I’ve been talking about sustainable fashion on my social media as I always believe in it. Since lots of people from my community had a common problem and question “sustainable fashion isn’t affordable” and also “scarcity of thrift and vintage stores at their places”. First of all, I loved that people believe in sustainable fashion and also have real intentions to buy sustainable and essential clothing.

This inspired me to write this blog post dealing with these problems technically. In this blog, I’m going to be talking about those ideas which work for me to achieve a sustainable fashion and sustainable wardrobe. And I’m going to keep it short and simple.

Minimalism
We all know that clothes made of natural fabrics aren’t available at a cheap price which is right and ethical. If you really wanna own a sustainable wardrobe from now onwards, minimalism is the key. Keep a few clothes, don’t buy anything means anything extra.

Uniform 
Some people say that I like to wear everything but you gotta like something more than everything. Find your style which will help you to buy less and you’ll build up a strong wardrobe with time slowly. For eg: My uniform is basically neutrals and basic wearable clothing. So one top can work for each pair of pants and every pair of pants can work for every top. The same goes for footwear.

Make a wish list 
Make a wishlist of your requirements, it will help you to focus on the things you want. It will also help you to stop impulse buying. Don’t just ever go to the clothing stores without any planning and a wish list because you’ll end up buying things you don’t need which will affect your budget for buying sustainable staple pieces.

Alter season shopping 
This is the best idea to shop for sustainable pieces at a reasonable price especially when thrift and vintage stores aren’t available where you live. Save your favorites in your wishlist and if they remain unsold till the odd season, usually stores keep them on sale. Then you can purchase at a very reasonable cost. Sometimes it’s like a jackpot too because I’ve bought a few sustainable and basic winter staples in the odd season and I never regretted my total expense. So, shop in winter for the coming summer and shop for winter in summer.

Don’t overspend 
Sustainable pieces come at a good price because of their organic and natural quality so instead of buying 5 pieces of polyester shirts, buy 1 or 2 linen shirts at the same price. So avoid spending on anything until you need it. For example, you buy a cheap top from a fast fashion store but that amount could have been a ratio in the budget you are keeping for a staple piece that you may not buy eventually because of that already spent amount. So plan your expenses otherwise you will end up spending unnecessarily.

Explore Flea markets 
Flea markets are good options if you want to shop on a budget. You only have to keep sharp eyes and a good understanding of fabrics. There also you can find timeless pieces in sustainable fabrics at a very cheap price. All you have to do is not get a lot of junk but only pieces you love. The dress I’m wearing is an absolute example of good shopping at a flea market.

Shop locally 
Sometimes shops in your locality keep good pieces at a reasonable price comparatively. There also you have to be very careful while choosing sustainable and essential pieces. Don’t buy anything until you like it absolutely or is an essential piece(this is the ultimate key no matter where you shop).

Wear your closet
Sometimes we have lots of pieces that we forget to wear or have worn only a few times. So start wearing them, if you don’t like them; upcycle them by changing them into other pieces or transform them by altering, or embroidering. I’ve seen so many Parisian bloggers with a huge fan following doing such upcycling and transforming clothes beautifully. You can also refer to YouTube for upcycling and DIY tutorials.

Shop secondhand
Shopping secondhand from vintage, charity, and thrift stores can be a hit. There are so many high fashion brands that I absolutely can not afford but can buy them from vintage stores on Etsy and eBay online. So hunt for good vintage and thrift stores online and in localities too. You can get really good sweaters, blazers, dresses, blouses, boots, jewelry, and accessories.

Swap with friends and family 
I sometimes swap my clothes with my sister and she does the same. It is really fun to have new clothes free of cost without spending a penny. Sometimes we also look into each other’s closet to check if we can find something useful, of course, if the other person is not using it any longer. So it can be a great hack to save money and still get something new to wear.

So these are the few things that helped me to shop better and sustainably. I hope it helps you all too. Also, I’m linking a few vintage finds from online vintage stores for your suitability, so that you guys can get a brief of vintage shopping if you aren’t well aware. Also, share your ideas in the comment section too, would love to know and add to my list of shopping sustainably.

Vintage finds