I know that I talk about slow fashion and sustainable style ALL THE TIME, but I’ve never really provided any tips to help people to stop shopping from fast fashion brands.

In case there’s any confusion about what I mean when I say “fast fashion”, I’m talking about the brands that we usually find in our run-of-the-mill mall.

The Forever 21s, the Topshops, the H&Ms, the Zaras, the Victorias Secrets, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

They’re any brand that you shop online that doesn’t disclose their supply chain for their products.

The ones where you could hunt around their websites for a “month of Sundays” and never find any information regarding the fair treatment or payment of workers or how they are working to reduce their environmental impact.

You will never find them encouraging consumers to:

Buy less, choose well, make it last.

Vivienne Westwood

But, I love (Insert Fast Fashion Brand here)!!

You know what, I get it.

The appeal of these brands is strong.

They have major moolah for marketing campaigns, they’re everywhere you look.

Their clothing is trendy and cheap. But trendy just means that you’ll be sick of it in a month and cheap just means that all of the people who had a hand in making that item maybe got a few cents for their work.

It also means that it’s most likely made from polyester.

Did you know that polyester is produced from the chemical reaction between coal, petroleum, air and water gasoline (source) and is in fact a plastic? Is it any wonder you get all sticky and gross when you wear it!?!

So what’s a girl to do??

Quit cold turkey? Yes!!!

You can do this!

You know what?? I’ve been there! I was the textbook shopaholic!

There was nothing more that I wanted to do than to shop…even our vacations revolved around shopping!

But I just decided to be done one day since I was so tired of being a slave to the mall and to my credit cards. And I was so tired of having a stuffed closet but nothing to wear.

And if this sounds like you, you can totally quit too!

9 Tips for Quitting Fast fashion

1. Decide to Quit

The first step in any major life change is to decide to do it.

Anything worth doing is hard and you will want to throw in the towel, but it is worth it.

There are so many benefits to quitting fast fashion and regaining your power as a consumer is definitely at the top of the list.

2. Cut the Cord

Ok, you’ve made up your mind! You’re done with fast fashion.

But then an email from your favorite brand pops up, and suddenly, you’re back in desire alley. So, to make sure this doesn’t happen, unsubscribe from all of the marketing emails that you get.

As soon as one appears in your inbox, ignore the content and scroll to the bottom. Then unsubscribe and say “good riddance”.

Next, delete all of your old shopping haunts from your favorites folder! If you can’t see it, you’ll be less likely to be tempted!

3. Watch Documentaries

Become educated about the effects of fast fashion on the lives of the garment workers and the environment.

The first documentary that I watched on my journey was “The True Cost” and it continues to be one of the most impactful documentaries that I have ever watched.

And in the beginning of my journey, I would watch it whenever I needed a reminder of what was more important…my desire for a quick shopping fix or the lives of garment workers.

As long as we continue to support fast fashion brands, they will continue to have their products made for rock bottom prices, and the garment workers will always be the losers. And without the pressure to change (i.e., in the form of lost revenue from people who no longer support them), they will never take the initiative to do better for the workers or the environment.

This is where your power as a consumer lies!!

Here are a few more documentaries to help you on your journey to sustainable fashion:

Before the Flood ($3.99)

Riverblue ($2.99)

The Machinists (free on Youtube)

Udita (free on Youtube)

The Next Black (free on Youtube)

Unravel (free on Youtube)

4. Do Research

Let’s play out an all too familiar scenario.

You happen to be in the mall. There’s an amazing sale going on at Banana Republic (I picked this one because this used to be my weakness!) and you want nothing more than to go in and grab some items, just to try on a few things. Maybe you won’t even find anything.

We all know how this is going to end, right?

You’re going to find something that you want, buy it and then you’re going to feel bad about it. In order to desensitize yourself to these types of situations, set yourself up with some tools to help you out!

One of my favorite apps to use is the Good on You app. It’s not perfect (nothing usually is) but it is great for well known brands that will be tempting you at the mall. You can also just search their brand directory here.

Download the app to your phone and then whenever temptation strikes, type the brand name into the search bar and you’ll get all of the information on their labour, environment and animal ratings. You will also get information on similar brands that have better ratings on the app.

The app is also good for searching out responsible brands if you are looking for something specific since you can browse by category!

Another thing that you can do is to simply google “brand x ethics” (i.e., “Forever 21 ethics”).

If they are an ethical brand, you should be able to easily identify their ethical policies. But if you can’t find anything, that’s definitely a red flag.

5. Tackle your Closet

Take everything out of your closet. Then give your closet a good cleaning.

Go through all of your clothing items and put your favorites back in first…the items you reach for the most because they make you feel the most amazing when you wear them!

Put all of the clear “nos” in a donate pile. These are the ones that you know you’ll never wear again, either because they don’t fit properly or they aren’t your style.

What you have left now is the maybe pile. This is the pile of items that you like but you don’t wear very often, for whatever reason.

These are the items that I want you to try on! And I want you to do this so you can figure out how you feel when you wear them!!

Does the item make you feel great?

Or does it make you feel “blah”?

If the answer is that it makes you feel amazing, put it back in the closet!! If not, get rid of it.

Life’s too short to hold onto bad clothes!

Maybe there’s a piece or two in there that you almost love, but it needs an alteration first. If so, then put it in a bag to be taken to the seamstress (or alter it yourself if you have the capabilities).

What you’ll be left with is a closet full of clothing that you love and feel great wearing. It’s at this point that you can see what items would make good additions to your wardrobe.

Start a list of those items that you would like to add!!

This is an important step in becoming a more conscientious consumer!!

Don’t blindly shop…figure out what it is that you need and then shop from the list! It’s like a grocery list, but for your closet!

So, what do you do with the clothing that you don’t want anymore?

You can sell it at your local consignment shop, or any online selling site like EBay, Poshmark, The Real Real or ThredUp, to name a few.

You could also organize a clothing swap with your friends, pass it along to a friend in need, or donate it to a charity.

6. Focus on Hobbies

Do you like to read? Write? Draw? Spin your own yarn?

Now is the time to invest any spare time into doing something other than hitting up the mall!

A hobby a day keeps the doldrums away.

Phyllis McGinley

In the past, I would use going to the mall or TJ Maxx as a bandaid to deal with boredom.

When I decided to stop shopping, it also coincided with my discovery of minimalism. I spent so much time minimizing my family’s possessions and organizing what was left that I didn’t even miss shopping.

I also spent a lot of time reading about minimalism. And it was probably because of this process that it was easier to not go to the mall and bring more things back into our home!

We will all have different paths on the way to quitting fast fashion and becoming a more conscientious consumer, but the end point will be similar, and it is glorious!

7. Play Dress Up

Or you could call it “shopping your closet”.

I like to do this when I’m bored and would like nothing more than to browse online or go to a store to try things on.

Deciding that you’re not going to buy fast fashion anymore doesn’t mean that you’ll suddenly stop having urges to go shopping.

Because you will.

But it’s important to have tactics in place to squash that urge, and quick.

Half of the outfits I come up with are dreamed up on some evening when I find myself in my closet, randomly trying on all of my clothes.

Don’t forget to put your great accessories to use!!

And I honestly find much more enjoyment in this than I ever did in a mall dressing room. Plus, it’s a heck of a lot cheaper.

8. Thrift or Buy from Ethical Makers

When all else fails, thrift first!!

Visit your local thrift or consignment shops. If the thought of this overwhelms you, tips for shopping at local thrift shops can be found here!

And if you’d rather do some secondhand shopping online, or you don’t have access to good thrift shops in your area, check out this post!

There are so many wonderful places to find secondhand clothing and accessories that it doesn’t even make sense to buy new.

And it’s so much cheaper and better for the environment.

I love finding things in person! There’s nothing like the thrill of the hunt and that unmistakeable high when you find the perfect item.

I think that’s what I used to love most about going to the mall.

And I’m not trying to downplay that feeling. At all! I just think there are more responsible ways to get it.

Also, you will have a much more unique style if you shop secondhand! You won’t see your new shirt on 3 different people when you go out and people won’t be able to just go and buy your entire outfit at the mall.

Another option is to buy your clothing from ethical makers.

These are the brands that are making their clothing while treating their workers and the environment with respect.

Responsibly made clothing is generally more expensive due to the fact that they pay their workers fairly. They also have more controls on their production to make it more environmentally friendly.

But it is possible to find ethically made clothing that is affordable. This list is a good place to start.

9. Reach out to a Friend

Need a little more support to not go to the mall?

Reach out to a friend.

Let them know that you’re trying to stop buying fast fashion and why. Ask them to support you. Maybe by going for a walk? Or having a movie night?

Maybe you can organize a clothing swap so that you both get something “new” without shopping.

Sometimes just the act of telling people about it is enough to help.

Or join in on the slow fashion community on instagram (#slowfashion, #notbuyingnew, #fashrev are a few hashtags to check out).

There are a lot of wonderful and supportive people there who have decided to quit fast fashion. People with oodles of style who can inspire anyone to use what they already own to make great outfits and to thrift to fill in the gaps!!

[Bonus] 10. Be Gentle with Yourself

And at some point in the future, you may buy something for yourself or a loved one from a fast fashion brand again.

And you know what, that’s ok. The goal is progress over perfection.

And if you do make that purchase, it’ll be done consciously and not because you’ve been manipulated by marketing.

It’ll be because you’ll be a more conscientious consumer and in control of your purchases, which is a great place to be!

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So, what do you think? Are you ready to quit fast fashion?

Also, to all of my slow fashion friends out there, so you have anything to add that might be helpful?

Until next time,

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