Eco-Fashion on a Budget
Websites to Source Green Clothing Retailers & Swap or Repair Outlets
Jul 22, 2008
Eco-fashion is about more than your look; it’s about how your look came to be. Designers who choose to integrate planetary consciousness into their clothing collections ask important questions: What kind of fiber was used to make that T-shirt? What type of dye was used to color that skirt? How did those pants get to this store?
Though more and more designers—both established and new—are designing clothing with an environmental eye, greening your closet on a budget is not as simple as taking a trip to the mall. Green lingo for fabrics like “ingeo,” “soy,” “bamboo,” “cocona,” and “organic cotton” imply a foreign vocabulary for many local clothing stores.
Yet it is possible to fill your closet with affordable, stylish clothing that was made responsibly, you simply have to know where to look. As with conventional fashion, environmentally-minded clothing created by the world’s top designers carries some of the world’s top prices.
So to keep your wardrobe up to date, the fashion-forward, budget-conscious "lazy environmentalist" must be intrepid and willing to embrace new designers, business practices, and retailers. Here’s some advice for choosing the right looks for you and the planet.
Repair Tired Clothing
Fashionistas who are bored with their wardrobes can refresh their look without consuming new products.Tattered jeans can be successfully repaired—not just patched—by Denim Therapy at its facility in Cincinnati. For about $12 per pair, experts will repair holes and rips and restore the look and feel of your jeans by considering the unique thread weight, fade, wash, pattern, weave, wear, and look of your go-to pair. Pop your jeans in the mail and they’ll be back to you and better than ever in just two weeks.
Swap Outfits Online
Wardrobe fatigue is the primary reason we ditch our old clothes and rush out to buy new duds, but what if we connected with others who are bored with the contents of their closets? Sure, you can host a clothing swap in your living room, but the invitees will be limited to those you know—how predictable!
Swapstyle.com allows you to expand your swapping potential by connecting with a vast database of those with garb to barter. The best part? Swapstyle.com transactions are money-free – all you ever pay is postage. After you’ve created an account, you simply start listing the products you have available to trade. Members who dig your duds will contact you to see if you’d like to swap a new pair of True Religion jeans or Stella McCartney shoes.
Buy Vintage Clothing
Vintage clothing shops are also Reuse emporiums—the preferred destinations for snagging choice clothing and accessories at affordable prices. These days vintage shops are stocking much more than bowling shirts and pristine purple jumpsuits. You’ll find items that spice up your everyday wardrobe without combing the racks at Sprig.com and Jargol.com. Check out their lists of the best vintage shops in the U.S. and worldwide.V
Green Fashion Bargains
Before you set out to score a new eco-look, check to see whether online deals and discounts are available. WhiteApricot.com is an excellent resource for locating bargains. The website’s editor hand picks deals on eco-clothing, shoes and accessories, as well as organic skin care, natural cosmetics, and other stylish green products that are up to 20 % less than retail prices. Eco-fashion labels like Stewart & Brown, Deborah Lindquist, Terra Planna, and Ecoist are also available via their e-newsletter.
Borrow Designer Accessories
No time to hunt for deals? You can always borrow your way to a killer eco-outfit. Bag, Borrow or Steal lends users designer handbags, purses, jewelry, sunglasses and other accessories at a fraction of the price of what it would cost to own. If you absolutely must have Chanel’s 2.55 quilted bag, but short the $2500+ price tag, borrow it for a week for $160. Borrowing is sharing, meaning fewer items and less eco-impact on the planet.
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