We all like nice new clothes, but we can sometimes get carried away, buying more and discarding perfectly good items because they are no longer "new".
This has led to many high street stores opening up, offering disposable fashion pieces at a low price to the consumer, but at a cost to others. There have been many high profile cases over the past few years about such stores using sweat shops in third world countries to produce such clothes as cheaply and quickly as possible.
While were not telling you never to buy clothes again (we wouldn't be able to stick to that) we thought we'd give you some tips on how to make your current wardrobe, and future shopping trips as ethically friendly as possible.
Read on for our tips.
Tip one: Shop around
You may need a brand new outfit for Saturday on a budget, but think about why those jeans, tops ans shoes are so cheap. Will they last and were they made in an ethical way? There are many online stores such as Fashion-conscience, Kuyichi,, Neon Collective, and Plum Ethical,, which offer eco friendly clothing, shoes and accessories made from recycled fabrics and under fair trade regulations. Yes they may be that little bit more pricy, but wouldn't you prefer to go out with a clear green conscious?
Tip two: Recycle
If your old clothes are ready for the bin, then consider your options. Are they worthy of a charity shop or are they really past it? If the answer is the latter then recycling is the next best option. Many clothes and shoe recycling services can be found next to standard household waste places. All you need to do is bin them and the council or a charity will do the rest. Alternatively call your local charity and found out if they offer this service.
Tip three. Keep your current wardrobe in eco check.
Wash clothes only when you need to, and line- or air-dry rather than using a clothes dryer, which can shrink, stretch, or damage fabric. Also consider eco-friendly soap powder, which is made up of natural materials rather than chemicals and is biodegradable.
Tip four. Listen to your labels
Pay attention to labels that say to wash clothing inside out it protects the fabric and also means you won't shrink your favourite items. We unfortunately learnt the hard way here.
Tip five. Re-use and revamp
If you've got a hole in a top or a pair of jeans then use patches either on top of or behind holes. Choose between sew on or iron on patches, and, if you're feeling creative buy a motif to add to your piece of clothing. Get even more arty with older clothes and get snipping. Cutting a sleeve off a t-shirt and adding another, or turning your jeans into a denim skirt will keep your clothing
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