainable fashion and living, and we love to embrace the power of sustainability. In this blog, you’ll not only learn how to actually handle your clothes, so they’re actually worth the money you invested. But you would also understand why sustainable living is crucial for yourself and for the environment as well.
Understanding the actual potential of your clothes
Well, you won’t deny that we live in a world that values fast fashion and trends over sustainable fashion and eco-friendly living. But, deep down, we are all aware of the devastating effects of fast fashion on our environment. We certainly believe it’s time we should move away from trendy, cheap fast fashion products to high-quality and sustainable things.
Wearing out your clothes doesn't mean neglecting them; it means cherishing and utilizing every piece to its fullest potential. Here's how you can do it:
Quality over quantity
The most crucial step to living a sustainable life is to focus on quality over quantity when purchasing anything. First, completely wear out your wardrobe and invest in well-made high-quality clothes to completely get the product that’s value for your money. When you purchase garments of higher quality, you not only enjoy a longer lifespan for each piece but also contribute to a reduction in overall clothing waste.
Around 1.92 million metric tons of textile waste are produced every year, according to a recent 2023 survey. And do you actually think we can live a sustainable life if we’re just wasting an immense quantity of clothes that won’t be composed for years and can’t be recycled?
Repurposing and upcycling
Add value to your clothes by using your own creativity. Why are you afraid to play with your old clothes? Use the full potential of your creativity and get your hands on doing DIY. Old jeans can become trendy cutoff shorts, and oversized shirts can be transformed into stylish crop tops. Upcycling not only extends the life of your clothing but also allows you to express your creativity.
Donate and swap
We’re very sure that you'll have items in your wardrobe that you don’t wear anymore. Either they’re ripped or are too small. Rather than just throwing them off, why don’t you donate them or exchange them with your friends? Instead of throwing away your old clothes and buying new ones, it’s not only better for your pocket to exchange or donate
Take good care of your inventory
Taking care of your wardrobe and clothes is the least appreciated way that can lead us to sustainability. Many of us don’t even regularly launder our clothes or don’t take good care of them, and this leads to an unhygienic environment around us. Apart from just being unhygienic, your clothes won’t even last long and would go to waste even though they could’ve lasted way longer.
Embrace the combination of old and new
Sustainable fashion doesn't mean avoiding new additions to your wardrobe entirely. It's about finding a balance between old and new. When you do decide to make new purchases, make informed choices by selecting eco-friendly brands and materials that align with your values.
Utilizing Your Clothes To Full Potential: Why It Matters- Sustainable fashion
Completely wearing out your clothing has a greater impact beyond your wardrobe. It's a statement that challenges the fast fashion industry's unsustainable practices, overconsumption, and waste generation.
Wearing your clothes for a longer period of time won’t only help you reduce your expenses, but it will also impact nature positively. As told above, around 1.9 million tons of wasteful cloth are dumped every year, and it’s estimated to reach 3.5 million by 2026. And do you honestly think that this number would allow us to live a healthy, sustainable life?
Now that you think of it, it’s definitely a lot of waste, and to control it, it’s important for us to understand that throwing and dumping clothes for foolish reasons would slowly ruin the world around us.
Wearing your clothes until they’re meant to be used leads to:
1. Deduction in carbon footprints
Well, it’s common sense, the more you wear your clothes, the fewer clothes you’ll invest your money in. And the less money invested in the fast-fashion market, the lower the production of clothes.
This will contribute directly to saving resources like energy, water, and other materials required to create new products. You're directly contributing to a decrease in the fashion industry's environmental footprint.
2. Reduction in textile waste
Wearing out your clothing prevents items from ending up in landfills prematurely. The global textile industry generates vast amounts of waste each year, and your decision to wear your clothes to their fullest helps mitigate this issue.
3. Embracing sustainability
When you wear your clothing for longer, you minimize the demand for rapid production cycles. This, in turn, encourages the fashion industry to consider more ethical practices, such as fair wages and improved working conditions for garment workers.
4. Adding values to your own lifestyle
Embracing sustainable fashion and the 'wear it out' mindset can be deeply satisfying on a personal level. It's a testament to your commitment to reducing your environmental impact and living in harmony with your values.
Living in a world where fast fashion is appreciated and recognized as a symbol of status for many would allow you to stand out from them by being sustainable. Sustainable fashion is not about wearing old and shabby clothes; it’s more about understanding how you can utilize those old clothes and products. There’s no such thing as every old thing having lost its value.
We at Dwij believe the older your clothes are, the more value they hold, and thus we work on creating high-quality sustainable denim products from material that’s completely going to waste. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s focus on sustainable living and live better lives ahead.