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Fashion, Guides

When to Shop, When to Not

the-note-passer-shopping-ethically

It hit me recentlyย that I’ve been coveringย ethical brands a lot and spending a good chunkย of my timeย developing anย ethical fashion shopping list. The more I write about ethical fashion, the more you’ve been asking for this type of resource. And whileย I don’t want to discredit this work, Iย fear I’ve been remiss in skipping the most important part of ethical shoppingย – the purchase decision process.

So, I’m taking a step back to heed a warning: buyingย from the brands I cover when you don’t need clothes – or worse, when you won’t actually wear them – defeatsย the purpose of ethical fashion.

Ethical brands existย for when ourย closets areย void of something, not for when weย feel like shopping as a pastime. I’m not sayingย clothes should beย bland and uniform, quite the contrary actually. Clothesย should make usย feel like the best version of ourselves, as long as ourย ‘selves’ don’tย have multiple personality disorder.

This reality hit me in the face the other day when I saw a teenage girl wearing thisย Reformation dress. She looked stunning, but that’s aside the point. She was muchย younger than the brand’s typicalย customer, especially considering Reformation’sย high prices. This madeย me wonder if ethical brands are being treated asย trendy now. Did her one-timeย good intentions lead her to search for ‘eco fashion’ in Google and, as a result, she gets bombarded by retargeting ads? Isย she stockpiling Reformation clothes now?

I could have sized up the situation wrong, but either way, I see it as a signย to exercise caution.ย My fear is that this idea of ‘too much stuff’ will infiltrate ethical fashion. And, even worse, that my work covering brands will contribute to consumers treating them like fast fashion. This seriously keeps me up at night.

Here’s the lesson: If you want toย be a more thoughtful consumer of fashion the biggest step you can take is to resist buying all together.

A better decision making process canย help with this. But it’s aย really nuanced thingย to: (1) resist desire, and (2) to figure out which items fitย your personal style, budget and standards. I’ve put together this list of questionsย thatย canย help you decideย when to shop, and when to not.ย 

Instructions: Save or print this before your next purchase.ย Fill in the blanks and adapt the questions to your goals. Consider your answers before buying. You don’t need to meet anyย particular score; theย questions are simply designed to get you thinkingย about your own standards.

ethical-shopping-fashion

Personal Styleย 

What do I love most about this garment?

___________________________

Will I want to wear this in 3-5 years?

Yes ย  ย  No

What message do I want to send with my clothing? Willย this garment do it?

___________________________; ย Yes ย  ย  No

Will this match at least ___ number of items already in my closet?

Yes ย  ย  No

Have I taken a picture of myself in this outfit?

Yes ย  ย  No

Personal Investment

Is this something I will wear more than ___ times? [If you’re just starting, aim for at least 20 wears, if you’re seasoned, 50+]

Yes ย  ย  No

Haveย I considered this purchase for at least ___ days/weeks/months?

Yes ย  ย  No

Will these fabrics hold up to my lifestyle and the weather conditions where I live?

Yes ย  ย  No

Have I taken inventory of my current wardrobeย to see if I already have something similar?

Yes ย  ย  No

Am I buying this item because it’s on sale or cheap?

Yes ย  ย  No

Does the garment require special care? Do I have the means to maintain its condition?

Yes ย  ย  No

Are any outside influences involved in my purchase decision? [Were you pressured by commissioned sales reps? Friends? Or influenced by celebrity culture?]

Yes ย  ย  No

Ethicalย Standards

Have I researched this brand’sย ethical practices?ย [Use the first three resources on my shopping page]

Yes ย  ย  No

Does this brand champion one or more causes that are important to me? [e.g. veganism, human rights, fair trade, made in USA]

Yes ย  ย  No

Does this brand communicate openly and transparently with itsย customers?

Yes ย  ย  No

Is this garment made from sustainable textiles?ย [Look forย natural (not petrochemical based), organic and biodegradable fibers.ย Tencel/Lycocell, hemp, modal, and Alpaca are generally good.ย Polyester, viscose/rayon and nylon are generally bad. Read The Note Passer’s Textile Issue to learn more]

Yes ย  ย  No

Can I easily find out where this garment was manufactured?

Yes ย  ย  No

Does this brand issueย a publicย sustainability and/or social responsibility report?

Yes ย  ย  No

Has this brand ever been in the news for human rights violations?

Yes ย  ย  No

Does this brand useย greenwashingย in its marketing? [look forย  eco-friendly imagery or languageย that isn’t substantiatedย byย third-party endorsements like fair-trade or organic labels]

Yes ย  ย  No

Other notes:

_____________________________________________


Ask me more style questions on twitter @PeahenBlog with #SlowDownMyClothes.

Here are more resources from the ethical blogger community:

Learning to live with less viaย The Art of Simple.

If you’re really committed, useย Un-fancy’s guide to build a capsule wardrobe.

Photo credits:

Feature image – The Note Passerย 

Image within – NOA // NOIR

(23) Comments

  1. Thank you so much for this resource!! I agree that the most important thing is not to buy too much stuff but it’s hard to know where to draw the line! Your thoughtful questions will really help next time I’m considering a purchase!

    1. thepeahen says:

      So glad it’s useful to you, Hannah. Thanks for reading!

      – Kasi

  2. Wow! Thank you for this!!! Taking a screen shot and saving for life!

    1. thepeahen says:

      That’s awesome Olivia! I hope it’s helpful when you’re shopping…or considering shopping ๐Ÿ™‚

      – Kasi

  3. What a refreshing post! Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this subject.

    Your questionnaire is a fantastic guide to get us thinking about whether we really need something or not. Even just asking yourself a few of these questions will give a shopper much clearer perspective.

    1. thepeahen says:

      Glad you found it useful David! Thanks for reading.

  4. Caitlin says:

    This is so useful–the community needs more resources like this! I also don’t find enough emphasis on how exactly to keep clothing in good condition and how to make it last 3-5 years (especially lower quality items that one does want to wear 50+ times!). It’s been something on my mind recently, I would love to hear more of your thoughts about that topic.

    1. thepeahen says:

      Hey Caitlin, Nichole over at Green or Die just wrote a great post on this that would be a good starting place. http://green-or-die.com/2016/04/wardrobe-maintenance-101/

      Also, check out this piece but be aware that the guidelines aren’t eco-friendly: http://stylecaster.com/how-to-care-for-your-clothing-101-tips/

      Best of luck with your newly conscious wardrobe!

      Kasi

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  7. Rebecca Bratburd says:

    Perfect! I usually mentally go through a half to three quarters of this list. I’m saving this in my phone for the next time I get the urge to shop just to shop. Thank you!

    1. Kasi says:

      I hope it’s helpful Rebecca. Thanks for stopping by The Peahen ๐Ÿ™‚

  8. What a great and useful post!

    Here is something that will interest you : We are INDOSOLE (tire soled footwear https://indosole.com/) and our founder Kyle Parsons did a TEDx talk in Bali about conscious consumerism and upcycling. I think it would really interest you, so here is the link : http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/Redesigning-our-consumer-habits;search%3Akyle%20parsons

    Enjoy ๐Ÿ™‚

    1. Kasi says:

      Super cool Marine! I’ve definitely come across Indosole from my ethical blogger friends. Will check out the TEDx. I gave one recently too, but it was internally hosted at my company so, unfortunately, I can’t share it. If you’ve been reading The Peahen, you’ll get the gist of my viewpoints though.

      Thanks for reading!

      Cheers,
      Kasi

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  11. Shaniqua Brown says:

    I really enjoy this article; it brought it all together for. I’m going to take these questions with me and research the ethical brands to do my part. I believe in better quality clothing as well as better treatment for the employees as well as the earth. Thanks again!

    1. Kasi says:

      Hey lady! Thanks for stopping by and reading ๐Ÿ™‚

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