How To Shop Sustainably For The Holiday’s (While Still Being Fashionable AF)

We think all readers can agree that shopping for new clothing is great. Some die-hards might even call it a sport! And it is definitely not going anywhere, any time soon. However, the unfortunate reality is that the fashion industry is far from sustainable. Did you know it takes up to 2,700 liters (713 gallons) of water to make one cotton t-shirt? It takes one human about three years to drink that amount of water. That’s a pretty intense footprint to leave on our planet. Another scary reality is that clothing consumption has nearly doubled in the past 15 years; yet on average, people are keeping their clothing for only half of the time.

That’s why it’s important that fashion-lovers do change SOME of their shopping behaviors given these staggering facts. With the holidays coming up, here are some sustainable holiday gift and shopping ideas that’ll still keep your closet gorgeous and your gifts to-die-for.

Vintage Shop in Your Own Childhood Home

Mama’s got style, too! Head into her closet and you’re likely to find bold statement pieces like chunky, gold bracelets; long, dangly earrings; jeweled rings; and, if you were a well-behaved child, maybe even some diamonds. ;) She also probably has some clothing that you can style in a totally unexpected way in order to fit your own personal style. So ditch the stressful holiday cocktail dress shopping experience, and go vintage shopping in your Mom’s closet instead!

Support Local Artists & Revamp Old Pieces

Why not turn something old that you’re no longer excited about into a new, customized piece? Search for local artists on Instagram like Lauren Schneider to bring an old jean jacket or old purse back to life with a personalized and unique design. Lauren can literally make any and all illustrations look gorgeous, so take your pick. This is also an amazing gift idea as it adds so much meaning to an otherwise basic, everyday item. Some options might be to add a song lyric, symbol, flower or quote that’s sentimental to both of you!

Go Thrifting

Ditch the department stores and instead hit up thrift and consignment shops like What Goes Around Comes Around, Wasteland, Crossroads, Buffalo Exchange, and others to support the circular fashion movement! Items from vintage/thrift shops always get the most compliments because they are so unique, while also being super friendly to your wallet. Trust and know that you can always leave a thrift shop with at least one item you love.

Use A Rental Service

Rental services are amazing year-round, but they come in particularly handy during the holiday party season. Rent the Runway is of course a go-to, while new rental service Wardrobe allows you to shop the closets of influencers and celebrities and rent their designer clothing. With Wardrobe, you have the option to get the clothes delivered straight to your door, or you can pick them up at a local “hub” (which are actually all located inside your local dry cleaners). There are tons of hubs around the city, so it’s super convenient! Plus it’s also crazy affordable.

Support Sustainable Brands (Duh!)

There are so many amazing brands out there that value sustainability. Patagonia, for example, pledges at least one percent of sales or 10 percent of pre-tax profits — whichever is more — to environmental groups – plus so much more. Reformation is also dedicated to sustainability and is totally transparent about their practices.

But, it’s important to remember the little guys, too! There are tons of smaller sustainable brands like DaniJayne that are dedicated to reducing our carbon footprint through up-cycled products. Tons of beauty brands are also doing amazing work by using recyclable packaging, such as Rockstar Rollon and Ilia Beauty.

Happy (sustainable) shopping!