Ethical Fashion on a Budget

If you’ve been reading our weekly blogs, by now it’s common knowledge that the surplus of cheap clothing is becoming problematic across the globe, from poor conditions for factory workers to the unsustainable toll being taken on the earth’s resources. There is simply too much clothing being made, and more often than not, in unethical ways. 

One hundred years ago, it was the norm for people to only own a few pieces of clothing, each with an individual purpose for varying occasions. They were made with quality fabrics with the intent to last for years to come. Fast forward to today, the average person buys around 65 items of cheap clothing and discards more than 68 pounds of clothing in landfills every year. If the industry continues down this unsustainable path then the future won’t be so bright. But as conscious consumers who care about the earth and the living beings residing here, we can make a change by choosing to shop ethically; and yes it makes a bigger difference than we can comprehend.

It may seem overwhelming at first, but the good news is that it’s actually very easy to make small but impactful changes to the way you shop for clothes. Whether you take us up on just one or all ten of our suggestions, you can feel good knowing that you’re making a difference

Changing the way you shop for clothes can seem daunting at the start, but the good news is our blog series intend to help you down the path of ethical and sustainable shopping no matter what your budget is. These suggestions are just a few simple ways you can easily make impactful changes in your everyday life when it comes to buying clothing. You’ll be making a difference in so many ways and you can feel good about it too!

Shop Your Closet 

The first step in ethical fashion - use what you already have. Trust, we know it can feel boring to just use the clothes you already have, but we are being intentional people! You can have fun with it, create a lookbook of your own by experimenting with different pieces and taking some photos of yourself in each piece. Create a look for fancy dinners, brunch with the girls, and casual days too. We can all agree we’ve spent hours scrolling through Pinterest, pinning beautiful outfits to inspo boards, only to realize we don’t even own any clothes that look like that. Why not scroll through your own photos to find the perfect outfit instead?

Learn to Thrift

Choosing to buy your clothes from secondhand shops is an easy, effective, and fun way to reduce your impact on the planet. You prolong the life of garments that would otherwise go to waste. Finding acceptable fashion in a store full of miscellaneous items is like searching for a needle in a haystack. So it’s best to devise a system when thrifting. Start with inspiration, it is everything when you’re thrifting. When you know which styles you love - for clothing, accessories, shoes - you’ll be able to spot the gold in the rubble a lot quicker and confidently. Scroll through instagram or through your favourite magazine and take note of your favourite colours, fabrics, types of pieces you feel you need etc. and use that as your checklist when shopping. Most importantly, always be prepared to walk away with nothing. It will happen, and you shouldn’t feel bad about it. You may spend a whole hour in a thrift store and walk out without a single purchase - and that is totally fine, you’ll find something new next time! 

Invest in a few Staple Pieces

Investment pieces cost a lot more upfront, but they will save you money over time. Whether it’s the material, design, or even designer, it something you enjoy wearing so much that you stop shopping to replace it every year. An investment piece is versatile, it is, it is timeless, and the high quality should convert its price tag into pennies-per-wear, and save your closet from filling with clothes you never wear, and it’ll stop contributing to the excess amounts of clothing in landfills. 

Shop Affordable Ethical Brands (Yes - They Exist!)

Ethical and sustainable clothing is more expensive than most fast fashion companies - but it really depends how you look at it. Fast fashion pieces aren’t made to last, we dispose of them more often than traditionally well built clothing because they rip, stretch, lose comfortability, or just aren’t “trendy” anymore. We spend more money constantly cycling through new clothing from fast fashion brands that in the end, it’s not saving you any money. At FAUN each garment is made with ethics and the environment in mind. Marisa (the creator of FAUN Studio) focuses on creating contemporary and timeless collections that don’t harm the earth. Transparency is important to FAUN and knowing where your clothes come from is something we hope everyone finds importance in. Take some time to research affordable ethical brands because there are plenty to suit every body and style. 

We can all make a difference by being more thoughtful as consumers and finding creative ways to access sustainable fashion without contributing to the dangers of the fast fashion industry.