When it comes to our own shopping habits, we are always looking for ways to shop more consciously. For the environment, our bank accounts and also to make our lives less complicated. The idea of ‘mindful’ or conscious shopping in our opinion, is central to building a wardrobe of pieces that we really love.
This is an ongoing conversation we love to have, and one that is especially paramount at the beginning of a new year as we’re focusing on our goals for the year ahead and thinking about what we can do differently.
Our team have put together our top 5 rules for shopping more consciously.
1. Buy Less and buy well
‘Less is more’ is at the core of our ethos, and so we had to start here. The idea is that if we invest in high quality, made to last pieces we are more likely to love and wear them for longer. So even if it comes at a higher price point, we are still likely to be better off.
When looking to add pieces to our wardrobes, we always make sure to look at fabrications and where the garment has been made. We’re always drawn to natural fabrications, not only for their better environmental impact but we also find they wear better, and are designed to last season after season.
2. Look for brands that are undertaking sustainable practices
We love brands that are doing things better, which is why we are proud to stock B-Corp certified brands Faithfull The Brand, Bondi Born and Arnsdorf. When looking to shop with a new brand, we always make sure to do our research. From looking at the brand’s supply chain, where their products are made and always keeping an eye out for any sustainability initiatives the brand might be undertaking.
As this is such a growing space and becoming more and more instrumental in customer decision making, you’ll find that most brands now have a sustainability section on their website for you to browse - which we love!
3. Avoid trends and invest in classic styles
A rule that we stand by 100% of the time, looking for pieces that you’ll be wearing on high rotation beyond just the current season. Once you have a core capsule wardrobe of pieces that you wear on repeat, the ethical value of your wardrobe goes up.
Every piece that you invest in should be hard-working, and always work back with pieces you already own. We find that sticking to a neutral colour pallette, and avoiding loud prints and bright colours means that we are less likely to get sick of the pieces we own, and also ensuring we avoid the stress of not having something to wear - as everything works back together!
4. Avoid buying for occasions
We’ve all fallen victim to this one, and it never pays off! If you have an event coming up it can be so tempting to impulse purchase an outfit that feels perfect for that day, but that you’re never going to wear again.
Before buying a new outfit, think about whether this item is filling a gap in your wardrobe and will it meet your long term needs - i.e. will you wear it again? Nine times out of ten, we find that the answer is no and when we reflect on what we already own the perfect outfit already exists in our wardrobes.
5. Donate or sell pieces you no longer wear
It can be overwhelming having a wardrobe full of pieces that you don’t love, which can also lead to feeling like you need to buy more when in reality you probably already have what you need. At the beginning of every season we like to do a review of our wardrobes and pull out the pieces we haven’t been wearing. If it’s a case of falling out of love with a piece and it is still in good condition, we will look to sell or donate.
By understanding what we own, and planning out core outfits we find that we’re much less likely to make impulse purchases, only consciously shopping for pieces that really fill a gap in what we already have.
