The best thing we’ve learned in the year and a half we’ve been publishing our eco-friendly fashion column is that making good clothing choices doesn’t mean sacrificing style. Obviously. In the final installment of Obviously.ca’s Green Guide to Style, we’ve compiled our ultimate five tips for truly greening your closet.
1. Buy vintage
For thrift-shop lovers, there’s nothing like the thrill of discovery: a well-worn leather bomber or perfectly distressed jeans can take your style to the next level without breaking the bank. But wearing secondhand clothes isn’t just a fashion statement—it’s eco-friendly, too, saving energy and resources from being consumed in the production of new garments and eliminating the emissions created by shipping. If you’re looking to buy or sell trendier pieces without that vintage kitsch, bookmark a few online secondhand retailers on eBay.ca or even your local craigslist.
4. Try ethics on for size
Ethical fashion means clothing that has been sourced, manufactured, and distributed in a way that looks after people, animals, and the planet. Buy locally where possible: in Canada, clothing must be manufactured under certain social, environmental, and labour guidelines. If you’re buying from abroad, look for pieces that have been made and traded fairly, where suppliers of raw materials receive a fair price and workers get a fair wage to work in humane conditions.
5. Cool off
Once your wardrobe is stocked with planet-friendly clothing, it’s important to consider another aspect of eco fashion: garment care. Life Cycle Assessment studies have shown that over three-quarters of the energy consumed for clothing is done after the items have been hung in your closet. Extend the life of your clothes—and the planet—with laundry products made without artificial dyes, synthetic perfumes, and petroleum-based chemicals, and try line drying instead of your energy-hogging clothes dryer.
Tags: eco-friendly, fashion, green, style.
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On Tuesday the 4th of August, 2009 at 12:10 pm, Elle said:
On Friday the 20th of November, 2009 at 10:54 am, amber said:
wats up my peeps
Sally is the editor of Living Green Toronto and a regular contributor to blogTO. She is a self-confessed style junkie with a passion for eco-friendly fashion, and is happy to have found a way to channel these hobbies creatively. She works as a freelance editor and blogger in Toronto, Canada, to support her fashion habit, and believes a green and stylish alternative can be found for just about any look. It’s true - you can hit the town dressed like your favorite celeb and still look after the planet. This will be Sally’s last column for Obviously.
Do you have this information in French language? Elle.