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War on Waste: It’s time to step off the fashion trend-mill

Nina Gbor

Nina Gbor

By Nina Gbor, eco stylist and clothes swapper extraordinaire

Fast fashion is addictive and it’s designed to be. It’s a super-zooming conveyor belt of new things quickly going out of date or even falling apart, whilst the next thing zips along cooing “buy me”. It’s convenient and cheap yet never quite satisfies our insatiable desire to keep up with ever changing fashion trends.

If you buy a fast fashion $4 T-shirt, is there a greater cost, what you could call the true cost when you take in to account production and disposal? One striking fact according to WWF is that it takes 2,700 litres of water to make one cotton T-shirt, that’s enough for one person to drink for 900 days. Australians are currently disposing of 6,000 kilograms of fashion and textile waste every 10 minutes as you will find out in the third episode of War on Waste

So, whilst fast fashion isn’t viable for the future of this unique, remarkable planet, it has also turned shopping into a mindless exercise, dictating what to wear, buy and giving us repetitive stress injury from clicking ‘add to cart.’  We’ve become fashion zombies running on a ‘trend mill’.

How to get off the trend mill? Shop pre-loved. It’s not only good for the environment, good for humanity and your soul, it’s easy, fun and affordable.

You won’t believe the designer garments I’ve found, tags still attached, for next to nothing! I’ve bought 60’s and 70’s wedding dresses and turned them into everyday outfits through styling with a casual jumper over the top, waist belt, scarf and accessories. I’ve also cut dresses in to two pieces and matched them with other garments.

You know that moment when you rock up to a party to find someone else wearing the same outfit? That’s doesn’t happen to me because 90% of my wardrobe is pre-loved. At 15, during a chance encounter with my first op shop, I fell feverishly in love with pairing unusual items to create a stylish and unique look, and I have never looked back.

Here are some tips and styling secrets to get off the ‘trend-mill’ and start fighting the War on Waste:

Plan, visit, shop and donate your pre-loved fashion adventure. Visit pre-loved fashion hot spots such as Smith Family, Vinnies, Salvos , Anglicare and Australian Red Cross. Donate your good quality clothes and pick up a whole new wardrobe.

Learn about yourself. Focus less on trends and instead learn what styles suit you. Think about colours, patterns, cuts, shapes and fabrics. Stroll local pre-loved markets and chat styling tips with the stall holders.

Be creative and experiment. While wedding dresses might not be your thing, make clothes work for you for all occasions, all year round. Have them repaired, re-designed or simply accessorise by trying layering, mixing and matching.

Attend or organise a clothes swap. You can organise your own clothes swap event with friends or colleagues and make a fun occasion of it. My next one is in Canberra.

Clothes swapping event

Clothes swapping event

And if you are going to buy new, go for ethical and sustainable brands. Choose timeless pieces that you’ll wear 5-30 years from now, and find out about the brand before you buy through Good on You, Ethical Fashion Fast Finder and Ethical Clothing Australia.

When you shop pre-loved, your only regret will be you didn’t do it sooner. Fashion is about trends, style is forever. So join me on the other side, it’s fun here!

ABC staff around Australia are helping tackle the war on waste in many ways. One way is by donating pre-loved clothing to Suited to Success in Brisbane, and Dress for Success in various locations.

The ‘War on Waste’ needs you! Take the short survey to help us understand more about what we throw away personally and as a nation, including fast fashion insert link.

War On Waste

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