How to Quit Fast Fashion

 
 


Fast fashion culture lives within those of us who grew up going to the mall for fun. But as susty baddies, we’ve all come to recognize fast fashion and the cycle of consumption as impending threats to our environment. Not to mention, many of us have realized that we can’t keep up with trends, nor are they really reflective of our personal expression. So as we grow (physically and mentally) out of the world of Forever 21, how do we break up with the habit and convenience of fast fashion? How do we create our own styles and not just repeat what we see on the mannequin? And in the era of TikTok and Instagram influencers, how do we consume mindfully when it feels like everything is changing so fast? 

First, Educate Yourself. What is Fast Fashion? 

 
 

If you need a refresher, fast fashion refers to the mass production of low-cost clothing; over the past several decades, the transition to mass-produced garments has culminated in the modern trend cycle. Fast fashion and trend evolution has led to the overproduction and overconsumption of garments, a transition that has sacrificed fair labor and sustainable practices in favor of profit and high output. 


Do Your Research

 
 

Doing your research is vital to quitting fast fashion. As you progress in your sustainability journey, equipping yourself with credible knowledge about unethical practices in the industry will help you make informed decisions. Here are a few of our favorite resources: 


How do we break up with Fast Fashion? 

 
 


So what does it mean to push back against fast fashion? It means shedding ourselves of the wrong influences and surrounding ourselves with the right people.  It requires defining our style beyond trends. It demands that we get creative with the ways we find our new (to us) clothes. And it means upcycling, mending, and reworking our clothes to reflect our ever-evolving styles and identities. (Because if there is one thing a baddie is not, it’s bland!) 

*For more inspo, see our founder Jazmine’s guide to breaking up with fast fashion. 


Step 1: “De-Influence” Yourself!

 
@sadgrlswag De-influencing you, no more over consumption or else 💣💥! 😡😤 #GenshinImpact34 ♬ original sound - Estef
 

In the Internet age, trends have been evolving faster than ever. There is an ecosystem that promotes overconsumption, comprised of influencer culture and fast fashion marketing.  Recently, there has been some resistance to this cycle, with the term “de-influencing” entering the zeitgeist. Here are a few steps you can take to begin to “de-influence” yourself from the pressure to constantly buy new things. 


Go on an Unfollow Spree 

 
 

This is not, in effect, a boycott of fast-fashion brands (which is another conversation in itself). But by doing this, you are able to rid yourself of the temptation posed by the incessant marketing machine. 

  • Unsubscribe from fast-fashion brands’ email lists

  • Unfollow fast-fashion social media accounts

  • Unfollow bloggers/influencers that heavily push fast-fashion brands to their followers, or whose content revolves around haul culture


Step 2: Figure Out What You Like

 
 

If you take note of the styles you like, you can almost always find your own susty version of them. In addition to styles you see in person, use your mood boards, your Instagram saves, and your TikTok likes as information when you hit up the thrift store or have that online shopping rush (can we interest you in opting for eBay, Depop, Poshmark, or ThredUp?). Taking notes on pieces you want in your closet will also help you make more intentional choices, even while shopping secondhand.

Trust the Process

 
 

At Sustainable Baddie, we believe dynamic dressing and breaking up with fast fashion are not mutually exclusive. In fact, we think avoiding fast fashion can make styling more exciting. Our personal styles are meant to evolve with us. Your style may shift with your age, sense of identity, or just your first feeling in the morning, and that’s the beauty of self-expression.


Style is Cyclical!

 
 

One thing that fast fashionistas don’t want you to know is that fashion is always repeating itself. I mean, why else is Y2K sweeping the streets of New York City and filtering into your neighborhood high school? Because we love to repeat styles. So, if styles are always repeating themselves, then why don’t we just…re-wear old clothes? Exactly! #ReWearThat anyone? 

Instead of reaching for your Amazon app or your favorite online shop when you see a cute new Ad on your Instagram feed, maybe ask yourself, “Can I find this style elsewhere?” The answer is probably yes. 


Recently, baddies everywhere were drawn to Princess Diana’s 90s iconic bike shorts paired with an oversized sweatshirt and white trainers. Now, of course, you can find all of these pieces at fast fashion retailers, but you can also find this look closer to home. Does your mom, grandpa, aunt, or neighbor have a box of clothes labeled “1993”? Get in there and see what you can find! It’s guaranteed to be more comfortable and maybe even better quality than the fast fashion alternative. Or, ask your friends if any of them have a pair of bike shorts they haven’t been vibing with lately. Can you make a trade or just borrow them until your fixation fades? 

 
 


Hand-me-downs, heirlooms, clothing swaps, and trading pieces are some of the best ways to find clothes that fit your style inspo without opting for fast fashion. And wearing clothes that have a story, whether it’s from your family member or just your bestie, can also help you blend style with identity, self-expression, and even cultural celebration. 


More inspo for developing your fast-fashion-free personal style:


Step 3: Follow the “Buyerarchy of Needs”

 

Credit to: Sarah Lazarovic

 


Sustainable fashion brands are often expensive and financially inaccessible. However, buying fast fashion doesn’t have to be the only answer for baddies on a budget. The whole point of ethical fashion is to slow down our consumption and to purchase with intention. 


Artist, creative director, and climate writer Sarah Lazarovic developed this fun graphic guide to forming mindful consumption habits. A play on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the base of the pyramid represents the behaviors one should most often engage in when presented with a material need (like, say, you need an outfit for a special occasion). This guide can apply to most things you might need to purchase, not just clothing. 


Using what you already have is your “first line of defense”, and as you exhaust each option, you can move up to the next one. Suffice to say, buying new is the last thing you should do, and only when there are no options left. 

  1. Use What You Have

    1. The Three R’s of Shopping Your Wardrobe:

      1. Restyle (#ReWearThat) - Think of styling the same pieces differently across seasons. Our founder, Jaz, has some stellar inspo for this on her YouTube channel. 

      2. Repair - Give worn-out pieces new life by mending or repairing 

      3. ‘Recycle’ - use your imagination to DIY and upcycle your pieces 

A few notes on Repair: 

  • Having a go-to tailor, mender, or cobbler will ultimately help you consume less. They can help you fix up some of your favorite pieces, including hand-me-downs or thrifted finds that just need a tune-up. There are now online repair shops like Coblrshop that take your items in when you ship it to them (use BADDIE10 for 10% off). This article is a useful guide to finding a mender that you trust. 

  • Some fixes don’t necessarily need a professional. Mending your clothes the old-fashioned way (with a needle and thread) can help you bypass the trash can when a piece feels unwearable. Learning how to sew buttons, mend snags, darn holes, and hem frays are easy ways to keep your go-to pieces in your closet longer.

  • When you choose to retire your clothes, mending them before donating them to the thrift store or your bestie’s clothing swap will give them a longer life and keep them from being tossed into the trash bin. 

  1. Borrow

    1. Borrowing from friends, roommates, and family members is great, especially when you want to try a new trendy style or you need an outfit for a one-time event like a wedding. If you really can’t find anyone to borrow from, rental services like Nuuly are a viable option.  

  2. Swap

    1. Organize a clothing swap or find one in your area! These events, both small-scale and large-scale, are great opportunities to build community and be susty at the same time.

  3. Thrift

    1. Although there’s controversy about where donated clothes actually end up, purchasing second-hand does help reduce our usage of valuable resources, divert pieces that would otherwise end up in landfills, and contribute to our local economies and charities.

  4. Make

    1. Upcycling your clothes as textiles is a great way to kick your fast fashion habit. If you can MAKE the clothes you see on TikTok, then who the heck needs to buy them? 

  5. Buy
    If you’ve reached the final frontier of the “Buyerarchy of Needs”, here are a few things to consider before you buy:

    1. Who made this? - Take the time to consider: “Who made these pieces?” “Where are these fibers sourced from?” and “What impact does this have on the environment?” so that you can make the most ethical choices.

    2. Does it fill a need? - Is this something another piece in your wardrobe could replace? If you already have a pair of formal heels or sneakers, do you really need another? 

    3. Long-term thinking - Consider whether a new piece will fit with what you already own, whether it matches your style and taste, and whether you can or will wear it beyond a season or trend cycle. If this is something you will only wear once, or you just saw it on TikTok, maybe backtrack to some of our previous options. 


Step 4: Create Your Community of Baddies

 
 


Although finding your personal style goes hand in hand with learning about what makes you feel good, powerful, and confident, you don’t have to do it alone. There’s a whole community of baddies out there, just like you, who are in (or are entering) their susty style era. 


Seeking sustainable influences to nurture your curiosity for susty fashion can cultivate a sense of community and belonging. Depending on where you’re located and your level of comfort with meeting new people, you can find amazing sustainable inspo on social media or at in-person events happening in your city. 

We recommend following these featured sustainable baddies online: 

For more people making creative, fun, and informative content online that you can follow,  check out our lists:


For in-person opportunities to connect, we recommend searching for local clothing swaps, events on Eventbrite that focus on fashion sustainability, how-to workshops, and meetups hosted by your favorite susty brands or susty influencers (some of the featured baddies might host events to connect with their followers). You can also take the initiative and create your own event with others in your neighborhood!   

Step 5: Give Yourself (and Others) Grace

 
 

No matter where you are or who you are on your journey to quit fast fashion, the most important practice is to give yourself and others grace. 

  • When pursuing a new journey or skill, it’s natural that failures and mistakes will happen. 

    • As a new or seasoned sustainable baddie, give yourself the space and empathy to reframe your journey as an imperfect pursuit. The whole world is still unlearning the bad habits that have led us down an unsustainable path. Give yourself the time to learn how to shop more sustainably without feeling guilty you didn’t achieve it all in a day, a week, or even in a year!  

  • Ethics can vary from person to person, so it’s important to understand the underlying nuance of a person’s situation. 

    • There is no one-size-fits-all answer to solving our climate crisis, nor is there one for sustainable living and consumption in our current world. The restrictions in our capacity to adopt a sustainable wardrobe can open up nuanced discussions and a deeper understanding of the challenges we’ve yet to overcome together.  

Change in our fashion community will not come from one perfectly sustainable person, but rather from millions of imperfect sustainable baddies. 

At the end of the day, we know that fast fashion is a hard habit to kick. Sometimes that Amazon dupe video is so tempting, you find yourself plugging in your card number before you have time to bat an eye. However, we hope that we provided you with a little food for thought and have offered some sustainable ways to slow down your consumption. 

How have you broken up with fast fashion? Let us know in the comments. 

StyleZibby Trewartha-Weinerfashion, guide1 Comment