1. Know what you like.

When you know what styles of clothing you prefer, you know what to look for when shopping. Pinterest is a great place to explore different styles and how people put different pieces together! If you go shopping with no idea what you would like or need, it’s easy to go on a tangent and buy pieces you may not necessarily need. I have gone shopping for a pair of jeans and come home with two new shirts. Unless you find something that you love in the process, stick to the clothes you planned on buying. I recommend bringing a list, either on paper or on your cell phone, to keep track of what you’ve found so no unnecessary duplicates are purchased.

2. Get more wear out of your clothes

Before you purchase clothing, ask yourself if you see yourself wearing this item more than once. If so, do you have at least two outfits you could wear the piece with? If not, it probably isn’t worth the buy. For example, how is the homecoming dress from freshman year in the back of your closet doing? Donate these single-use items to create more space in your closet for clothes you will actually wear and love.

3. Help a friend sort through their clothes.

I have found some of my staple pieces within my friends’ closets! If a friend’s closet is overflowing or they need to just sift through it, you’ll be the first one they offer the clothes to. Not only is this a great way to see different pieces, but if you are feeling unmotivated, doing an activity like this might get the ball rolling to complete something else. 

4. Watch your washing

Are your clothes filthy after one wear? No! 

A lot of fast fashion pieces don’t hold up well with multiple washes due to the cheap material and weak stitching. Keep a basket or drawer in your room for “half dirty clothes.” These clothes could be considered not clean enough to be put back in the closet but clean enough to be worn again. This prolongs the life of the item. 

Items you want to wash right away:

• underwear
• base shirts under sweaters or sweatshirts
• socks
• athletic clothing after working out

Items that last for a couple of wears:

• bras
• jeans
• sweatshirts

5. Get savvy with your shopping habits.

Fast fashion is burglary. Brands steal designs from independent artists, copycat other brands’ signature looks, and abuse the people who work within sweatshops. Sweatshops are factories or workshops, especially in the clothing industry, where manual workers are employed at meager wages for long hours and under poor conditions. Fast fashion works because it is cheap, and consumers like spending less money.

A great way to save money is to use Honey, a free extension for Chrome that plugs coupons in from billions of websites to ensure you are getting the best deal possible. With Honey, you can shop at sustainable stores and get a great deal!

6. Sell your own clothes and other items on Depop!

I have been able to sell clothes and purchase clothes through Depop that are a few of my favorite pieces now in my closet. When you go thrifting, it can be challenging to find what you are looking for, but with Depop, you can narrow down your search options to the brand, color, and size! 

Even implementing one of these tips into your life can make a drastic difference in reducing your carbon footprint. 

Stay tuned for my photo collection of all that I have purchased from either secondhand shopping or Depop!