Today is Earth Day, the day when the focus is on how to reduce pollution and waste in order to heal our planet from the many waves of abuse the human race inflicted on it.

One subject that keeps coming up in that regard is how to rebuild a more sustainable fashion world. Each February and September the industry’s fashion weeks seduce us to buy new clothes suggesting the latest style is a must-have. Fashion Magazines do the same to fashionistas around the world just on a more regular basis, daily in the case of an online fashion magazine.

So what to do with all the “old” apparel hanging in your closet, some of which you may never even have worn? And what about the clothes in your closets that you bought but later decided you didn’t even like that much?

Here are some ideas about how you can make a difference and help the environment when it comes to your apparel and accessories.

• Buy from and sell your unwanted items to second-hand shops and websites

• Donate any unwanted clothing and accessories to charities

• Buy from sustainable fashion brands

• Host a clothing/accessory swap party (after it is safe again to get together) or have a clothing/accessory swap party via Zoom now

• Recycle your clothing so it doesn’t end up in landfills

Another cool way of addressing the issue of never-worn or seldom-worn clothes because you don’t like how they look anymore is to convert them!

Since ever I can remember, I made changes to the clothes I bought that I knew even in the store already I might have an issue with but because of the color or material or whatever, I went ahead and bought anyway. The minute I got home and sometimes even in the fitting room already, I envisioned what I needed to change to make an item the way I really wanted it to look. Sometimes, it meant changing the hemline, the sleeves or making it tighter, changing the buttons, etc. Well, guess what, you can do the same with clothes you had in your closet for a long time and are kind of attached to but never wanted to wear again because they either didn’t fit properly now or you didn’t like the way they looked anymore or they needed a more stylish look. Before getting rid of your unwanted items give converting them a try, you never know, you may fall in love with your altered pieces again. The tailor at your local cleaners may be able to make your vision come true.

Can’t imagine what kind of a difference a few little changes could make? Take a look at the below video of Converted Closet to give you some ideas.

Happy converting.

Karynne Summars // Editor-in-Chief

Thumbnail Post Image by Naeim Jafari via Unsplash