Step one of your sustainable fashion journey
Lifestyle recently asked what Filipino fashion designers wanted for 2025, and many of them wished for sustainability in fashion (“What fashion designers hope to see in 2025,” Inquirer Lifestyle, 12/27/24).
It may seem like a lofty dream, to which the path is rife with wrong turns and booby traps. With so many things to consider, it can be daunting trying to even start on this journey. But for now, all you really need to do is take that first step.
At a loss on where to begin? Always start by looking in.
1. What has been bought and used cannot be unbought and unused, so forgive yourself for past transgressions. The important thing is that, moving forward, you know better.
2. Before you even set out to adding more ethically made clothes to your wardrobe, consider first what you already have. Be conscious of your own closet. Sift through your wardrobe and categorize in earnest items that you want to keep, donate, maybe sell, or recycle. We know this advice seems like a well-worn New Year’s tale, and yet it’s such a difficult first step to take despite its simplicity that so many struggle to do it.
Have a heart-to-heart with your wardrobe and keep that conversation between just the two of you. Don’t let anybody shame you for keeping the raggedy oversized shirt you love wearing to bed or that mini bubble skirt that looked so good on you when it briefly became all the rage back in the early aughts.
The idea isn’t to pare down your wardrobe to oblivion anyway, but to reduce the environmental impact of your fashion choices. Which means, at least for now, taking stock of what you already have and don’t need, and making sure you don’t get sucked into buying the same old things again and again. And perhaps even letting others get some use out of the pieces that no longer have a future with you.
Trends cycle back
Remember as well that you don’t have to erase all personality from your wardrobe in the name of The Great Purge. If normcore or monotony or even classics isn’t your thing, that’s okay. For one thing, trends cycle back, and the period between cycles has been getting shorter and shorter, so you may yet be able to bring out that bubble skirt again before you know it.
And for another thing, it’s all about styling. There are basically no rules now when it comes to fashion. It’s all about finding the right balance and having the confidence to carry it. How about layering that mini bubble skirt over a simple column gown and turning it into a makeshift peplum instead?
3. Take better care of the clothes you already have. That means being mindful of how you wear them, and how you clean them. Study the wash instructions so you don’t unwittingly ruin your precious silk top. As a Filipino living in dusty and humid Philippines, it may be inconceivable not washing clothes after every use. But some articles of clothing might actually not need to be laundered very often (like jeans or jackets, but we’ll leave that to your discretion and comfort level), so try to take note of that. After all, laundry has been found to be a significant source of microplastics in marine habitats, with a machine washing of just a single article of clothing already producing more than 1,900 fibers.
Alternatives would be to target stains instead of washing the entire garment, hanging clothes to dry outdoors and letting the sunlight do the sanitizing, or steaming to help disinfect, deodorize, and even get rid of wrinkles. Take note, however, that everyday clothes, tights, swimwear, and underwear should always be washed after every wear—no matter your comfort level—especially when you’ve been sweating.
Upcycling
4. Learn how to mend in order to salvage old clothes destined for the bin. A tear or a stain isn’t catastrophic when you know how to make it go away or, better yet, make it cute. The landfills would be so much less full if everybody just let their clothes grow old with them.
And if you’re more confident with your skills, you can even level up to upcycling. Unwearable apparel might find new life as an accessory instead. Frayed sweaters can be turned into plush throw pillow cases or purses; old jackets can be cut apart and sewn back together to make one quirky Frankencoat.
5. Before making any plans to finally venture out and do some shopping for new, ethically made clothes, maybe also try sifting through your older relatives’ closets (with consent, of course). Hand-me-downs and vintage pieces in great condition are gems (older materials are pretty sturdy and the styles can always work depending on the look you’re going for and how you tailor it), and while these may not be actually new—not by a long shot—they will definitely add a fresh spin to your look.
