Mindful living is a philosophy and a state of being, and as such it covers all areas of life. We have to be mindful of our surroundings, our way of life, our treatment of nature, our food, and also our fashion choices. This is the topic of today’s article – how to dress in a way that is considered “mindful”.
We will discuss what mindful fashion is, as well as how to dress sustainably and what new trends are there for you to explore. Enjoy reading!
What is Mindful Fashion
Mindful fashion follows the core principles of mindful living, meaning that first, you should be mindful of your choices, no matter how insignificant they might seem at first. So, what is mindful fashion? It’s the opposite of mindless fashion or fashion being led by the principle ‘I must have this at all cost.’
First of all, fashion isn’t a matter of life and death, so you definitely don’t “need to have it”. You shouldn’t buy everything that arouses your interest. Once you start controlling yourself better and denying yourself unnecessary things and distractions, you will become more content with your life and thus, also become happier.
This is one of the core tenets of mindful fashion – a healthy degree of restraint when it comes to buying clothes. The other pillar of mindful fashion is loving yourself. You don’t need a specific item of clothing to be beautiful, you already are.
Clothes cannot heal our insecurities, only we can do that, and mindful living and fashion habits might be the way to achieve this. Love yourself as you are, love your body, and love your clothes. Don’t let fashion marketing deceive into thinking you’re not pretty or handsome enough if you don’t buy items from their latest clothing line.
How to Practice Mindful Fashion
Now let’s get to the practical application of mindful fashion. There are many different perspectives as to how to accomplish the goal of dressing in a mindful way, so we tried to condense them into some core principles and practical tips that you can apply:
- No Fast Fashion – This is a no-brainer, but we feel like we should explain it in more detail. Fast fashion is associated with labour exploitation, and many times, that of children. In addition, it relies on cheap materials whose manufacturing pollutes the Earth. Fast fashion also comes as fast as it goes, so consumers throw out tons of clothes that end up in landfills, unable to decompose for centuries (polyester can take up to 200 years to decompose).
- Choose natural materials – Unfortunately, clothes from natural materials such as cotton, linen, and silk have become incredibly expensive, despite some of them being relatively cheap to source. This wasn’t the case in previous centuries, but ever since plastic was invented, it’s become our reality. Still, you should invest in clothes from natural materials because: a) they are sustainable, b) they last longer, c) they are better for your skin.
- Don’t Overcrowd Your Wardrobe – Open your wardrobe and try to count how many clothes you haven’t worn in the past year; we assure you the number will unpleasantly surprise you. Don’t surround yourself with meaningless distractions and don’t let your bank account suffer.
- Donate – After looking through your clothes, you should bid goodbye to those you haven’t worn in a long while, because let’s be realistic, you’re not going to start wearing them all tomorrow. Don’t throw them away though, look up local charities to donate them to.
- Recycle – You can leave some of the clothes you mean to donate and recycle them instead. Many clothing brands now offer you discounts if you donate clothes for recycling. Not only do you get to buy something new, but you also help limiting waste.
- Avoid Sales – Sales might make it seem like you’re spending pennies on a new wardrobe, but it all quietly piles up. Sales are a scam used by clothing brands to get rid of their old collections which would be thrown in the trash otherwise. Have you ever bought something from a sale only to find out you hate it later? Yes, we all have but we should all stop.
- Take Your Time – Don’t mindlessly grab a shirt and buy it immediately; try it on and think whether you like yourself in it and whether it matches your existing clothes. Take all the time you need; the store will be there tomorrow.
- Price to Quality Ratio – Think whether a garment is really worth its price tag before you buy it. Spending a hundred on a polyester shirt from a designer brand is never worth it.
- Brand Names Do Not Matter – This is a continuation of the last point. Many designer brands nowadays use cheap fabrics and just as cheap labour to the point where they are almost no better than fast fashion brands. The brand wants you to think it’s the holy grail of fashion, but it’s just a name we give too much importance to.
- Thrift Shop – It’s better for your wallet and it’s definitely better for the planet. You can also find the most surprising and amazing items there.