OVER TIME IT'S NORMAL THAT CLOTHING NO LONGER FITS, BECOMES OUTDATED, DOESN’T MATCH YOUR STYLE OR YOU JUST NEVER WEAR THE ITEM ANYMORE. GARMENTS CAN HAVE ANOTHER LIFE ONCE YOU’RE DONE WITH THEM. SO IF YOU’RE HAVING A WARDROBE REFRESH, MOVING TOWARDS A MINIMALIST CLOSET OR JUST WANT TO GET RID OF THAT PAIR OF RIPPED JEANS, LET US TELL YOU ABOUT SOME ALTERNATIVES TO CHUCKING OLD CLOTHES IN THE BIN.

words and photographs by HOLLY KELSEY

With 85% of clothes produced worldwide going to landfill or being burnt, it’s very clear how important it is what we do with our clothes when we no longer want them. Donating or reselling a piece can extend its life by over two years, which reduces its water, waste and carbon footprints by over 80%. So instead of items ending up in landfill we have some fantastic ways of saying farewell to our clothes.

Clothing Swaps

It is an occasion where you bring your lightly worn, unwanted garments and accessories and exchange them with others. You can either organising a clothes swap party or attend one in your local area. There are many places that will host clothing swaps, such as museums, libraries, universities, churches and charity centres, to name but a few. In our interview with the Fashion For Good Museum in Amsterdam they mention how they regularly organise clothing swaps as well. It’s a great way of saying goodbye to an item of clothing with the chance of finding something wonderful in return!

Selling

Try out websites such as Depop, Vestiaire Collective, The Real Real, Poshmark, Ebay or Vinted, your rags could be someone else’s riches. Selling items at a car boot sale or at a flea market is a great activity to do with your friends who might also have garments they no longer want.

Take Back Programs

Some brands will even buy back clothes you’ve bought from them, where you can either earn a commission or store credits, check out some of those brands here.

Donating

Taking your garments to local charity shops is an incredible way of giving a second life to clothes. It’s an opportunity to raise money for important causes helping a lot of people in need. In the UK there are British Heart Foundation or Cancer Research shops where you can bring your garments. In the US there’s Goodwill or American Red Cross. There is also The Salvation Army which is found in many international cities. Farfetch have partnered with Thrift+ for their Farfetch Donate platform which raises money for your chosen charity and earns you credit on Farfetch.

Hand Me Downs

Even letting your friends or siblings raid your closet is a good option too, a lot of the time there’ll always be an item your sibling has their eye on and now is finally the time!

Renting

Renting out your wardrobe, perfect if you know you won’t wear the garment any more but not sure if you should part ways just yet. For those items on the maybe list it’s a brilliant way of making an income with clothes you no longer wear. Read more about rental here.

Upcycling

Whether you turn your jeans into shorts, a dress into a top or a t-shirt into a tote bag, reconstructing an old item as a completely new garment is a great way to extend the life of your clothes. There are even workshops on upcycling if you’re not sure what to do with your clothes, or simply to have fun whilst finding inspiration for what your garment could be next!

Armed with this knowledge of what to do when those clothes have lost their lustre, we hope it will make the disposing of old garments a lot easier and even fun! It should make you feel great about giving your garments a second life all whilst minimising ones impact on the environment. This once again puts the power in the consumers’ hands, changing the direction in which fashion is going.