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A new year might signal a fresh start, but let’s keep working on the progress we’ve been making on sustainability, says columnist Genevieve Smith. She shares her top 10 ways to challenge your clothing consumption for the next 12 months
It always feels like once the ball drops and the clock strikes, we all have that magical chance to start over — and I take serious issue with that.
Is anyone surprised that I, an opinion writer, would have thoughts about this?
Alas, new year, same me.
I don’t want us to start over. I want us to keep going.
Key players within the textile industry, and the world of fashion and design at large have been painstakingly carving out a path towards a cleaner, more sustainable future.
Along with the rise of resellers, secondhand markets, and the ever-growing demand from eco-conscious consumers for more accountability and transparency within the supply chain, we are witnessing first-hand a small but mighty shift in the right direction.
It’s not just your local thrift experiencing an influx of traffic, it’s a worldwide phenomenon. Trends currently predict that the resale market is expected to outpace the broader retail clothing sector nine times over by 2027.
That means that in the next two years, it will officially be more normal to buy secondhand than to buy new. This is a future I look forward to experiencing.
In the meantime, however, there is work to be done. If we are to adhere to the weird, “new year” (mid-season) pitch of Starting Over, then allow me to outline my New Wear(s) Resolutions.
Ten simple, yet pointed, resolutions that can and will challenge you to think differently about the way you consume clothing, because not every diet involves counting calories.
Take stock of your current wardrobe. What works for you? What haven’t you worn in the last 12 months? (This will be important later.)
What has been a surprisingly good addition to your wardrobe or personal style? Lean into that feeling when approaching any new garment additions.
Find all the items in your wardrobe that need to be fixed, altered, dry cleaned or resoled.
Hand wash all your delicates (I know you’ve been putting it off) and treat your shoes for salt and moisture.
Take your special garments for their yearly physical, or so help me, I will find you.
Take your credit card number off your online browsers. Just do it. Trust me.
It means having to physically input the info, which slows down the process of buying something you might not need.
If you have your card number memorized, I tip my cap to you, and hope you’re doing okay.
Try to find an item secondhand for a full two weeks before making the decision to purchase it new. (Just two weeks! I’m not evil.)
Challenge yourself to purchasing half your items secondhand this year. Currently, one in three garments bought in the last 12 months were secondhand. That’s 33 per cent of your closet, so what’s another 17 per cent?
Challenge yourself to wear everything in your closet this year.
Challenge yourself to a single month of no new things! (This one is hard, but you’re very brave. I suggest warmer months, when the thrifting is good, the weather is forgiving, and most of your special occasion outfits have been purchased in advance.)
Unfortunately, most of the garments that you haven’t touched this year are likely going to remain untouched the following year.
I don’t make the rules, but I have worked with closets for half a decade. This is usually how it goes. Don’t lose hope here.
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Create piles for different donation centres, focusing on warm clothes, clean athletic wear, and undamaged items that no longer suit you or your current needs.
Check within your local community for independent thrift stores and charities that are accepting donations. [ed. note: You can also find independent and charity thrift stores on the Shop Secondhand Directory.]
For my Greater Toronto readership, I suggest donating to New Circles, Sistering, Red Door Shelter, Nellie’s or Good Shepherd. Out of The Cold is also always looking for warm winter gear.
Double Take on Gerrard East also offers gift certificates for folks who are in need of more emergency clothing, so they can shop with dignity, so bring your gently used more fashionable garments there.
Visit five to 10 local businesses or arts markets in your area. Make a point of asking for their social media handle, and watch the look of delight bloom across their face.
Nothing feels better than increasing viewership for worthy causes and businesses that depend on your engagement to stay afloat. This is both free and incredibly rewarding.
Ask yourself some hard questions before making new clothing purchases.
Will I wear this more than 10 times this year? Do I have anything like it? Will its quality degrade before I pay it off?
Can I afford it if it’s not on credit? Did someone have to work unfair hours at unfair wages to make this accessible to me? Do I really need this shipped overnight? (Be honest!)
Plan a clothing swap and invite your best-dressed friends to trade wardrobes instead of hitting the mall for the same rush of dopamine.
Unlike online reselling, clothing swaps aren’t a revolution of the 21st century.
During the Great Depression, clothing swaps were essential to dressing families during times of great rationing.
In modern times, we may have the opposite issue (too many clothes), but the concept remains the same. If you don’t have it, someone else might.
Stop buying pieces for the Now, and start thinking about Later.
Aim to focus on investment pieces, not seasonal upgrades. You can thrift the latest trends if that’s your jam, but your coats, your denim, your footwear and your formal wear should outlive their Instagram debut.
Natural fibres, such as wool, linen, cashmere, hemp and cotton can be mended, reworked and repaired much more easily than polyester/plastic blends.
Buying one to two expensive garments from each category does in fact fare better in the long run, knowing you can breathe life into old garments when they do wear out, and you don’t have to stay a minimum of 12 feet from open flames.
Think about the way big purchases fit into the landscape of your clothing’s lifetime, and make decisions based on what Future You would be happy to own five years from now.
At the end of the day, the best way to save money is to stop buying things.
Knowing that this is almost impossible in our current landscape, one of many excellent things about sustainable and secondhand garments is they are often more reasonably priced, offering nearly identical value, and often, a uniquely higher yield in the grand scheme of things.
What I mean by uniquely higher yield is a tough thing to explain, because you either get it or you don’t: If you’ve been looking at a specific item for months, and find it for a fraction of the price somewhere secondhand, there is a singularity in the rush of satisfaction you feel that only the thriftiest can experience.
Not to mention that most cool vintage finds feel very niche — if you take pride in saying “it’s one of one,” you should definitely thrift.
I hope that this year brings you the opportunity to feel the joy of delaying gratification, disrupting the disturbingly unethical chain of supply, and getting what you want anyways.
Maybe by 2027, I’ll be writing about the widespread closures of mainstream fast fashion malls. One can only hope.
Until then, remember your resolutions.
Upholding our demands for better garment production, safer working conditions, and better options for the planet is in fact, the only way to get what we want.
Corporations only have as much power as we allow them to take.
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Genevieve Smith is a fashion stylist, writer and founder of Gifts of Thrift. As a yard sale enthusiast, thrift store supporter, and die-hard environmental entrepreneur, she has spent the last two decades trying to figure out how to convince people it is, in fact, cooler to care. Her bimonthly column for The Vintage Seeker, ThreadFul, covers the intersection of thrifting, secondhand fashion, ethical style and sustainability.
