Clothing stewardship
Musings on secondhand clothing and clothing repairs.
I wrote an article last week about how the ‘make do and mend’ mentality doesn’t always work for modern clothing. Modern clothing, especially fast fashion doesn’t lend itself well to being mended due to the fabrics used, the stitching techniques and even the surface designs. However, I felt after writing that I wanted to share some of my own ideas about how you can still make your clothing work for you, how to look after it, lengthen its lifespan and be a better clothing steward. It’s not all doom and gloom! There are still positive and eco-conscious choices when it comes to clothing.
This means that we are not owners of our clothing but stewards. It’s likely that the fabric our clothing is made from will still exist on this planet in some capacity long after we are done with it. We need to shift away from seeing our responsibility for our clothes cease once we stop wearing them. I am starting to consider myself the guardian or steward for each item of clothing. It’s my responsibility to be able to pass it on to the next stage in its life cycle in the best way possible. This may mean taking care of each item, so it can be worn again, or be used in another way. What we all need to avoid is our clothing ending up in landfill, whether that’s in this country or another.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently after reading another substack about where our clothing ends up and what ‘away’ actually means. I’ve embedded it for you here, I do recommend you give it a read!
Positive actions against fast fashion.
Pre-loved clothing/ Secondhand
I really love vinted, both as a buyer and a seller. I have until now had a bit of a hoarding problem when it came to clothing I am sentimentally attached to. However, I’ve realised clinging on to a size 10 dress that I’m never going to fit in again just because I wore it to a special event ten years ago is a bit silly. The thing that has enabled me to prise my clothes out of my sentimental grasp is that I can search on vinted for the same item of clothing in a bigger size! Hurrah! I can wear the same favourite top again, and let go of the one I can no longer wear. I’m aiming to clear out my wardrobe of clothing I can’t wear and only have clothing I can actually fit on my body! The bonus is I can earn a little bit of money too, funding my secondhand purchases! Although wearing second hand clothing can be a bit strange at first, especially in a culture where new = good, it’s worth reminding yourself that a few generations ago the thought of ever wearing brand new clothing was really only reserved for those very well off. Obviously hygiene is really important and I recommend throughly washing all secondhand or thrifted clothing before wearing.
Mending where possible
I don’t mean darning, I mean things like visible mending over spots and stains. Though if you can darn and have farmable garments then, yay! I am currently working on embroidering over a stain on a favourite top of mine, which I stained with (ironically I know) stain remover! After applying the stain remover I left the blouse to dry in the sun and it bleached the area. It’s fairly subtle, and the top is obviously clean and I still wear it, but it is annoying. My plan is to embroider over the patch an all white embellishment to blend in with the top. I also think that we live in a world of throwaway culture, and also value items for their new-ness. Get comfortable with things being old, comfy and last season.
Repurposing fabrics from clothing and other textiles
If an item of clothing is made of natural fibres such as cotton or linen, you can use it for its absorbency after the item of clothing is completely unwearable. You can make reusable make up wipes, bibs, kitchen cloths and much more! People used to do this so much, and I think we could do this much more. The important thing to remember is to use absorbent material, which mainly is made of natural fibres. You don’t want to use polyester as that would be like trying to mop up liquid with a plastic bag.
Taking care of the clothing you own.
There are many things you can do with the clothing you already own to make it last longer. For example, how to wash it properly. Line drying is always better for the clothing and the environment than tumble drying. You can use a de-bobbler to de bobble jumpers and woollens, making them look fresh again. Also, ironing your clothes really helps in making them look fresh and crisp and new again. I know this may seem like an obvious fact especially to those a generation older than me but I think millennials have nearly universally thrown out ironing. I actually really hate ironing with a passion, and spent the first half of my 20’s avoiding any clothing that so much as creased when folded. However, I now find that wearing anything made from manmade fibres makes me sweaty and uncomfortable. Ironing it is. Sigh.
An important note
None of us are perfect, least of all me. All these things I have mentioned are written as something to be mindful of, to work towards and to increase in my (and hopefully your) life. By no means am I never going to buy anything new again. I even bought something new this week! I am also aware that sometimes being slow fashion conscious is time consuming and expensive. However, I think small steps are just as important as grand gestures, and if we all move a tiny bit closer to a world of circular, slower fashion it would do us and the planet a little bit of good.
In other news, I will be reducing the frequency of articles to once weekly, as it’s proving impossible to do more than this at the moment. If I do have time I may add an extra one here and there, and I plan to still remain active on the posts tab of substack.
I’m still here, just limited with the amount of time I can sit down and write. I’ll leave you with this picture of my gorgeous daffodils that have brought spring into my kitchen this week.
Keep stitching,
Ellie xx
Really interesting to read, Ellie - both yours and the post you linked to. It’s given me a different perspective that when I buy or sell on Vinted, it’s more likely that something is actually being worn again, unlike donations to the charity shop. It often feels like a chore to list clothing on Vinted I find, but I’ll see it differently now and remember the value and purpose of doing something that will help that item of clothing to continue being worn and used.
Our very old tumble dryer finally gave up last week, and we’ve decided not to replace it. That has also made me more mindful of what is being washed, how, and when, as line drying everything does take a bit more time and planning. I hope it will benefit our clothes though as you’ve mentioned, as well as reducing our energy consumption a bit.