Sustainable fashion means finding ways to reduce waste and use resources wisely. This includes reducing the amount of water used for laundry, choosing fabrics that last longer, and buying items made by people who receive fair wages.
Here's how to make your clothes last longer:
Wash less
Washing repeatedly can make your clothes look dull and worn out. Washing machines use more than half of the water we use every day. Fill the machine and wash more seldom. Try and reduce the amount you wash your clothes. Before washing, take a look and see if the clothes actually are dirty. Often we send perfectly clean clothes in the laundry basket! To save energy, resources and care even more for your clothes, wash on gentle programs and reduce the heat. Did you know that 30°C works just as well as 40°C with moderns detergents? Only hygiene articles benefit from being washed at 60°C to kill off bacteria. True denim lovers advocate to never wash your jeans, making them last longer.
Hang dry
Tumble drying truly wears our clothes out and is harsh on natural materials. The tumble dryer also uses a lot of energy. To keep your clothes looking fresh longer and save energy, hang-dry your clothes. Doing this outside also helps you save time from ironing, as the wind blows away most creases!
Mend your clothes
Who said that all broken clothes should be thrown away? Holes and worn out fabric can be mended beautifully with Sashiko and other visible mending techniques. It takes some practise, creativity and time but done well, it can truly give your old clothes a second life. It's also an up and coming trend as I'm seeing brands selling new clothes already patched up!
Shop responsibly
Knowing who made your clothes, were they are made and for what purpose makes us care for them more. Small and independent brands, such as Snella, go an extra mile to find the best quality fabrics, and reliable producers. Smaller brands have nothing to hide and have nothing to loose being transparent towards their customers. With cotton prices sky-rocketing, there is no window for waste so all materials have to be used and sold to survive. Smaller brands have no interest in mass production and can better oversee the quality being sold.
Correct storage
Different materials and clothes should be stored in certain ways to look fresh for longer. Wooly jumpers are better off folded away in a cupbord to maintain their shape. Preferably with blocks of cedar wood to keep moths away. Trousers, dresses, shirts and skirts look better hanging on coat hangers to reduce creases. Jersey t-shirts and jeans are perfectly fine to fold up neatly after wash and store them in a chest of drawers.
Wishing you the best of luck with your clothes!
Hannah