WHAT TO WEAR AND WHY: YOUR GUILT-FREE GUIDE TO SUSTAINABLE FASHION
TIFFANIE DARKE
© 2024 Broadleaf Books
$27.99
262 pages

So what are you wearing? Right now, take a good look, and then think about where you got it. How long have you had it? Where was it made? Those are important things to know, said Tiffanie Darke, because fashion has gotten out of hand.

The average closet has "around 150 items," and most of those shirts, skirts, pants, and shorts will be worn just 7—10 times before they're thrown away. "Americans," she said, "buy an average of fifty-two items of clothes a year," and most are inexpensive — and inexpensively made. This is bad for the consumer, workers in other countries, and the environment.

In times past, clothing was made of organic materials: mostly linen, flax, and silk for the wealthy and wool for everyone else. The Industrial Revolution changed everything with cheaper manufacturing. In the 1940s, everything changed again when synthetic fabric became available. Problem is, those textiles leach plastics into the air, earth, and water, and there's no safe way to recycle them — which means that tons of discarded clothing ends up in landfills, "secondhand markets," or a pile in a desert overseas.

So what can you do about this?

Shop your own closet before you buy, and keep only a small number of basic essentials. Don't purchase more than five new pieces of clothing per year — and when you do, buy quality items or thrift what you need and resell what you don't want anymore. Consider renting. Learn the art of repair, and forget about "fashion."

Instead, "take inspiration from what is around" and "develop your own style."

Wanting to do better won't be difficult after you've read some of the frightening statistics Darke offers, ones that will resonate. All but the most indifferent person will ask themselves if they really need four black tees. It helps that this is an easy book to understand and embrace, especially if you're concerned with the environment and your wallet. The hard part will be actually following through with so much advice. Still, what Darke advocates is empowering and, let's admit it, a fun challenge that will make you feel better about how you look and what you grab each morning.

Fashionistas, the financially challenged, and new style-makers will find something to think about in something to think about in What to Wear and Why.