You don't necessarily have the means to spend €50 on a T-shirt and the big brands are, for you, the solution to be dressed fashionably without breaking the bank? Know that there are solutions to dress at low prices without giving in to the sirens of fast fashion . Here are some ideas.
Do you like to treat yourself to the latest fashion, copied from a designer model, but at a low price? Your shopping trips necessarily include big brands like H&M, Zara, Bershka or Primark? During the lockdowns, you discovered pure players like Shein, Wish or Pretty Little Things, this ultra fast fashion that offers an incredible and constantly renewed choice of the latest clothes at mini prices and you have become a fan?
It is possible to escape this headlong rush that constantly causes more spending and destroys the planet.
What is behind this ultra-fashionable low price?
- Ultra-polluting raw materials , whether it is cotton stuffed with pesticides and which required thousands of liters of water to be cultivated and then treated, synthetic fabrics such as polyamide or polyester, derived from polluting petrochemicals, which release microplastics with each wash.
- Exploited workers, working in unsanitary and extremely precarious conditions, very poorly treated and paid, exposed to substances that make them sick and pollute the air and rivers in the areas where they live.
- Collections that are constantly renewed, every week or even every day, which may seem pleasant when you want to be up to date with the latest fashion, but which involves unjustifiable waste. Thus, tons of clothes end up in open-air landfills in Africa or South America and pollute landscapes for decades.
- Customers caught in a spiral, a sort of buying frenzy, who, under the pretext of paying less, in fact spend more and more.
In short, an unsustainable combo. At a time of climate change and a desire for ethical fashion, nothing can justify such waste.
So what to do?
Thrift stores and resource centers
They no longer have the dusty image of yesteryear and are often even hype. The clothes come from donations from individuals or from industrial lots bought in large quantities. Whether it is thrift stores like Guerrisol , Ressourceries or Recycleries like we now find in every city, or even clothing stores sold by weight, we find, by arming ourselves with patience and searching carefully, nuggets among old rags. Because sometimes, at unbeatable prices (2 to 20€), there are designer clothes and ultra-stylish vintage pieces. And then, finally, rummaging in a bin at Primark or Guerrisol, there is not much difference. And at least, we give a second life to a garment that becomes sustainable and responsible.
Consignment stores, departments and second-hand sites
The Second-Hand Shop, for beautiful pieces
Another way to get fashionable and cheaper clothes, without buying new, is to track down consignment stores. The prices are generally higher than in thrift stores, because the clothes have been deposited by individuals and the reseller must also make a margin. But this allows you to find nice pieces from mid-range and high-end brands (Maje, Sandro, Bash, and even Chanel, Saint Laurent) at at least half the store price. Pieces that we would not otherwise afford and that will last much longer – we hope – than Fast Fashion clothes. The alternative? Sites like Vestiaire Collective , where you can find brands and pieces checked by experts.
Second-hand departments and sites
Who doesn't know Vinted ? This peer-to-peer sales platform of Lithuanian origin has spread throughout Europe in just a few years, and has supplanted the more general Le Bon Coin or Ebay . You can find both designer clothes and fast fashion there, at a lower cost. The pitfall you need to avoid? Buying piles of clothes from Zara, H&M and others, because they are even cheaper there.
Tempted by this windfall, more and more brands , from Monoprix to Pimkie and department stores, are also offering second-hand clothes racks.
Outlet and sales sites
Can't stand the thought of wearing clothes that have been worn by others?
So, you have sites like Veepee or Showroomprive , or Outlet Villages like La Vallée Village or the city of Troyes , which sell previous collections at half price. We save money, we buy clothes that are still fashionable and of better quality, since these are branded sales stores. The problem? Through this system, we maintain this vicious circle of overproduction and therefore overconsumption.
Buy ethically
Here, it is about changing the paradigm and the way we consume. Instead of 5 cheap t-shirts, which we will only wear 2-3 times because they are of poor quality or we get tired of them quickly, we buy one in organic and ethical cotton, a beautiful timeless classic like a French-made sailor shirt, or a linen shirt. We can also mix a beautiful ethical piece – jeans , a coat, which we will keep for a long time – with more trendy second-hand items.
There is one last solution: bartering. Friends and friends of friends get together. Each one brings the clothes and accessories they no longer want and we exchange the items. A good way to treat yourself to something new… for free! Guaranteed laughs as a bonus.
