3 Things To Ask Yourself When Considering Sustainable Styling

Featured brand: DFYnorm 

What do I mean when I talk about sustainable fashion? 

I'm talking about wearing what you've got, being creative, maximising your clothes so you get as much as you can from one item. Then when you do buy a new piece - make it a piece that will last. Try to get up to 5 different outfits out of your item - make it a wardrobe staple. Take a look at my style challenge with just 3 key items from the DFYnorm collection. 

Make it a conscious purchase - rather than impulsive | 3 Things To Ask Yourself  

1. Before you rush to buy something stop and consider if you need it. 
2. Then stop to check it's been well made, it should be so well made you can wash it a 100 times and it will survive.
3. Look at the structure - would a tailor be able to open the seems and make it fit you like a glove?

The brand whose pockets you are lining don't deserve to be paid the high ticket price unless they are putting the work in behind the scenes. I don't know about you but I want to know who made my clothes. 

Ethical and sustainable fashion questions | 3 Things To Ask Yourself 

1. Do they source their materials ethically? 
2. Do they run their business in a way that is sustainable? 
3. Do they care? 

These are the questions that the new conscious fashionistas are asking. I've joined them. I care. Here at Roberta Style Lee we care - about people, the planet, ourselves, so it seems like a pretty good fit (excuse the pun) to align the RSL brand with other brands that give a damn. 

A sustainable shopping and styling approach 

I am having a severe reaction to mass produced fast fashion. I see all these 'new' clothes that get produced and I know many of these items will never make it off the hanger, they are clothes that live a lifetime at the back of the wardrobe with the tags on... and there seems to be no real signs of this consumer mass purchasing behaviour slowing down. But we can make a difference - one by one - if we dare to defy the fashion trends and stop buying stuff we don't need, in our own little way we can contribute. 

Guilty 

I have the guilt. I was one of those shoppers. A person who in my twenties shopped for a new outfit for every new night out - I had so many items of everything I couldn't count how many I had of any one thing. 

Making amends 

I used to really enjoy that feeling of buying something new. I had this positive association and a little buzz from the purchase - but I noticed that would soon fade once I got home. Then I'd be keen for my next hit... 

It's not about chucking out stuff you own that isn't produced by an ethical or sustainable brand - it's about using what you already have. You cannot undo what has already been done. But you can make damn sure that you make the most out of it.  Last year I put myself on a strict ban. I was not allowed to buy anything new unless I really needed it. 

I started to become more aware of throw away fashion when pop-up pre-loved designer sales started happening up and down the country. I got involved with a friend who set up her own business a few years back and helped her launch her first event. I worked as a stylist for the day and saw how easy it was to fall for someone else's ex. 


Withdrawal symptoms 

When I decided to change - it was tough. The first 6 months not buying things was really difficult. It was like an addiction. I did however manage to curb my shopaholic ways and started to just buy what I needed.

In 2015 year I became an brand ambassador for Bella Kinesis, an ethical sports brand that produces beautiful fitness clothing for women. This was my first conscious step into ethical fashion. 

I then decided to look at how I could be more sustainable with my fashion and I volunteered at one the Save the Children Boutiques.  I started to use my creativity again and when I got into the swing of it I was dressing the window display, re-working the outfits on the mannequins - showing shoppers how to turn an evening dress into a daytime dress etc. I realised I had had the ability to remain stylish without buying new clothes all the time. 

And so sustainable styling became a thing for me! 


Getting to know ethical brands 

In the main image above, I am wearing DFYnorm items from the transeasonal range - all crafted to a high standard. The company is new, but has big ideas about where it is heading. You can see my review of the range here. I like this brand a lot. I love what they represent.

I will be publishing a list of my favourite ethical brands soon in a new RSL directory (watch this space)  if you have any suggestions for ethical/sustainable brands that you would like me to review and include in the directory please leave me a comment. 

I hope you enjoyed this blog!

Stay fabulous (in a sustainable way of course!)

Roberta x 

You can see more over on the website at www.robertastylelee.co.uk 

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