🌸Slow, Sustainable Fashion

My loves! 🌸

As promised, I will get right into discussing my journey with slow, sustainable fashion. 🌱

As fate would have it, growing up as a teenager in the hot (and equally cold and humid) city of New Delhi wasn’t convenient for a Himalayan blood like me.

New Delhi is perhaps the most fashionable city in India, but my sensitive skin was a killjoy in all seasons of life.

Synthetic fabrics would not just make me uncomfortable, but would give me HIVES! Initially, I thought I had food allergies, but nope. Just tight unbreathable clothing. I couldn’t wear street fashion, punk, emo - any theme of the eras that I grew up with.

And that’s how I discovered the importance of wearing clothes that are breathable, sustainable, and timeless. ✨

How to build a classy wardrobe:

1. Begin by discovering your style. If you don’t know what your style is, download Pinterest and see what kind of clothes/mood boards you have saved. Explore styles (won’t take longer than 30 mins) and create a board. You’ll see how the posts follow a theme, which is essentially your style! 🎨

2. Niche your category. After you have a general idea of your style, you want to match it with your body type. Of course, you can wear anything you like, but what if I told you there is a way to find out what type of clothes would suit you best?! Check out the YouTube channel I used to discover my style! (end of the letter).

3. Bin all the synthetic fabrics except what doesn’t directly contact your body like a georgette cape or a rayon skirt with a cotton petticoat. 🗑️

4. Set a budget. (There is always a tendency to go overboard!) 💸

5. Build a list of Must-Haves. Clothing items you need depending upon your lifestyle. 📋

6. Check out online brands that sell these reasonably. Don’t get trapped in the “organic cotton” marketing gimmicks. As mentioned in the last post, the clothing industry giants are not bound to disclose information on clothing sources or materials used.

> Cotton is the world’s “dirtiest crop” because of the amount of pesticides and chemicals used in the process. Less than 1% of cotton in the world is truly organic. And the chances of finding that ethical source are one in a million!

7. Pick with your instinct. Over time, the touch of the fabric, its absorbency, etc., will help you understand what pure cotton, silk, linen, hemp, or bamboo (and all-natural fabrics) are supposed to feel like.

8. Buy neutral colors first. They are a versatile choice for every occasion. 🎨

9. Buy pieces that can create multiple outfits with your pre-existing wardrobe. 👗

10. Go hands-on shopping if you don’t find anything online. I love this because you can experience the fabric in person before buying. 🛍️

11. Invest in timeless pieces for “going-out” clothes. Avoid graphic clothes, sharp cuts, tassels, etc. When clothes follow themes, they go in and out of fashion quickly, which is a waste of money.

> Choose something you know you will still wear for 3 - 5 years at least.

12. Invest in good pieces when you can. Natural fabrics will undoubtedly be more expensive than cheap industrial plastic waste. But know that for some pieces, it will be an investment of a lifetime. My dad got me an authentic leather jacket from a rural mountainous region in 2008. By 2010, I had grown into it and have been wearing it since. Last winter, I wore my grandmother’s 50-year-old silk saree to my friend’s wedding.

The textile waste has become a major concern internationally. Third-world countries have become the dumping ground, like the Atacama Desert in Chile, which features illegally dumped mountains of both used and unsold clothing of favorite global brands.

All in all, by adopting sustainable fashion choices, you not only save the environment but also yourself from the diseases these synthetic clothes carry.

Love, 💖

Zitni Zun 🌿

P.S. The best channel for finding your style - Ellie Jean Royden 📺