Shirt: Everlane (sweatshop-free) | Jeans: Gap (clothing swap) | Bracelet: Wakami (fair trade) | Flip-flops: VOS
One of my struggles with sustainable fashion is restructuring my budget. For some people, the trade off of slave-produced fashion versus ethically-produced fashion anesthetizes the sting to their pocketbook. But I have to admit — I’m cheap. Once I finally started caring about fashion, I quickly became accustomed to buying such inexpensive clothes that I could replace them as often as I wanted.
Now I’m trying to shop more thoughtfully, but my budget hasn’t changed all that much.
I start by searching for items regularly sold at a pricepoint my budget can handle. This t-shirt is one of my favorites from Everlane. Much of the Everlane line costs more than I want to spend, but for $14 I can get a quality, sweatshop-free tee.
Clothing swaps definitely help me fill out my closet each season. These jeans, part of Gap’s 1969 line, are from the latest clothing swap with my MOMS club. I love that the clothing swaps give clothing a longer life and let me inexpensively add pieces to my closet without resorting to sweatshop-made fast fashion.
Sales and promotions are another fun way to expand my sustainable wardrobe collection. I bought these flip flops (made by a company that reinvests in its producer community in Guatemala) and the bracelet (fairly made by artisans in Guatemala) with a promotional code from VAULT marketplace that took $20 off my purchase. (Other great sites with frequent sales on fair trade items are People Tree, Modcloth, and Mata Traders.)
Total retail value of today’s outfit: $118
Actual money spent: $28
Oh, and you know what’s another great way to snag some cheap fair fashion? Giveaways! Like this holiday giveaway from Beyond the Fried (see what I did there?). Remember to enter before December 20!
What’s the best deal you’ve found on fair fashion? Share in the comments or tag a pic with #fairfashionfri!
P.S. – Some affiliate links are contained in this post to support my fair fashion habit!
Oh, Christy, what a beautiful photo! Of course, they always are, but I can still tell you! LOL Good job, Paul. I love reading your blog, Christy. <3
I love the retail vs. cost-to-you comparison. Nicely done!
I’m wearing my Everlane tee in your honor today. I laughed when I realized that almost everything I put on with it came from a swap (long sleeve tee, vest, jeans, shoes (TOMS, no less!)). My accessories include a handmade necklace from of recycled nylon made by friend and artist, Leeza (//www.meksin.com/), and gloves I got on a super sale from Eileen Fisher (//www.eileenfisher.com/EileenFisherCompany/CompanyGeneralContentPages.jsp?bmLocale=en_US). Thanks for the inspiration!
Mandy, that sounds like a terrific outfit! Clothing swap outfits are some of my favorites to wear during the week.