Lisa O’Connor’s Sustainability Toolkit: How to stay sustainable all year long
Starting your sustainable shopping journey can be daunting, time-consuming and even frustrating, but preloved fashion maestro Lisa O’Connor knows how to make it fun.
Welcome to the Sustainability Toolkit, where I’ll help you break down the various ways you can incorporate creative habits and become a conscious shopper.
These are my rules:
- Strictly Secondhand
- If It’s Not A ‘F*ck Yes’, It’s A ‘No’
- Good Quality
- The One In, One Out Method
- Styling Challenges
- Write A List
Let’s break them down…
1. Strictly Secondhand
Yes, I do it because I care about the environment. Yes, I do it because I care about the workers. Yes, I do it because I’m frugal. It is literally so easy to buy secondhand these days. Let’s break down the different ways to buy secondhand.
Free
- Bring back the days of borrowing your friends’ dresses for the teenage disco. Why should that stop when you turn 18?
- Look at your mother’s wardrobe, I guarantee you the leather quality is so much better there. Jewellery, belts, bags, scarves… the list goes on.
- Clothes swapping events are a thing! How it works is: You bring the clothes you’re impartial to, and you only swap the item for something you feel is of the same worth.
Low budget
- Charity shopping: Look out for ‘old lady’ brands like Karen Millen, Jaegar, Laura Ashley, Brandy Melville, ME+EM, Boden, Toast, Hobbs, Harris Tweed, GAP. Because ‘old ladies’ wouldn’t be caught dead in the cheap polyester sh*te we wear.
- If you don’t like the shape but you love the print and it’s amazing quality, get it tailored, girl! Tailoring is a dying trade, and we should be keeping these excellent tradesmen fed and watered by giving them business.
- Look at the labels – I aim to find 100% cotton, linen, wool and silk. But sometimes I am just genuinely floored by old Topshop and that’s okay too because guess what? You’re not being a dick to the environment by shopping in charity shops and you’re giving to charity. So, buy what you want. It’s for a good cause.
- Location location location! Shop where rich people live. Rich people give away good shi*! I’ve found Prada, Pierre Gardin and Mulberry in charity shops.
- Kilo sales are amazing. The way it works is you grab clothes you like, and they’re weighed. The more they weigh, the more you pay. Your money goes a long way, I promise.
- Car boot sales are my favourite thing ever. They’re so sociable and those that are selling their clothes are so cool and fashionable. And you can barter till the cows come home.
Mid budget
- Depop/Vinted: I don’t want to give people another reason to doom-scroll, but scrolling casually on Depop and Vinted works better than impulse buying on the app. Take your time, give yourself a chance to judge accordingly. Favourite the items you want and think about it for day or two. Then, warm up the buyer.
- I warm-up the buyer. I message complimenting the piece of clothing that I’m interested in. I ask for measurements, I ask about the fit and fabric. Yes, I know this sounds insufferable, it’s because I am! But you as a buyer deserve to know exactly what you’re getting. I also feel they’re more inclined to accept an offer if you touch base with them first.
- Get to know the brands you love. I don’t mean designer, we’ll get to that later. But the brands that reflect your personal style and charisma. The brands you’d spend that little extra money on. Also, if you want to buy anything high-street off Vinted or Depop, that is totally fair. But I’m trying to elevate your secondhand shopping experience.
- Brands like Rixo, Issey Miyake, Miista, Cop Copine, Realisation Par, Toast, Wynn Hamlyn, Sezane, Reformation, Paloma Wool, etc will all have dupes! I found a vintage Per-Una polka-dot dress that looks so much like a Rixo find. Dupes have the potential to be more authentic discoveries than the brand itself and of course – it’s cheaper!
High budget
This is a level up when it comes to buying secondhand clothing. We’re spending money here, so strap in. I’m about to get snobby because this is your hard-earned cash lads.
- Get brand savvy! Get to know what your vibe is, not what’s trending. Get to know you. Ask yourself what brand best represents you. This is fun, it’s like picking houses in Harry Potter. Are you a freak in Balenciaga? Or timeless and classy in Chanel? Or fun in Fendi?
- Vintage shops: Some vintage shops are a total waste of time. The overflowing, cluttered shops that give you a headache? Well, they give me a headache. I can smell the bad quality and how overpriced everything is. I avoid shopping in the vintage shops that look like they’re selling Halloween costumes.
- I love a curated vintage shop. Tastefully chosen with a knowledge of brands and quality. Sister Sintage in Kinsale, Co. Cork, Loot Vintage on Drury Street, Dublin, ANSA vintage in Forest Hill SE London, Agite Closet in Dublin, Alfies, Ennistymon Co. Clare, Twisted Vintage Jewellery, SE London, Nude Lagoon in Deptford, SE London and Retro Rail in Bristol to name a few.
- I adore buying vintage for the made-up story I create in my head. The blouse that was clearly owned by a Dutchess, a Parisian leather jacket owned by a badass rock and roll spinster who rides a motorbike.
- Vestiaire Collective is pure and utter glamour. You can save your searches, and the algorithm picks up on what you’re interested in. Add items you like to your wishlist, and you’ll get updates if the item reduces in price. There’s also the option to pay extra to have your designer authentication checked.
- eBay: Place bids in the last seconds of an auction and get that adrenaline buzz!
- By Rotation is a world I’m dying to step into for events and weddings. I hate when ‘event wear’ clogs up my wardrobe and I barely get to wear the ginormous, expensive dress. So, renting clothes would be ideal.
2. If It’s Not A ‘F*ck Yes’, It’s A ‘No’
“Every time you spend a dollar, you cast a vote for the kind of world you want to live in” – Anne Lappe.
I may or may not have just come back from a pro-Palestine protest when I wrote this, so prepare for passion! Let me hold your hand when I tell you this… Returning home after a day of shopping with something you just thought was ‘nice’ is going to remain hoarded in the back of your wardrobe forever. Yeah, sure, you might wear it once or twice but then you’ll look past it and eventually forget about it altogether. Clothes are to be worn, not to catch dust. I’m a true believer in wearing your fancy clothes on a Tuesday for no other reason than ‘sure f*ck it, why not?’
You know when you have that visceral full-body reaction to something you love? F*ck yes! Look for that feeling. In fact, let’s get philosophical about this. Look for that feeling everywhere in life. Relationships, work, friends, creative ideas. Look for that feeling when you choose to spend your hard-earned cash. Look for that feeling when you choose to dress the soft animal of your body. Imagine you have the full liberty to dress how you choose, while in other parts of the world, women cannot do so. Imagine you have the choice to purchase what you want, while in some coercive instances, women don’t have access to their own money.
Recognising your privilege is a deeper level of gratitude, and with privilege comes responsibility. We are all responsible for how we impact this earth and the people we share it with. Think of the people less fortunate than yourself who are working for practically nothing in unsafe conditions. It’s hot to be smart and it’s hot to have choice! Use your privilege of choice.
3. Good Quality When Buying New
Okay, so you’re willing to do your research and deep dive into sustainable brands. Great! These brands will treat you (the consumer) with love and respect. These brands prioritise the environment and our effect on it. These brands believe that your clothing should last wash after wash. Just a quick reminder before we get started:
1. It’s not normal to buy the amount of clothes we buy. It’s not normal for your clothes to get deformed and fade when you wash them. Zara, H&M, Bershka, etc: I’m talking to you and your limp efforts to make clothes.
2. I use the app Good On You to help guide me to the most sustainable brands. The app lists thousands of brands and rates their impact on labour, the environment and animals. They promote the best ethical and sustainable brands.
3. Because you’ve spent money on these clothes and bought natural fibres, it’s so important to know how to take care of them. Please, lads, for the love of sweet baby Jesus, learn how to wash your clothes properly.
Here’s my list of brands that I recommend:
- Toast
- ME+EM
- Eat Dust the Label
- ACNE Studios
- Wynn Hamlyn
- Armed Angels
- Flore Flore
- Patagonia
- Soeur
- Reformation
- Asket
- Doen
- Pangaia
- Elementy
- BEO’s Knitwear
- Scott Fraser Collection
- Closed
4. One In, One Out Method
When I buy something new, I must get rid of something old. Now, this technique sounds so harsh. It’s not. If something you want to buy imitates something you already have in your wardrobe or serves the same purpose, there’s no point in having two of the same things. One in, one out.
For example, I’ve had a fringed suede jacket for years and I bought another fringed item, so I’m selling the initial suede jacket. They both create that Stevie Nicks vibe. Yes, they’re still very different, but I don’t need both. We live in a one-bedroom mezzanine flat with no storage. At first, I was nervous about how we would get by, but now it’s so calming and simple knowing what comes in and out of the flat. My wardrobe is compact, and I know everything I own.
I’m sure everyone who is hot and sexy reading this is also living through the cost-of-living crisis like I am. The positives I have found from practising minimalism are spending less, less stress, more time, increased focus and creativity and owning higher quality things.
Comparison is the thief of joy and if you’re on the consumerist bandwagon, then sadly, you’re also competing and comparing to others. Freeing yourself from this need to have everything, you realise you need very little. Like a monk, you’re more chill and surer of yourself. “Minimalists seek depth over breadth” can also translate to “quality over quantity.”
5. Styling Challenges
This is the creative part. This is the chance to play and not take yourself too seriously and maybe, potentially make styling mistakes or potentially create the greatest and most unique outfits of all time!
Remember, tops can be layered over tops, skirts over trousers and even shirts on top of both. Play with layering! Play with different textures and accessories. Literally open that wardrobe and play. Choose an item of clothing and style it in five different combinations.
Look at pairing adventurous colours together. Look at the colour wheel, then look at your wardrobe and combine colours that you wouldn’t usually. Respect the art of outfit repeating! Take photos of those badass outfits you love and keep them in a folder so when there’s a day you really have no inspiration for what to wear. You have all those outfits logged that you feel great in!
6. Write A List
Write a list of specific items you want and then write how long you’ve wanted them beside it. For example, a black ACNE Studios bag – two months.
This delays impulse buying and you can monitor how long you’ve craved that item for. You can also monitor whether you still even want the thing and guess what? You usually don’t. But if you do, this method makes you look for a precise item in detail, so you’re guaranteed to find something you love. This list makes you fill in the blanks of your wardrobe. Access the missing pieces to your puzzle. Daydream about the various ways you can style the item.
I dare you to add up the totality of everything on the list and see how much it would all cost. It won’t be long before you hack away the items that suddenly aren’t a priority.
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