Circular fashion is when instead of being produced, used, and then wasted, clothing goes through a different life cycle, with the ultimate goal of eliminating the waste stage. In this up-and-coming practice, clothes get reused, repaired, rented, resold and when it is not fit anymore for any of those purposes, it gets recycled to take part in the production of completely new clothing. Here are some steps we can all take to add this practice to our daily lives.
1. Taking good care of the clothes you own
Looking after them will ensure they have longer longevity, and even if you do not fancy them anymore, they will be in a good state to resell or donate.
2. Resell!
Reselling or even donating unwanted clothing will give them a second life and will ensure it does not get thrown away, which will massively help the environment and help reduce CO2 emissions.
3. Borrow/Rent
Do you know that wedding that you got invited to? Do not get a full new garment just for that occasion! You know you probably will not wear it again. Instead, borrow or rent a dress, which also means that you will spend much less and might end up with luxury items that might have been out of your budget if you were to buy.
4. Repair
Whenever you can, try and repair any damaged items, this will also help reduce waste. You might even get to keep that shirt you love, and thought was lost for good.
5. Shop for environmentally friendly clothing
Being it vintage clothes, second-hand or recyclable materials, being conscious when shopping is especially important to the circular fashion cycle.
6. Invest in quality
As we mentioned before, longevity is an important aspect of circular fashion, so investing in high-quality items is key to having clothing that will last you for longer. The low prices of fast fashion companies are surely tempting, but you might end up spending more in the long term.
7. Do not throw it away!
Waste is one of the biggest problems caused by fashion nowadays. Recycling your unwanted clothing, which will be used in future production instead, is the key to transform the linear fashion scale to circular fashion!