Apps for sustainable clothes shopping

Since I started this blog 18 months ago, I made a decision not to buy any new high street clothes. I’ve really enjoyed discovering and buying from ethical brands, but I’ve had to budget carefully to afford the new clothes I’ve really wanted, and I have the advantage of already owning a lot of clothes. I still buy secondhand and vintage clothes, and I try to recycle my old clothes as efficiently as possible. I enjoy researching brands and searching for my perfect outfit, but plenty of people don’t have the time or the inclination to put this much effort into buying clothes.

Fortunately there are now a number of apps that take the work out of shopping ethically, discovering great secondhand clothes and even finding out where to recycle old clothes and textiles.

High Street Shopping
I’m lucky to have a bit of disposable income for clothes shopping; I know this has to come a lot further down a list of priorities for many people. Low wages in this country leave many people reliant on fast fashion’s cost-cutting to make clothing “affordable”. The inequalities in our current system mean that the CEO of a fashion brand can earn the lifetime’s wages of a Bangladeshi garment worker in a matter of days. There is a good argument for not simply boycotting these big brands though; as the biggest overproducers and polluters, we won’t see a huge change in the negative aspects of the fashion industry unless these brands are encouraged to clean up their act. If brands see their competitors being rewarded with higher sales due to increased transparency or better sustainability initiatives, they will follow suit.

So who do we choose to give our hard-earned money to? These two apps should be able to help you out.

Not My Style
Wondering how transparent your favourite brands are when it comes to their garment workers? Rather than trawling every brand’s website for information, check Not My Style, which rates brands on the information they choose to share about the men and women who make their clothes, and whether they are trying to improve pay and working conditions. Their ratings are a simple traffic-light system of stop, think and shop, and you can check a map of your area to see how the shops near you shape up.

Good On You
Originally based in Australia, Good On You also rates brands by how transparent they are, although as well as garment workers they also consider the brand’s environmental impact and whether the brand uses materials that require the killing of animals. Brands are rated from 1 (we avoid) to 5 (great), with 3 - it’s a start - encouraging brands to keep doing better. You can also adjust your preferences on the site to put more emphasis on the issues that are closest to your heart.

Secondhand Shopping
If you’re after some new-to-you clothes and have some lightly-worn clothes that might be suitable for selling or swapping, these two sites could help you out:

Vinted
Buy, sell or swap clothes with fellow fashionistas on this app. The more information you add about your clothes, the quicker they will find a potential buyer. I’ve swapped clothes that weren’t really me for a fun selection of frivolous new things, which I’ve ended up wearing much more than I expected to!

Depop
More than just a marketplace, depop sells itself as a community for style-conscious bright young things. You can follow friends, brands and influencers, find out what they are buying and selling, and set up your own shop too.

Textile Recycling
Even with the best will in the world, all of us are going to end up with clothes that are so far past their prime that the thought of giving them to a secondhand shop is downright embarrassing. Yes, you could chop them up into cleaning cloths or craft projects, but some things need to go through an industrial recycling process before they have a chance at a new lease of life. A lot of councils don’t provide textile recycling collections, so if you have no idea where to take your old clothes, you’re going to need this new app:

Impact Fashion
Providing a searchable database of charity shops and textile collection points, Impact Fashion can help you to find out where to take your old clothes, no matter what state they are in.

They are also set up to help you restyle as well as recycle; book an appointment with one of their stylists if your current wardrobe feels lacking in inspiration, and they will help you to find new outfit combinations and ways of styling your clothes that will make you fall back in love with your existing wardrobe.

I’ll have a selection of ethical marketplaces and brand directories up on my blog, which is getting a makeover, in a few weeks, so stay tuned!