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Conscious Consumption: Education


This post is the introduction to a five part series about being a conscious consumer.

     Intro: Conscious Living ~ Part 1: Secondhand Shopping ~ Part 2: Invest With Intention
     Part 3: Education ~ Part 4: Care For Your Clothes ~ Remixing Ideas: Remix Your Closet

Continuing on from previous days’ discussions about being a more conscious consumer, let’s chat today about the learning process.

The fast fashion chain stores scream in our faces everyday. We all know them. There’s no secret about where to find their wares.

What if you decide to make a more concerted effort to shop “responsibly” but don’t really know where to start? The ethical fashion outlets, second hand stores, and maybe even the high end shops holding your most thoughtful future purchases aren’t always so easy to find.

For starters, being a conscious consumer can really mean so many things. You could buy ethical fashion produced by non profit organizations supporting economic and career development in third world countries, green products made with sustainable resources, fewer high quality pieces no matter their origin limiting your environmental impact, items only made in the USA to support local employment and economy (think small independent designers, companies with USA-only supply chains, or even Etsy), and the list goes on and on and on.

So, if you’re inclined to make the move to more conscious consumption, where do you start?

Here are a few suggestions. And if you have more ideas, I’d really love to hear them in the comments!

Get Redressed

As you know from a few months back, I discovered the Get Redressed campaign through Caitlin over at Greater Than Rubies. This international movement encourages various ways to more consciously experience fashion and personal style through a multitude of avenues including, but not limited to, DIY refashions and revivals, investment pieces, and remixing, among so many other options. Each month, they produce a tips sheet to get the month started and then a summary of their theme for that particular month. A couple of my favorite tip sheets are included below. I had an opportunity to collaborate with them earlier this summer to help showcase ways to “Get Redressed” and be a more conscious consumer of fashion. As a contributor to their June DIY series, they featured my thrifted refashioned dress in their June monthly newsletter.

 

Sustainable / Minimalist / Ethical Style Blogs 

I also explore sustainable living, socially conscious style, and minimalist blogs like Lifestyle Justice, Into Mind, and Recovering Shopaholic, (among so many others!) as well as blogs written by companies producing these goods.

Check out my favorite sustainable brands on the Modern Roster.

Made in the USA Brands

Along with the Modern Roster, you can also stop over to Mrs. American Made, a blog dedicated to style made in the USA. And of course, don’t forget Etsy! I love seeking out great independent artisans on Etsy to find unique pieces that also support small independent business and handmade products.

Occasionally I have to dig a bit to find these blogs, but they often introduce me to great new brands that produce ethical, environmentally-friendly, and other socially responsible products that slow the increasingly growing cycle of fashion from design to consumption to trash. And then, being the Instagram junkie that I am, I scroll through their photos and who they follow and often find more similar companies or content producers.

So now it’s time for you to share your favorite companies or content producers that make or share about socially responsible or conscious consumption. I’d love to hear your favorites!

Blazer – c/o Marine Layer; Blouse – Banana Republic; Pants – Theory; Shoes – Franco Sarto

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