Finding Affordable, Eco-Friendly Clothing for Your Wardrobe
Affordable, eco-friendly clothing from Passion Lilie. Shop now.
For many shoppers, your wardrobe is a fun and easy part of your life to maintain. It’s not surprising, since your sense of style allows you to have fun representing yourself to the world.
Your wardrobe can also be used to express your beliefs, which is why more and more people are interested in finding affordable, eco-friendly clothing. Not only does environmentally-friendly apparel help keep our environment clean, but it also allows you to share these values with others any time someone compliments your clothing, creating a larger collective impact.
However, there are still many people who want to invest in environmentally responsible clothing but fear it will come with a high price tag. Eco-friendly clothing typically costs more than fast fashion, but those extra dollars provide you with better quality clothing and better practices for the environment.
Learn how to find affordable, eco-friendly clothing to satisfy both your conscious and your wallet, and start shopping today.
Why You Should Invest in Affordable, Eco-Friendly Clothing
Passion Lilie’s founder enjoying the beaches of Bali in our Neoma Blue Kaftan.
When it comes to making our homes more environmentally friendly, we often neglect our wardrobes. Reducing waste, recycling, and avoiding harmful chemicals are all important and relatively easy changes we can make. But you may be surprised to learn just how much damage the wrong clothing can do to the environment.
Synthetic fabrics can take 200 years to decompose in landfills, according to Sustain Your Style. And when a store fails to sell a fast fashion piece or a consumer loses interest in the trend, that cheap, synthetic clothing usually gets thrown away.
The microfibers in synthetic materials can end up in our oceans, creating more waste and even affecting animals’ health when ingested. Clothing made with azo dyes, which may be toxic to an aquatic ecosystem, can cause even more harm.
When you invest in eco-friendly clothing, you get high-quality materials made from natural textiles, such as cotton, hemp, and linen. You can also avoid azo dyes and other harmful chemicals with eco dyes.
When a company values sustainability over profit, its products are made with care, often using practices that reduce waste, water consumption, and electricity usage to create goods that are safe for consumers, workers, and the environment. At Passion Lilie, we are transparent about our production practices, and we’re always looking for ways to treat our environment better.
If you’re ready to reduce your environmental footprint, check out our tips for incorporating eco-friendly clothing into your wardrobe without breaking the bank today.
How to Incorporate Eco-Friendly Clothing into Your Wardrobe on a Budget
1. Look for Classic, Staple Pieces
Breton Striped Organic Jersey Top, $46
One of the many problems with fast fashion is that the clothing is often based on temporary trends. Looks are moved from catwalks to stores as quickly and cheaply as possible, sacrificing quality materials and production. Consumers can buy into fads at a low price, only to end up wasting what little money they spent on poor-quality clothes, which fall apart and become outdated.
As you begin creating an eco-friendly wardrobe, don’t fall prey to the many trends that come and go. By all means, if there’s a trend you absolutely love, go for it! But only if it’s made of quality materials that will last, and it’s a style you know you’ll want to wear—even when it falls out of favor.
Otherwise, consider classic designs, such as stripes, polka dots, herringbone, and geometric patterns. Look for timeless staples, such as sleeveless blouses, straight-leg pants, and A-line skirts, in solid colors or classic designs.
By investing in classic styles and staple pieces, you’ll wear your clothes more often, have an easier time matching them in different outfits, and ultimately save money.
2. Create an Eco-Friendly Capsule Wardrobe
Halley Organic Jersey Skirt, $58, and Breton Striped Organic Jersey Top, $46
When you start to invest in a smaller number of high-quality pieces, you can transition to an environmentally-friendly wardrobe at a pace you can afford. One great way to maximize new clothing purchases is to build a capsule wardrobe with pieces you can easily mix and match.
Start with the basics, such as:
— A pair of dark denim jeans— A pair of black pants
— A navy or black skirt
— A white or gray sweater
— A plain white or black t-shirt
— A white, navy, or black button-up shirt
These types of classic, staple pieces should all pair well together, making it easy to pick a stylish outfit every day of the week. As you continue to find eco-friendly clothes you love, compare them to the other pieces you regularly wear, and consider whether or not they will be easy to match with your existing wardrobe. For example, introduce a new color you love and know you’ll wear, and donate or give away clothes you no longer want.
3. Choose Accessories for an Affordable Update
A wide variety of Passion Lilie scarves
Accessories are some of the most affordable eco-friendly clothing you can find. Scarves, hats, and purses often use fewer materials, making them less expensive than full articles of clothing. Even better, you can easily incorporate them into your wardrobe and add a pop of color or pattern to plainer stable pieces.
A simple way to jump-start your sustainable wardrobe is by swapping out any cheap, synthetic accessories for higher quality, eco-friendly ones. Headbands, lightweight scarves, and sarongs are great options because they can be worn throughout the warmer months and into winter.
Choose colorful pieces that you can style with your clothing. The right accessories can turn your clothes into a completely new outfit! With a few carefully chosen accessories, you can do even more with a smaller wardrobe.
4. Take Care of Your Clothing
As you start purchasing more eco-friendly clothing made from high-quality materials, you can use these tips to help make sure your clothes last longer:
— Wash your clothes on a lower temperature. This gets them clean while also extending their lifespan. Not to mention, you won’t be wasting as much energy.— Use an “eco” or gentle wash setting. Most clothes, unless they’re very dirty, can use a shorter washing time than the average washing machine runs. This can reduce your energy usage and water consumption while helping to preserve your clothing.
— Invest in an eco-friendly detergent. Avoid harmful chemicals in detergents, which could negatively impact your health, the environment, and the color and texture of your clothing.
— Hang clothes to dry on a drying rack. While some items, such as wrinkle-prone shirts, need to be dried in a dryer, many do not. Air drying your eco-friendly pieces can help keep the colors bright and your clothes intact for years to come, so always check the care instructions on the label.
Once you find affordable, eco-friendly clothing you love, you should treat it with special care so it lasts even longer.
5. Follow Local, Eco-Friendly Brands
Shops love to give loyal customers a heads up when they have an event or sale going on. With Instagram, Facebook, and other social media channels, you can keep tabs on your favorite eco-friendly stores and find out when the pieces you love go on sale.
Some stores post on social media to let their followers know about sales before they even change the prices in their shops. Plus, by getting to know your favorite brands on social media, you’ll be able to ask questions, learn about new environmental issues, and find clothes you love.
6. Shop Eco-Friendly Clearance Items
Another way to save money on eco-friendly pieces is to shop the clearance section.
Consider buying a piece or two that’s on sale as the seasons change. You may not be able to wear a coat during spring, but it will surely cost less in the off season. If the price is right, and it’s a classic style you’ll want to keep wearing, buy it! This is a great way to replace synthetic coats on a budget, so you’ll be ready for fall and winter.
Like most retail, even eco-friendly clothing shops have to change out their inventory, leading to amazing sales. Unlike other fashion, however, sustainable clothing is made with high-quality materials that are made to last, giving you a much better deal.
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