Emily Mills, 24, found a sustainable way to be a fashion blogger without supporting fast fashion.
Emily was a professional model for eight years. Modelling sparked her interest in fashion, however, since she was so young and a student she had not a lot of money to spend on clothes. This is where thrifting became a way to have a fun wardrobe and shop as much as Emily wanted while staying on a budget.
"I’ve collected vintage hats and 50s’ dresses since I was about eight years old. I have a hat that I bought when I was younger and it’s a pink velvet beehive hat from the 60s’."
More than two years ago Emily decided to give up fast fashion for Lent and her shopping habits changed almost overnight. Lent season associates with self-restraint as people give up certain luxuries. To buy new clothes is a luxury not everyone can afford but fast fashion is also a threat to our environment and it has no regard for the workers.
"I stopped shopping fast fashion brands over two years ago and I love it. I don’t miss the low-quality cheap clothing I was getting from stores like Forever 21 and H&M. I love how I can find used designer or very quality vintage items for just a few dollars."
Emily used to do collaborations with fast fashion brands like SHEIN and ZAFUL but when she would receive their products in the mail she mentioned how “their quality was pitiful and everything smelled of plastic”. She also added that: "these brands are known for labour conditions as well as stealing designs from small brands."
Fast fashion brands are purely motivated to make more sales to drive their profit. Emily believes that the only way to end fast fashion is for consumers to change their way of shopping.
"Consumers can’t expect to find everything they could ever want right away at a cheap price. Consumers need to transition to buying from small quality brands that value their workers or shop at secondhand shops."
With the current news, COVID-19 changes everyone’s life in some way and fashion industry and habits are not excluded from the list. "I think many people will be buying fast fashion during this time since so many retailers are offering large discounts", says Emily.
At the same time, she does think that sellers like Poshmark (American Depop) are trying to keep up by increasing ads to keep people shopping second hand.
"I live in Oklahoma which is a state with a small population and only a few thrift stores. I haven’t seen any new stores her lately - but I do see a ton online."There is a growth in vintage stores and pages online over the past few years, more and more people are interested in sustainable fashion around the world.
"I see people on Instagram everyday using a new product that is sustainable – the mainstream consumer is starting to realize the importance of sustainability and change their shopping habits because of it. Any small change in behaviour can make a world of difference.”
Emily is using her Instagram to inspire people to buy secondhand and style their thrifted purchases.
"I love to help friends go thrifting and show them how to navigate the thrift store – I also like to show them how to style their items in ways they might not have thought about. I usually like to go to their home and make a day of thrifting and styling for them."
Emily finds thrifting fun and exciting and although some days are lucky and some are not, the best trick she can suggest is to go thrifting often so you can increase your chances of finding gold.
Thrifted clothes can also be changed in many ways to suit a certain style or to give it a new life after a while. "I do alter a lot of my clothes! I bring in the waists on skirts with elastic or hem things shorter. The easiest DIY to do is to turn jeans into shorts."
Another biggest issue with fashion is that consumers buy clothes and wear it only once and forget about it. The pile of clothes in the wardrobe ends up in the landfill after a while. One of the sustainable ways to recycle your clothes is to donate it to charity shops or sell it to someone else. The clothes exchange can enable to refresh your wardrobe but also reduce the damage on the planet.
"I always recommend people donate their clothing back to thrift stores – people in need of low priced items could use the things you donate."
Everyone can be sustainable friendly when it comes to clothing choices and it doesn’t have to start with big steps. "I always recommend that people can go to a few thrift stores or charity shops with no expectations and just see what they can find. Going sustainable can be done in baby steps. Maybe the next pair of jeans you need- try and find them used instead of buying new."