Fashion, Guides

When to Shop, When to Not

the-note-passer-shopping-ethically

It hit me recently that I’ve been covering ethical brands a lot and spending a good chunk of my time developing an ethical fashion shopping list. The more I write about ethical fashion, the more you’ve been asking for this type of resource. And while I don’t want to discredit this work, I fear I’ve been remiss in skipping the most important part of ethical shopping – the purchase decision process.

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

Ethical brands exist for when our closets are void of something, not for when we feel like shopping as a pastime. I’m not saying clothes should be bland and uniform, quite the contrary actually. Clothes should make us feel like the best version of ourselves, as long as our ‘selves’ don’t have multiple personality disorder.

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

I could have sized up the situation wrong, but either way, I see it as a sign to exercise caution. 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 to be a more thoughtful consumer of fashion the biggest step you can take is to resist buying all together.

A better decision making process can help with this. But it’s a really nuanced thing to: (1) resist desire, and (2) to figure out which items fit your personal style, budget and standards. I’ve put together this list of questions that can help you decide when to shop, and when to not. 

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

ethical-shopping-fashion

Personal Style 

What do I love most about this garment?

___________________________

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

Yes     No

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

___________________________;  Yes     No

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

Yes     No

Have I taken a picture of myself in this outfit?

Yes     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     No

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

Yes     No

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

Yes     No

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

Yes     No

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

Yes     No

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

Yes     No

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

Yes     No

Ethical Standards

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

Yes     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     No

Does this brand communicate openly and transparently with its customers?

Yes     No

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

Yes     No

Can I easily find out where this garment was manufactured?

Yes     No

Does this brand issue a public sustainability and/or social responsibility report?

Yes     No

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

Yes     No

Does this brand use greenwashing in its marketing? [look for  eco-friendly imagery or language that isn’t substantiated by third-party endorsements like fair-trade or organic labels]

Yes     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 via The Art of Simple.

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

Photo credits:

Feature image – The Note Passer 

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 🙂

      – 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 🙂

  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 🙂

    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 🙂

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