One of the easiest ways to be a conscious consumer is to take care of the clothes we already have in our closets. With such a drastic increase in clothing production over the years, consumption and short-term use of garments is also on the rise. The fashion industry worldwide produces more than 100 to 150 billion items of clothing per year, and the average American throws away about 81 pounds of clothing per year. We are consuming and trashing fashion at an alarming rate. One way to keep our clothes in our closets longer is to take care of them while we have them. Here’s 10 steps to care for your clothes: 1. Use cold water when washing Heat can...
If you landed on this blog post and find yourself asking, "What is an ethical brand?" - check out these blogs: "What in the World is Ethical Fashion" and "Ethical Fashion Terms". This is our definition of ethical fashion: "We believe ethical fashion encompasses brands that are working hard to break the cycle of fast fashion through ensuring safe working conditions, offering a living wage, partnering with artisans to support local economies, ensuring sustainable practices and overall focusing on the fact that how a garment is made matters greatly." Based on this definition, we've compiled a list of links to some of our favorite ethical brands. 31 Bits - accessories, home goods ABLE - shoes, denim, women’s apparel, accessories, leather bagsAdelisa...
Nicole had the honor of chatting with Amelia Trumble, one of the co-founders of Retold Recycling to hear all about how Retold came to be and what they're doing to help divert tons (literally) of clothing from the landfill. "There has to be an easier way." - Amelia Amelia discovered her need for Retold when overhauling and renovating her closet...how do we get unwanted garments out of our homes without hurting the environment and also not driving ourselves crazy trying to find the right place for each item? Amelia and co-founders, Noelle Delory and Alan Yeoh, are on a mission to divert as many textiles from the landfill as possible and make it easy thing to do for the average...
Most people know a little about recycling, but it comes as a surprise to many that textiles (ex: socks, undies, sheets, towels, old t-shirts, etc…) don’t belong in the garbage can. The average American throws away an estimated 70-80 pounds of textiles each year, which equals a lot of textiles in the landfill. So, what the heck do we do with these textiles if they don’t go in the trash? Good question. Let’s learn about what textile waste actually is, how big of an issue it is and how to recycle textiles responsibly. What is textile waste? Generally, textile waste is considered any materials leftover unused in the production of garments or garments discarded after use. There are two kinds of...
Morgan LeCroy, hobbyist/curator of Dime Store Treasures on Instagram, a San Antonio gal who loves to help others see the beauty in thrifted goods that just need a new home and deserve a lot more love! “If I can fall in love with secondhand shopping, so can you!” The most common phrase I hear when telling people I’ve thrifted most of my wardrobe is, “woah I could never thrift clothes like that, it’s always so hard for me!” I love a good thrift, but I think what I love more is helping others see that they can fall in love with this way of shopping as well! I think this belief comes from a bigger belief for me. I love...