(As seen in the April '22 Issue)
Q: I really want to get some new clothes, but with a student budget, fast fashion is the only thing that seems affordable. I really don't want to support fast fashion industries though. Where can I find affordable clothes?
A: There's actually a lot of places you can get cheap clothes in a sustainable way. And much quicker than you would get fast fashion orders!
Start with your own wardrobe. Look through the things that you own but don't wear and ask yourself these questions:
1. Can I DIY it into something that I WOULD wear?
If not:
2. Is it in a good enough state that I can donate it?
Or
3. Is the condition good enough that I could re-sell it?
If you're keeping it to DIY, perfect! Sustainable and free right here. If you know you won't wear it even if you did DIY it, just straight up donate it to a charity shop or places such as shelters or to Ukrainian refugees. Alternatively, you can also sell it on second-hand store apps which we will mention later on in this answer!
After you've done this first step and you DIY'ed some clothes, and/or donated/sold them but still want some new pieces, try visiting charity shops. There is usually plenty of charity shops in every city. Usually you'll be able to find one-of-a-kind piece of clothing, shoes, or accessory; something that not many people would have unlike with fast fashion.
If there is no charity shops near you, or you couldn't find anything you like (or you have, but still want more), try looking at second-hand apps like Vinted. Vinted is an app where individuals sell their unwanted items, usually for a cheap fraction of what they were bought for. Although not guaranteed to find the exact item you want, Vinted has a lot of branded items such as New Look, Primark, Vans, River Island and more!
Vinted also has a lot of big brand re-sells such as Gucci and Prada, however they tend to be much more expensive. If you're debating on buying a big brand item, first try and make sure that it is real and authentic. There are many people out there who would buy fake rip-offs and re-sell them for the same money as originals. Try not to fall for this, as it would just cost you more at the end.
Finally, have a look on local groups (which can be found on pages such as Facebook) to see if anyone is re-selling or giving away their clothes. A lot of the times, people go through their wardrobes, put the clothes into bags, and post that they have such and such items in such and such sizes.
However, this also goes for places such as the Kilo Sale, an organisation that re-sells donated clothes by travelling around the country and selling the clothes for the amount of weight in accordance to the amount of money.
Happy shopping/DIY'ing!
Love,
Annie