4 Reasons Why Refashioning Is So Important

As you can probably tell, this blog is passionate about refashioning. And with good reason. In recent years it seems as though we’ve developed a disposable attitude towards our clothes. We treat shopping like it’s a leisure activity, and pick up new garments simply because we can. We may wear them once or twice but they’ll probably spend most of their useful life hiding in the closet before we donate them to charity or toss them in the trash. Refashioning is about extending the useful life of our clothes and finding new ways to adore and value them. Not only is it a great way to look fantastic even on the stricted of budgets, refashioning is important for a number of reasons…

Image by Stacie via Flickr

It’s the ultimate antidote to fast fashion

Fast fashion has a lot to answer for all over the world. From shockingly widespread worker exploitation to poor safeguarding that leads to calamitous tragedies and the completely preventable loss of lives. Unfortunately, the cost of fast fashion extends beyond the human cost. It’s also terrible for the environment. As the United Nations Environment Program clearly states;

“The fashion industry produces 20 per cent of global wastewater and 10 per cent of global carbon emissions - more than all international flights and maritime shipping. Textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of water globally and it takes around 2,000 gallons of water to make a typical pair of jeans”

When you untether yourself from the need to support this industry, you’re doing your part for a more sustainable future. 

It’s easy and fun

The great thing about refashioning that it’s easy to get started requiring little, if any, capital investment. You don’t need to be a master seamstress or spend months repurposing a single garment. Very often structural changes to garments are actually pretty minimal and they’re given a new lease of life by different accessories like pieces from https://adinasjewels.com. What’s more, refashioning is a whole lot of fun, too! Once you’ve tried it a few times you’ll realize that there’s not that much of a learning curve and... 

It can help you to fall in love with your old clothes

Everything in your closet is there for a reason. Even if you haven’t worn it in a long time, you once loved it enough to part with your hard earned money for it. Often all it takes is a few little changes to your clothes for you to see them in a whole new light and start to fall in love with them all over again. 

It reduces textile waste

Finally, while fast fashion has a lot to answer for in terms of environmental impact, we as consumers also have to make amends, especially if we rid ourselves of old clothes by throwing them in the trash. Textile waste is a huge cause of environmental damage. Every single second, the equivalent of a whole garbage truck full of textiles is either burned or thrown in landfills. If things keep going in this way, by 2050 the fashion industry will use up a quarter of the world’s carbon budget. Refashioning helps to prevent textile waste by prolonging the usable lifespan of your clothes. 

So, for a fun and eco-friendly way to love your clothes even more, refashioning is an important practice to adopt!