It’s Fashion Revolution week and the spotlight’s on the sustainable slow fashion movement. It’s also our second birthday this month and in celebration we’re giving away some upcycled loveliness.

We’re living in a throwaway culture where newness is KING. In a world of over production and over consumption – it’s time to live more simply and more slowly.

300,000 tons of used clothes go to landfill in the UK every year. Worryingly over the last 15 years clothing production has doubled and the number of times a garment is worn has decreased by 36%.

Once they hit landfill, decomposing clothing releases methane, a harmful greenhouse gas. But the good news is for every ton of discarded textiles that is reused, 20 tons of CO2 is saved from entering the atmosphere.

So where do we start?

Become a Conscious consumer

We’ve turned shopping into hobby, perhaps forsaking the pastimes of yesteryear like embroidery and art. Instead we’ve turned to retail therapy and it’s costing us all. Are we looking for happiness in all the wrong places? It’s not too late, we can choose to slow down and consume more consciously.

Being a conscious consumer sees us making eco-friendly choices alongside humane working practices. It’s about considering our impact on people and planet.

Shopping Vintage + Second Hand First

Shopping preloved is an adventure and more of an experience than a chore. When you shop second hand you’re supporting causes and saving clothes from landfill, so feel good factor is way up!

Shopping vintage develops your personal style. You soon learn what looks good on you and select garments on fabric and fit over seasonal trends. You can shop all eras at once and vintage pieces are easy to fall in love with as they’re unique and evoke memories.

• Be open minded and try pieces on

• Don’t rush, slow down and savior the experience

• Go for natural fibres like cotton, wool and linen

• Details and lining indicate quality

• Seek out heritage brands like Jaegar + Aquascutum

Check out Oxfam’s handy vintage clothes care guide

how to shop sustainably

Sustainable fashion is about changing our mindset and exploring new ways to shop. Again it’s about slowing down and stopping to think before we make a purchase. It’s quality over quantity, investing in pieces that will last and when they start to wear, repairing and restoring.

Support small business and companies doing good things, offsetting impact and helping people and planet. Apps like Good On You and Co Go and websites like Compare Ethics can help you make good decisions.

• Buy only what you need

• Aim for 30 wears per piece

• Fits into your current wardrobe

• Shop vintage and second hand first

• Shop sustainable and ethical brands

• Shop local, handmade and fairtrade

upcycled giveaway

In celebration of Fashion Revolution and Peep turning two we’re giving away an upcycled package for you and a friend to have your favourite frames completely refurbished.

We’ve also teamed up with the lovely Ella at Bear Shark Embroidery and she’s going to hand embroider the lucky winners a personalised glasses pouch made from recycled vintage fabric!

Scratches, dents and dinges will be a thing of the past. They’ll be looking like as good as new when we’ve finished polishing, primping and preening. Add a new prescription into your cherished vintage glasses or change them up and go for a coloured sunglasses tint.

Enter over on Instagram and tag in a friend here goes live Monday 22 April. Update: Giveaway is now closed.

Join the Fashion Revolution and show support by buying the Fanzine, reposting on social and asking our favourite brands ‘Who Made My Clothes?’

Jo

A Slow Fashion Revolution

Become a Conscious consumer

Shopping Vintage + Second Hand First

how to shop sustainably

upcycled giveaway