Lesley-Anne Pereira joined me to chat about how to start a sustainable closet. She is a fashion blogger at Style Me Sustainably, based in Glendora, California. Lesley-Anne brings a perspective to sustainable fashion that is different from most activists I have met. She is fun, grounded, and easy going. She says that she “refuses to let fashion be the villain”, and she exudes that attitude.
Lesley-Anne walks us through her easy tips for starting a sustainable closet and encourages us to bring the fun back into fashion. Her light-hearted attitude is a breath of fresh air in what often feels like a heavy task – navigating sustainability when we “know too much”.
7 Simple Ideas to Start a Sustainable Closet:
1. MAKE A DAY (OR 2) OUT OF IT. Put on comfy clothes, grab some wine, coffee (insert beverage of choice), turn on some music, and try on each piece of clothing we own. Ask ourselves, “Do I really love this? Do I feel my best when I walk out the door in this?”. If not, add it to the give away pile. Consider doing this day with a friend and simultaneously giving each other feedback!
2. TAKE INVENTORY. While we try on each piece of clothing we own, keep track of what looks good. What style of jeans fit our body well? Shirts? What patterns and colors look good on us? Make note of new pieces that we may want to buy that will work well with multiple outfits already in our closet.
3. VISIT STORES & TRY DIFFERENT ITEMS (NOT TO BUY THEM). Try various jean types to see what works well for us. Try various shirt designs to do the same. Do we like patterns? Do we like v-neck or scoop neck? What patterns look good together? What colors look good together? What makes us feel confident? Make a list of the styles of clothing that look good on us.
4. CHOOSE VERSATILE CLOTHING. When buying something new, try to choose new pieces that can be worn many ways and put into multiple outfits from our closet.
5. LEARN HOW TO TAKE CARE OF CLOTHES WELL. Lesley-Anne recommends that we start with the book, The Conscious Closet or the training at Love Your Clothes.org.
6. TAKE A CLASS ON FUTURE LEARN. Future Learn offers free classes in many different topics, sustainable fashion being a big one. I have linked to a few specific classes below. They have many more, so check them out.
7. STAY VIGILANT – LOOK FOR REGULATED ITEMS. Once we have a sustainable closet and shop for new pieces, pay attention to who made them and how they’re made. Look for transparent brands who tell us everything about what it took to make each piece. Look for items that are certified by various regulatory agencies. Some agencies are referenced below.
LISTEN TO THE EPISODE:
WATCH THE EPISODE:
Closed captioning transcript included in video. Subscribe on YouTube.
Learn more about a sustainable closet:
- The Conscious Closet by Elizabeth Kline – book on Amazon (affiliate)
- Love Your Clothes.org – guide on making clothes last longer
- Future Learn – Fashion and Sustainability: Understanding Luxury Fashion in a Changing World
- Future Learn – Who Made My Clothes?
- Future Learn – Fashion’s Future: The Sustainable Development Goals
- Ellen MacArthur Foundation – learn about building a circular economy
- International Labor Org – a great news source for current labor and policies trying to pass
- Interview with Lesley-Anne & my mutual friend: Jae – Sustainability: What is Your Why?
- 50+ Online Thrift Stores
- Stylebook Closet App – enter each piece of clothing into this app, organizing your closet, understanding your colors, and creating new outfits
Fashion Regulatory Agencies:
- Leather Working Group – environmental certification for leather manufacturers
- Fair Trade Certified Cotton – certification protects farmers’ health and safety, and bans genetically modified cotton seeds
- Forest Stewardship Council – FSC labels on products provide information about the origin of the materials used to make the product
- GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) – third party certification that verifies that fibers are organic and processed and manufactured in an ecologically and socially sound way
- Wildlife Friendly Enterprises – certifies organizations that assure people and nature coexist and thrive
About Lesley-Anne:
Lesley-Anne Pereira is currently 26 years old with a huge love for fashion, movies, books, and traveling! In her free time you can find her hanging out with her friends and family, baking cakes and cookies, reading a good book, sightseeing a new place, and wishing she could be at the beach more often. Her role models, to name a few, are Judy Garland, Julie Andrews, Emma Watson, and of course her mom. :)
Lesley-Anne started Style Me Sustainably with the intent to share her knowledge and personal thoughts on practicing sustainable fashion. She wants to start and continue a conversation that challenges herself, others, and the fashion industry to do better.
Connect with Lesley-Anne:
The best way to contact Lesley-Anne is via Instagram or Email:
- Website: StyleMeSustainably.com
- Instagram: @StyleMeSustainably
- Email: StyleMeSustainably.contact@gmail.com
- Facebook: @StyleMeSustainably
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