Friday May 16th, 2008
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Out With the Old... In With the Old?
Posted by Eliza Thomas on March 18, 2008 - 12:59pm.
Pictured at right: The author steps out in a revamped ’80s sundress from designer Debbie Brosenne. Photo by Robin Ganter.
By Summer Bowen
As the owner of an eco-fashion boutique, I’m frequently approached by
women looking to green their closet. They tell me, “I’m going to get
rid of all my clothes so you can help me build an eco-friendly fashion
collection from the ground up.”
The picture is quite romantic — throwing all of your pesticide-laden
cotton shirts and petroleum-derived polyester in the front yard,
sprinkling generous amounts of nail polish remover on top and lighting
a match, while vowing your dedication to the planet... Stop! This is
decidedly not easy on the earth (and could very well get you arrested).
While buying brand new sustainable clothing is a great way to lessen
the fashion industry’s impact on the earth, it isn’t the best or only
way to go green. Before smacking down the plastic for an entirely brand
new eco-wardrobe, try on these green fashion tricks.
Go Shopping in Your Own Closet
Believe it or not, the most eco-friendly wardrobe in the whole wide
world is the one you already have. Most likely, stuffed in the back of
your closet there are a few diamonds in the rough a local tailor could
do wonders with. Too tight? Too loose? Too last-season? Have a sit down
with your seamstress to talk solutions. Bring in a few magazine clips
of the latest styles... perhaps you’ll walk out with a new pair of slim
pants born out of those tired old bootcut jeans. And if you’re the
do-it-yourself kind, try creating this season’s Bermuda shorts out of
the khakis you used to wear way back when.
Not Your Grandma’s Goodwill
Thrift stores can conjure up images of stuffy pantsuits, fake pearls
and mothballs. But in the last decade, the second-hand clothing
industry has evolved into a powerhouse that keeps fashionistas drooling
for hours. Some second-hand stores specialize in slightly used high
fashion, a la Prada and Fendi. And many of these resale stores are more
discerning about what they put on their racks than shops on Rodeo
Drive. If you don’t mind digging a little, there are still great finds
at non-profit thrift stores like Out of the Closet and The Salvation
Army. Plus, there’s always Ebay, baby!
Stage a Naked Lady Party
Not nearly as naughty as it sounds, the “naked lady” party involves a
few pals, their unwanted wardrobe pieces, and some organic beverages.
In the Evite, ask guests to clear their closets of the clothes and
accessories they never wear and bring them on over for the other guests
to try out. Have an elbow-throwing free for all, or an organized
auction-house-like event. Either way, your friends will rid their
closets of unwanted duds, and end up with something new, fun, and free!
No time to throw a party? Find a pre-arranged clothing swap near you on
the growing list at Swap-o-rama-rama.
It Used to Be What?
Inner tubes into belts? Billboard signs into purses? A few savvy
eco-fashion designers have been using landfill-bound junk to create
wardrobe ready items. Green designer Debbie Brosenne buys second-hand
1980s dresses and disarms them of their shoulder pads, pointed sleeves
and gaudy flowers. She then turns the once-hideous frocks into
sundresses that’ll wow all the ladies at the luncheon.
So blow out that match and ditch the slash and burn eco-wardrobe
tactics. Why stop, drop, and roll, when you can reduce, reuse and
recycle?
Summer Bowen lives in Santa Monica where she runs her online eco-boutique, BTC Elements. She blogs about running a green business and living a similar lifestyle.
I always get depressed when I go to a mall because the clothes are expensive and, frankly, not made very well these days. In these modern times of overly trendy sweatshop-made clothes that either go out of style or unravel within months of purchase, I kinda feel like we're getting ripped off every time we shop. We're basically paying more and getting less.
Used clothes seem like such a better value to me, and I love imagining what the clothes' former lives were like! I find Ebay is great for used designer stuff... I let someone else pay $200 for jeans and then I buy them up when the owner moves on to the next trendy brand.
Full disclosure: I am a recovering trend-hound, so it's not easy for me to resist the pull of the latest and greatest (skinny? wide leg? high-waisted?) jean or (ballet flat/platform/jelly/round toe/pointy toe) shoe.
But I am so with you, sister. I am slowly weaning myself off of cheap, chainstore junk, and lately, I could not find malls more depressing.
I've had some major magic shopping success with flea markets, like the Melrose Trading Post in LA. The very best things in my closet — the things that I never stop loving and the things that people stop me on the street to ask me where I found them — came from that flea market. The cutest dress. The coolest boots. For a diehard shopper like myself, there is no better way to spend a Sunday than combing through the flea market piles to find that perfect item that was just made for you. It's great people watching too, and wayyyy more community-building than an afternoon at the mall.
Uhh... incidentally... I may or may not have been at Forever21 recently, and saw that they have a new line of eco-oriented products, T-shirts and tote bags that say "It's hip to be green" and the like.
The messed up thing is that when it comes to cheaply made, trend-obsessed, fall-apart crap, Forever21 is probably the worst offendor. (Which I guess didn't stop me from wandering in there. I admitted I was in recovery, right?). I googled around and could find no mention of a new green line, and according to the website, the tshirts and bags are just made of plain old eco-unfriendly materials.
So my guess is that they're just appealing to teeny-boppers who won't look to closely that the "Go Green" tote they just bought was made out of synthetic chemicals and sown together by an unfortunate 12-year-old in some developing country's far-flung factory.
If anyone knows any differently, please tell me. Did Forever21 start a true eco-line, or are they just being totally insidious?
Until we answer that, I'm sticking to the flea markets. Promise.
Hey, have any of you tried Swango? I featured it in one of my eco-video shows on TitanGreens, it's a pretty nifty clothing swap site for women/men/kids where you can swap anything in your closet for something in someone else's closet for $0.99! www.swango.com
Other than that, I've got plenty of old sneakers that I'm planning to give to the Nike store's shoe recycling program. So many great green options out there!