Fast fashion is often much cheaper than sustainable fashion partly due to how cheaply it’s produced. Fast fashion might be a way to keep up with trends while on a budget, but at what cost to the environment? Here are some ways you can be eco-friendly and enjoy sustainable fashion at an affordable price.

Shop Secondhand Stores

Shopping secondhand is an excellent way to be kinder to the environment and shop sustainable fashion. Secondhand clothing stores breathe new life into gently used articles of clothing at a fraction of the price. Most thrift stores offer 50-80% off brand new prices when clothes are in excellent condition and barely worn–some even come with price tags still on them!

Clothes Swap With Friends

You could also do a clothing swap with your friends and shop each other’s closets to instead of buying new clothing. This can also help mitigate eliminating clothing from your wardrobe that you aren’t necessarily ready to part with for good–you can swap back whenever it’s convenient for you. Instead of donating clothing, you can refresh your wardrobe and your friend’s without spending a dime!

Invest in High Quality Pieces

Sustainable fashion produces high quality garments that typically come with a heftier price tag. Warehouse stores are seeing a 55% increase in average price per transaction in 2022. Prices are increasing everywhere due to inflation, so more people are searching for ways to save money. Fast fashion isn’t the answer, though.

The high price of sustainable clothing comes from fair labor wages, sustainable fabrics and an ethical approach to production. High quality pieces last longer than fast fashion, which makes them well worth the investment. Check to ensure that clothing has quality fabric before purchasing opt for stretch resistant fabric to ensure it lasts longer.

Upcycle Your Clothing

Upcycling your clothing is a fun way to get creative and breathe new life into old clothes. If you can’t find anything to wear in your closet, consider making some changes that will make you love your clothes more. There are myriad ways to upcycle clothing to extend your clothing life cycle. Tutorials are available to help you mend clothes you love or make alterations that will transform pieces of clothing. Tie-dying clothes is a fashion trend that never seems to go out of style and is super fun to do.

Distressing jeans and sweaters is a fun way to stay on trend without breaking the bank–all you need is a pair of scissors! You can sew patches on your jeans or paint designs on them instead of ordering a pair from a fast fashion brand. Upcycling clothes is really fun to do as a group, so you can get your friends together and have fun creating new clothes with your existing wardrobes.

Find Affordable Sustainable Brands

There are some sustainable companies that offer affordable pricing that can help you stay on track with your spending while still contributing new pieces to your closet. Ethical fashion companies can be challenging to find if you don’t know where to look.

Sustainable fashion brands concentrate on budget-friendly ethical clothing availability, like Pact whose organic cotton uses 81% less water than conventional cotton. Patagonia offers outdoor clothing made from quality fabrics with 98% of their clothes coming from recycled materials. Colorful Standard is another excellent example of a clean fashion brand with an affordable price tag.

Budget-Friendly Sustainable Fashion

There are multiple ways to find sustainable fashion on a budget from shopping in your friends’ closet to locating sustainable clothing brands. Utilize these tips to shop sustainably and reduce your carbon footprint while elevating your closet.