So I guess many of you have heard about how bad the working conditions are for the people growing the cotton our clothes are made from, and about how young girls are working 90 hours a week to sew the clothes we are buying on the high street. But how many times have you tried to do something about it? There are actually a LOT of things you can do to show that you don’t support that kind of manufacturing, and I promise you, you can still be fashionable.
Me and my sister started a project called “one year of second-hand” in September, and the title explains it all really. For one year we are going to buy only second-hand clothes, and if we have to buy anything new it has to be fair trade or eco.
Bloggers of www.1yearof2hand.com: Annika and Jenny
We are doing this because we want to see if it’s possible to make a difference and look good at the same time. What we’ve found so far is that: IT WORKS! You not only save money (you can find some real bargains), which is good for your wallet, you also take care of what has already been produced, which is good for the environment.
Not sure where to start? Here are some quick tips we have found useful in second-hand shopping:
1. Know what you are looking for: Are you looking for a knitted cardigan
or a pair of jeans? If you know what you want, the search becomes easier.
2. Take your time: It can take a long time to find what you need sometimes, so don’t rush into buying whatever you find attractive. Have a browse around to see if you can find other gems at even cheaper prices!
3. See potential: If you find a shirt with a nice pattern but it’s too large, don’t be afraid to buy it anyway. With some small adjustments you can fix that in no time. You can find lots of tutorials on YouTube on how to remake your clothes for example.
4. Buy accessories: With colourful belts, scarfs and ribbons you can totally change an outfit, without having to buy anything new. It’s rare that I leave a second hand shop without a belt, a scarf, an armband or a tie. I just collect them so I can have a play around when I get home.
5. But the best tip I can give you: USE what you already have! The average woman buys 14 items of clothing a year that she will never use. If things don’t fit you anymore give it to a second-hand shop or see if you can do something else with your old pair of jeans or cardigan. As I always say, you can turn almost anything into a bag for shopping!
If you want to get inspiration on how you can remake your clothes, where you can find fair trade shops, or want to know more about the project just go to our blog www.1yearof2hand.com, we update it regularly with things that we like and we hope that you’ll like too.
This is a guest post by Jenny of www.1yearof2hand.com/
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