As trends come and go, many of us are keen on keeping up with the newest styles—at the expense of our wallets and, unfortunately, the environment. Globally, over 92 million tonnes of textile waste is produced every year, a growing number that is expected to reach 134 million tonnes by 2030. One way to combat this is to use what we have and upcycle it or give it a new life, a practice now known as the circular economy. However, a recent study found that the practice of reparations and alteration is phasing out with older generations, with many young people having the mentality that they can just buy something new because clothing is so inexpensive and accessible. With the amount of waste that gets circulated from the textile industry each and every day, one thing is certain: the mentality of single-use clothing must change. We connected with Nicole, a secondhand upcycling expert, to chat more about how she takes clothes that have lost their spark and makes one-of-a-kind items to wear and resell, and how to shop secondhand from online marketplaces like Poshmark to find great items to turn into perfect wardrobe staples. —Noa Nichol
Today we’re talking about the circular economy; fashion-wise, what does this term mean?
A circular economy in regards to fashion would mean reimagining the way we see the current fashion industry. Products would need to be made to last, made to be reused as well as made from sustainable and renewable resources. A circular fashion industry also takes into account building an industry for creating opportunities for growth, equity and biodiversity loss.
Textile waste is an issue, but just how big of one?
Textile waste is a huge issue. I think it’s easy to forget about it because oftentimes we don’t see the total amount of waste we can produce each year from disposing of clothing. Not only does the end of the garment life cycle contribute to the textile waste problem but so does the manufacturing process. Manufacturing clothing takes a considerable amount of water and often uses harmful chemicals within their dyes that all add to the textile waste problem.
How can we combat textile waste in our daily lives?
I feel it’s important to really think about the clothes we buy and the longevity of them in our wardrobe and ask ourselves questions like; are these pieces we can see ourselves wearing or owning for years? What is the cost per wear? Is this garment built to last?
What are your top tips for mending clothes?
Being able to prolong the lifetime of our clothes by doing simple things to mend or maintain them is another great way to combat textile waste. Some of my favourite tips are:
- Using a de-pilling machine to give your knit sweaters a facelift.
- If your garment has a pull in the fabric you can push that to the inside of the garment to hide the snag. I like to do this technique with a hand needle and thread.
- A small hand stitch can go a really long way in preventing further unraveling.
- Use a hole or stain on a garment as an opportunity to get creative with a patch or DIY project.
Any advice around taking clothes that have lost their spark and making one-of-a-kind items to wear + resell?
I know that the idea of upcycling clothing can be a daunting task but the best thing about it is that you have nothing to lose! It’s a great way to experiment and get creative with clothes you no longer wear. Changing a hemline, neckline or even dying the item to a new fun colour are all simple ways you can upcycle clothing items. It’s just important to have fun with it.
Walk us through the steps of shopping our own closets to turn last year’s hot items into this year’s top trends.
To be honest I don’t really shop trends, I gravitate to patterns, colour and material and if it happens to be trending at the time then that’s great but I think it’s important to buy according to what you like as opposed to what is currently trending so you know it will be something that you will wear for years to come. Every six months or so I like to go through my closet, try on things I don’t wear anymore, if I like the fit and the style I will hold onto it to come up with different ways to style it and if not I will set it aside to list on Poshmark.
Do you feel as though attitudes toward fashion/clothing is changing? How?
I do believe that sustainability as a whole is being talked about now more than ever. It is becoming more important to the customer therefore brands have been starting to talk more about sustainability to tailor to the current market. I am hopeful to see more brands make changes towards creating a more circular fashion industry.
How does Poshmark (and Poshmarkers) participate in the circular economy?
Poshmark offers the opportunity for anyone to give their unwanted or unworn clothes a new life in someone else’s closet. It is also easy and accessible for both sellers and buyers. Anyone can sell just a few items or turn it into a full business, and it makes the idea of shopping secondhand a little less daunting to someone who has never done it before.
How do you, personally, shop secondhand from online marketplaces like Poshmark to find great items to turn into perfect wardrobe staples?
I typically like to shop online marketplaces when I am looking for something particular that I wouldn’t be able to stumble upon at your local thrift store. Typically these are clothes I’ve had my eye on from when they were in traditional retail or bigger ticketed items like jackets or denim pieces.
Tough question: your favourite Poshmark find ever?!
My favourite find on Poshmark is this simple cream sweater from KOTN that I added my personal touch to by creating three smiley face patches that are red, yellow and blue and sewed them on. It’s one of my favourite sweaters because it’s very “me” and reflects my personal brand for primary colours.
share:
Be the first to comment