To celebrate Secondhand Wardrobe Week, we asked sustainable fashion stylist and Lenovo Innovator, Kamrin Brown, to share tips for building a more sustainable wardrobe and best practices for finding secondhand resources.
The Takeaways
1. Research
One of the hardest things about trying to be more sustainable is knowing where to start and more importantly, where to shop. Spend some time on your laptop or tablet and become more informed about where brands source their materials, what they are made of and how sustainable their production process is.
2. The #30Wears Rule
Did you know 95{93486410d65ab4c22f1925dba97444a1d889a389c7d5a800942ed0eabf5969fa} of the textiles that end up in landfill each year could be recycled? The #30Wears rule coined by Livia Firth, founder of sustainability consultancy Eco-Age, is a benchmark to help give your clothes the lifespan they deserve. Always ask yourself, “how often will I wear this?” If the answer is not at least 30 times, then do not buy it. You may be surprised how many times you say no.
3. Shopping Secondhand & Reselling
Try your best to purchase secondhand clothing – local thrift shopping is a great start. If you’re looking to make a few extra bucks, consignment stores may offer you money in return for gently used clothing and/or designer items.
4. Recycle, Donate, Repurpose
When your clothes can’t be worn or when you do not want them anymore, be sure to either donate, recycle or repurpose. You can donate your clothes to a charity, homeless shelter or even organise a clothes swap with your friends or colleagues. If there are certain items that have a rip or tear, see if you can get creative by mending and/or repurposing them.
Follow Kamrin on Instagram (@naturallykam) to be a part of her #LenovoInnovators journey and learn more about sustainable fashion.
