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Continue ShoppingGot no time to read books? Worry not, SwapUp got you covered. We are writing a bi-monthly book summaries to help you stay up-to-date on current thinking and pass on some tips to help you stay sustainable.
Our inaugural book is The Conscious Closet: The Revolutionary Guide to Looking Good While Doing Good by Elizabeth L. Cline, a journalist and expert on consumer culture, fast fashion, sustainability and labour rights in the fashion industry.
The book is a follow-up from Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion, which uncovers the true nature of cheap clothing. The Conscious Closet, in many ways, is her suggestions of how we can move away from the cheap clothing industry she investigated in Overdressed.
The Conscious Closet encourages readers to learn where their clothes are made and how they're made so that we can shop and dress more sustainably. There are lots of handy tips in the book, but our favourite is the suggested “components” of a better, one-of-a-kind wardrobe (or a “conscious closet”):
You probably know which component makes the most of your wardrobe. For me, it’s the new-to-you because I love thrift shopping and am a proud thrifter (also, I run a thrift store, so naturally.... I preach what I teach). For others, it could be the rentals because they have rental subscriptions. Regardless, we recommend that you keep this in mind next time you go shopping as these options tend to be more ethical and less wasteful.
Now, what items should you “purge” from your wardrobe? The book offers the following tips:
There's loads more in the book but we can't tell you everything, can we?! Hopefully that was enough teaser so you'd pick up the book yourself.
What other tips do you have for building a more conscious closet? Leave your comments below!
Much love,
Al