9 Ways to Enjoy Shopping with Less Guilt About Climate Change
As a virtual personal stylist for women, I hear a sea of concerns from my clients and the Poplin community. These range from dressing for various occasions to understanding how to create new outfits and much more. For many of my clients, and for me, climate change and sustainability are important factors when thinking about style. In fact, you can see past blog posts on sustainability here including how to care for items to help them last longer, my favorite sustainable brands and more.
Loving to express yourself through clothing and making responsible choices for the environment are not mutually exclusive. In fact, your personal style is not just the colors or silhouettes that you adore, it also includes communicating your values through your clothing. Yes! It’s possible to balance your love of style and your commitment to the next generation. Here are some ideas to get you started.
9 Ways to Shop Intentionally with the Environment in Mind
Be strategic.
Strategic thinking is the backbone of our approach to personal styling. It always has been. The idea is to get inside each new client’s head, see her aspirational style and then marry that with her budget, body type, color palette and lifestyle to create a strategy for her moving forward. This translates into easy to follow filters that clearly identify what pieces work, what pieces don’t and the reasoning behind both, all of which are listed on your online personal profile. When you are armed with this information, you don’t buy extraneously. You will no longer have pieces in your closet with tags on them. Essentially, this approach is akin to pre-cycling. Limit what you buy to what you actually want and will wear.
Try Sustainable Brands.
Think you know all of the sustainable offerings out there? In fact, there are new brands popping up all of the time… and sites also disappearing just as quickly. Start with trying out some new brands that are entirely focused on sustainability. If you are a fan, do your best to keep shopping at that site when you are ready to purchase more options. You are voting with your wallet.
Supplement with rental items.
Like sustainable brands, clothing rental sites are increasing by the day. It’s very common for a client to want to supplement her collection with rental items. We charge by the hour to favorite pieces on a rental site that are just right for her body type, lifestyle, personal style and size. Then, she simply chooses from that collection for the next several months or more when renting pieces. Consider stocking your wardrobe with your essentials and then rent other pieces. This is also really helpful if your weight is fluctuating, you are pregnant or you aren’t ready to invest in new pieces in these uncertain times as your lifestyle could change unexpectedly. At Poplin, you can opt to have pieces favorited on your preferred rental site for easy access in the future.
Shop your friend’s closet.
It’s SO easy to forget that we often have access to a sea of wonderful pieces that are new to us and… free! If you are feeling uninspired by your current collection, inviting your friend to shop YOUR closet is a stellar way to help you rediscover the magic of your pieces. Grab a beverage, sit on your bed and give her an hour with your closet. You’ll quickly be reminded why you love your pieces and hear her perspective on how to pair them. Then, try the same exercise at her place. It’s helpful to swap the same number of pieces between you to ensure that all items are returned.
Shop Pre-Loved Pieces.
I’m sure by now you’ve heard a lot of folks championing second hand shopping. If that is something that speaks to you, try it and go into it knowing that not all used clothing shopping is the same. If you are shopping online, head to your favorite second hand site and use your filters from the get-go. Limiting your first round of choices to items that are “new or like new” will give you the best options that second hand clothing will offer. Try out this approach THEN determine if you are up for this type of shopping in the future. You may surprise yourself. Heads up! Uber Wishlists and Wishlists can include pre-loved pieces, if that speaks to you.
Learn your fabrics
Sustainable clothing has come a long way in a short amount of time. Some fabrics are made from recycled plastics and other materials that would be lying in landfills if they weren’t used for your new workout gear. Other fabrics are biodegradable, also preventing future items from heading off to the trash bin. Some crops need more water than others, offering another opportunity to decrease the use of resources going into your purchase. There are so many ways to shop for pieces that limit their damage to the environment. Lyocell, Tencel, Recycled Polyester, Organic Hemp and Monocel are all choices that are less damaging to the environment. Of course, restricting all of your purchases to a small selection of fabrics may not be practical. But, each time you make an intentional choice is a step forward. Keep in mind that new options are undoubtedly becoming available all of the time. Want more details on all of this? This is a Good Guide by Marieke Eyskoot is an incredible resource that I picked up in Amsterdam a few years ago.
Think about where your clothes go after they leave your closet.
During the Closet Edit, we ask clients to draw a hard line between pieces that are just right for them and options that aren’t serving them any longer. The, “no” pile is often large and can elicit feelings of guilt. Personally, I vote for reframing that perspective. Of course you have items that aren’t working for you. This is because when you purchased those pieces, you may not have been aware of the criteria necessary for options to truly communicate your authentic personal style, balance your frame and work for your lifestyle. Once you have that level of specificity thanks to a Poplin online personal profile, you’ll no longer purchase pieces that aren’t right for you.
Now that we’ve covered that, it’s onto the next life for your pieces. Many of my clients donate pieces to job training programs at local nonprofit organizations like YouthCare. Knowing that your clothes will be loved by someone else helps make it feel like less of a waste. Consider selling your clothes and earning credit to shop used items on sites like Poshmark or at a local consignment shop. Give them to a friend or offer to permanently swap pieces. If you have pieces that are falling apart, consider recycling them through Ridwell or your local government. Good things can absolutely come from the items that you no longer want or need.
Discover new ways to wear what you have
I can’t tell you how much of an impact having new outfits has on a new client. It’s possible you can skip new items altogether (like Poplin client Delight who opted for a double outfit session and no new pieces) or only buy a handful of pieces and feel like you have a fresh wardrobe. How does that happen? It’s all about having solid options in the first place and finding new ways to pair your items. We can help with that:)
Support organizations working to change environmental policies
As a personal stylist with a past career in nonprofits and public service, I’m naturally going to suggest that you support organizations that represent your values. You can do this with your money, your time or both. Individuals cannot do it all and feeling overwhelmed and guilty everyday won’t help us address climate change. But, being cognizant of our actions and contributing in meaningful ways to organizations and people working for meaningful change all adds up.
Keep in mind that opting for ALL of these is likely unrealistic, especially if you enjoy expressing yourself through fashion. The idea is to give you some tools in your toolbox when you find yourself worried about this. Really, that’s the Poplin approach to dressing. It’s about giving you the tools you need to make decisions easier, decrease overwhelm and ensure that you communicate your authentic personal style. That will help give you the confidence to do things like make an impact for causes you care about.
Still feeling anxiety and guilt about climate change? You aren’t alone. My friend, Jennifer Atkinson PhD does great work around Eco Anxiety. You can check out some of her genius here or try out Facing It, her podcast about Eco Anxiety and Climate Grief.
Now, off to put on something that makes you feel good inside and out.