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How to have a 'Greener' wardrobe with Willow & Eve
We recently did an event for Arundel's Big Green Week at the Swan Hotel, 'How to have a 'greener' wardrobe' with Willow & Eve and why we all need to consider the impact your wardrobe has on our planet. This blog is taken from the presentation, in case you missed it!
Who we are
We are Yvette & Karen, the team behind Willow & Eve. We have over six years experience selling preloved womenswear, footwear and accessories. We care about the environment and want to promote & encourage slow fashion. We truly believe that buying preloved is the way to refresh your wardrobe without costing the earth.
How it started
Yvette wanted to open an eco-friendly business and made the leap after a preloved business owner retired and Willow & Eve was born! Our Rustington shop opened in June 2019 and Arundel followed in November 2022.
My background has always been in fashion buying and I've worked for Harrods, Accessorize and Arcadia to name a few. I came on board after Yvette and I met at the school gates and realised we could make a great team!
Why do we sell Preloved?
Globally, the fashion industry is the second most polluting industry after the oil and gas sector and is responsible for 8-10% of the worlds global emissions. This release of gas and substances into the atmosphere contribute to global warming and climate change.
Think before you buy new
There is enough existing clothing in the world to clothe the next six generations, due to the sheer volume produced.
Think about the fabrics you buy
Waste from fast fashion is also the largest contributor of microplastics to marine environments; 35% of all microplastics in the ocean originate from synthetic textiles. Synthetic fabrics like Polyester, Nylon and Acrylic are petroleum based and chemically treated. The CFDA estimate that over 346 million barrels are used every year to produce them.
(CFDA-Coucil of Fashion Designers of America)
Think before you buy new denim
It would take 13 years to drink the amount of water it takes to make just one top and a pair of jeans. It takes 1500 gallons to produce a single pair of blue jeans. Poisonous waste from textile dyeing is flushed directly into rivers used for washing, bathing and water irrigation for food crops. Do you really need that pair of new jeans?
Why we have a Preloved business
According to Thredup, a second hand online store based in the United States, the next 10 years will see the resale market grow much faster than traditional retail with second hand clothing expected to be twice the size of fast fashion by the year 2030
Why we say four years old or less
We are a business and want to be known as a contemporary consignment store. Willow & Eve turn away a lot of outfits older than four years because the cut, fabric or fastenings can look dated. The older the item the less commercial it becomes and based on experience our criteria has become four years old or less.
QUIZ QUESTION 1
On average how many items do we have in our wardrobe?
a) 85 items
b) 118 items
c) 267 items
ANSWER
b) 118 items
A ‘Capsule’ wardrobe is between 30-40 items meaning we can easily remove 70 items! According to a Weight Watcher’s survey in 2018 the reason we hold onto items, and not return them, is fit; not achieving an ideal weight or believing an item will come back into fashion.
QUIZ QUESTION 2
On average what percentage of clothes in our wardrobe do women in the UK wear?
a) 20%
b) 45
c) 75%
ANSWER
a) 20%
It deserves to stay if you have worn it in the last 3 weeks
If you can think of 3 outfits it works with
If it makes you smile
If it’s sentimental
Don't suffer....declutter!
Don’t suffer from wardrobe rage! A M&S survey revealed we spend 17 minutes a day rifling through a cluttered closet. That’s equivalent to a 4-day mini break a year. By outfit building you’ll save yourself time money and anxiety.
QUIZ QUESTION 3
What is the worth in £’s of unworn clothes in UK wardrobes?
a)£7 billion
b)£11 billion
c)£23 billion
ANSWER
c) £23 billion
What can you do next?
Do a wardrobe cleanse! The perfect time for a wardrobe cleanse is at the start of a new season. Be brave. If you haven’t worn an item in the last two years, recirculate it!
Let's Talk Occasion wear
Those special occasions are just that occasional...
But most women spend a lot more on those outfits than they do on their daily uniform. Recoup some of it by consigning or reselling it soon after the event. Most occasion outfits will only be worn twice, as the events will have been photographed or the invites will be to a similar circle of friends and family. Do launder or dry clean them straight away as even light wear may stain in the future, from make up or deodorant for example.
QUIZ QUESTION 4
On average how many times does a piece of clothing get worn before we discard it?
a) 7 times
b) 14 times
c) 21 times
ANSWER
a) 7 times
If we could wear an item 30 times, we could dramatically reduce our carbon footprint. If we bought a maximum of 8 new items a year we could reduce fashion’s emissions by 37%.
(ARUP & Leeds University)
QUIZ QUESTION 5
In the UK what is the estimated amount of clothing thrown into landfill every year?
a)3,000 tons
b)30,000 tons
c)300,000 tons
ANSWER
c) 300,000 tons
Think before you donate
Every year 39,000 tons of clothing that cannot be sold end up in Chile's Atacama desert, image above. It was recently reported that the landfill site can now be seen from space!
Remember Vivienne Westwood’s quote "Buy Less, Choose well, make it last"
Return within the returns period.
Don’t be tempted by sale bargains.
Try on before you buy.
Don’t buy from fast fashion brands
Wash, care, repair
Know your care symbols. Look at the composition labels. Use a reputable dry cleaner. Launder immediately after wearing or if it’s been in storage if you plan to resell. We love ‘Clothes Doctor’ for clothing care products like moth repellent. Find a trusted repair and alteration service
So what can you do to have a greener wardrobe?
1) Buy less, aim for a capsule wardrobe of 40 items
2) If you don’t wear it let it go! Sell or consign it
3) Aim to buy no more than 8 new items a year. Look for sustainable & ethical brands-use Good on you app
4)Take textiles to a recycling centre and think where it will end up before you donate to charity. Would you be happy to give it to a friend in that condition?
5)Wash on a lower temperature, launder less and repair for more wear
6)Last but not least shop preloved here at Willow & Eve! (or any other resale sites)
We hope this blog post has inspired you to have a ‘Greener’ wardrobe. In a week that marks Earth Overshoot day, when we've consumed all Earth's natural resources, we have to remember there's no Planet B.
Karen Skagerlind
With thanks to all these sources:
https://fashnerd.com/2018/10/did-you-know-that-23-per-cent-of-our-clothes-are-unworn/
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/1952/1952.pdf
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-45745242
https://goodonyou.eco/decarbonising-fashion/
https://www.viviennewestwood.com/en-gb/sustainability/
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2243731-we-may-have-missed-half-the-microplastics-in-the-ocean/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/chile-fashion-pollution
https://theroundup.org/textile-waste-statistics/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DBlN0DHvxlv/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-60382624
