Is Sustainable Fashion Just Another Thing for Women to Feel Guilty About? It Doesn’t Have to Be.
Shopping with intention is a sustainable choice. Here with Poplin client Emmy on a breezy Seattle day.
As a values-based personal stylist for women in Seattle, sustainability is a very popular topic. When people discover that values are one of the filters that each Poplin client uses to determine what pieces are right for her, they often think those values mean sustainability. And, of course, they can. Importantly, my focus is on identifying each client’s personal values and encouraging her to use her values as a lens as part of the overall picture when developing her authentic personal style. For example, those values can range from encouraging connection (OMG. I love that bracelet. Where’d you find it?) to supporting BIPOC makers or focusing on the best return on investment for her purchases.
Values can also mean any number of topics under the sustainability umbrella.
The purpose of this conversation is not to force her to make sure that every purchase she makes aligns with her values. Instead, it’s an encouragement to lead with intention and remind her of the power that she has as an individual and the power we all have as a collective. On an individual level, purchasing items that align with her values empowers her and gives her self confidence that carries over to other aspects of her life. On a larger level, working as part of the collective, she has the potential to see her values reflected in the choices companies make. It was, after all, the body positive movement that led to more inclusive sizing from retailers and more models that resemble “real women” rather than the Plutonian ideal.
I love this part of my role and over the years, I’ve seen the impact that this realization has on my community. When it comes to sustainability, the more we see articles about the perils of climate change in the zeitgeist, the more clients want sustainability to be an important part of their personal style strategies. While it’s important to me that the values she identifies are hers and not mine, as someone who is concerned about the changing climate, I’m grateful for the opportunity to help women understand how to make choices that benefit the planet and the individual.
However, as part of this evolution, I’ve started to see the dark side of women’s efforts to make sustainable choices. Originating with a sense of purpose and altruism, this approach to style can quickly become one more place where she has failed to meet societal expectations. She may buy from a local artisan in her efforts to keep the carbon footprint small only to discover that the maker created a piece from a fabric that won’t biodegrade. Or perhaps she opts for cotton only, knowing that it will biodegrade over time when she’s faced with the fact that cotton uses more water than most other crops. And these examples are typically for women of means, as in those who have the disposable income to have the luxury of thinking about sustainability at all. But even then, most women don’t have endless bank accounts and opting for a $400 top instead of the less expensive option simply because it is a more sustainable choice, is a luxury few women can afford with every purchase.
Enter the enthusiasm around second hand clothing. When it comes to decreasing the carbon footprint of your personal style, the clear front runner for the most effective approach is to buy fewer new pieces, if any. Hence the appeal of buying second hand clothing. I love it when a client requests used pieces because this also gives us a great opportunity to dive into the magical benefits of tailoring. Not only does tailoring extend the life of individual items, it also means that her pieces can be curated just for her, leaving her with a special item that only she owns. But shopping second hand is tricky. There’s no run of sizes available, so if you love that pair of pants and it is too small to be tailored for you, you must move on. It also takes a significant investment of time and knowledge. The Poplin system helps women identify which pieces will work for her based on her body type, color palette and personal style. This makes shopping for pre-loved pieces as easy as possible, but it still takes time and effort.
I can go on about renting, borrowing and sharing clothes and the myriad other ways to decrease her fashion carbon footprint. The specifics aren’t as important as the overall theme, no matter what she does, if she gets new clothes, there is no perfect solution.
Enter guilt and lots of it.
I’ve started to see the similarities between shopping sustainably and diet culture. I’ve experienced this myself. Armed with the knowledge of the impact of my purchases on the globe, I’ll decide that I simply don’t need that many clothes. And, like with diet culture, I’ll cut myself off from purchases. Sure, I still make some strategic choices here and there, but overall, I cut down my consumption dramatically until one day….
I discover that I don’t feel good in my clothes anymore.
I became a personal stylist to help women embrace who they are. I have a unique ability to really see people and then transform what I see into a cohesive collection of clothing and accessories that make her look and feel like her authentic self everyday. The result is that she is happier, more confident and feels less anxiety about getting dressed or packing for a trip. Her worries about her big work presentation are focused on her deliverables, not on what she’ll wear that day. This works matters.
And sustainable choices matter, too. But when a woman attempting to make sustainable choices feel trapped between making good choices for the world and wearing clothes that make her look and feel good, she typically feels that the first is the right choice and the second is the selfish choice.
And it’s just not true.
Is sustainable fashion just one more thing for women to feel guilty about? It certainly can be. But it doesn’t have to be that way. The choice is ours.
Instead, we can create a framework that reminds each woman that the future of the world is not entirely on her shoulders. It sounds dramatic, but as a parent, thinking about the challenges for the next generation and then buying five pairs of shoes can feel like a major fail. Like diet culture, we deprive ourselves, binge, deprive ourselves again, attempt to make healthy choices and all the while ride a roller coaster of guilt and euphoria.
It’s time to get off of the roller coaster before we all decide that sustainable fashion is too expensive and it’s simply too much work.
The key is understanding how to buy with intention. Knowing what cuts flatter your figure means only buying clothing that is very likely to work well for your frame. Embracing one color palette translates into a closet filled with items that all coordinate with each other. That’s right. Say, “goodbye” to that new skirt that doesn’t go with any of your existing pieces then prompting you to buy even more. Committing to a color palette ensures the piece you buy today will work with another item you pick up ten years from now. And knowing your personal style key words gives you the opportunity to have these valuable tools when making purchasing choices. Does this feel creative, effortless and feminine, for instance? If not, keep on moving until you find one that does. The result is a purposeful and highly curated closet filled with pieces that you adore and make you feel like your authentic self no matter the situation. All of this takes place before addressing your values, which is the icing on the cake.
Having a clear framework for shopping is a sustainable choice. No more clothes with tags hanging in your closet waiting to be worn. No more massive returns as you try out four styles to see which one is right for your body type. No more fast fashion pieces because you weren’t sure which of the ten tops would work for you and with your new pants. Now, you can use that same budget for one item that is ideal for you. That extra cash just might make the difference between the item made from recycled materials and the one that isn’t. It’s all part of the larger picture. Shopping with intention and a clear framework means that you know unequivocally when it’s time to pass on an item and when it’s time to buy or rent. Less stress. Less indecision. Less consumption and yes, less guilt.
And that, my Dear Reader, is the beginning of a world of possibilities. Mastering your filters truly will transform the way you engage with clothes. It also empowers you to take your authentic personal style to the next level and lean more heavily into your values, if you’d like. When it comes to clothes and sustainability, there is no magic bullet. We’re going for progress not perfection. If every individual does what she can when she can, meaningful change is inevitable.
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