@Chris Madden Hi. I hope you are doing well. This is one of my small businesses. It is a store where you can find high quality products with better price, and great design (All the designs are created by me): Men, Women and Kids & Babies Clothes (T-Shirts, Hoodies, Tanks, Caps, Dresses, Bandanas...); Accessories (Bags& Backpacks, Pillows, Mugs & Drink ware, Pets Bandanas, Stickers...) Also, you can create your unique products with your designs and receive it. Finally, I hope that you support my small business. This is my Store : shop.spreadshirt.com/zizoustore/
The best thing about shopping second-hand is that the clothes have been washed a few times so are the true size! Nothing worse than buying something new and it shrinks/changes shape after the first wash so no longer fits :(
As a plus size person shopping second hand or sustainable brands can be quite difficult. Either they're aren't any "cool" or "trendy" pieces in second hand stores in the right sizes or just straight up nothing in the right size - so you couldn't try to tailor or remake it to work for your personal style. Secondly, plus size clothes are generally more expensive to begin with, so to then add the sustainable cost to items makes them almost ALL luxury priced. This is why I try to make sure to donate clothes to my local, so that plus size clothes are in stock, but also to wear to death the clothing that I do keep around.
misshaack yeah this is a huge issue for me too. I’ve found universal standard pretty great. They aren’t second hand but their prices are similar to torrid and are produced ethically
I am not plus size, but I am very tall (6'3). I have a 36" inseam. I already have to shop in special sections/shops. 2nd hand (other than the limited tall clothing on depop) is near impossible!
Most people donate clothes that are too small for them, but still in good condition, well if it's too small for them, it's too small for me. Good thing i barely buy any clothes.
As a S size person trying to shop second hand I noticed that there is nothing small sized in charity shops. Everything is L+ . Maybe anywhere outside of Europe there are more options.
Hi Hannah, I run a charity shop, and it would be great if you could be our celebrity who opens the shop when we have a refit! We will look like a boutique, and will help with sustainable fashion! :)
Here are some of my favourite (sort of) affordable sustainable brands: monkee genes, lucyandyak, everlane and hundred club. As a petite 14yr old who's 5ft2 it's hard to find normal clothes never mind sustainable and affordable ones . However, making the switch to second-hand/sustainable fashion has been the best choice of my life. I now can spread awareness about the topic to my peers at school and love it. The clothes I wear now don't only suit my style better but represent my morals and ethics as a person.
The charity shop flex is such a thing. I got a great dark green wool coat, that hits mid-calf, and has an amazing hood, for 20$ and anytime I get complimented on it its like "Thanks it was only 20$!!" Also clothing swaps are great, get a few friends to all bring some clothes they're planning on donating anyways(give some warning so people can build up a stash) and bring some wine/drink of choice then have everyone go through things, try stuff on, and at the end of the night hopefully go home with something new
my female friends, sister, mum, aunty, cousin and gran all swap clothes. we have dresses and jumpers and things that have gone back and forth over 6 different people before and are still going strong. it started probably because we didn't have much money growing up and we would get hand-me-downs from older relatives, but now before we get rid of anything it gets passed through the network and people take what they want first and anything left gets donated. Also if we have a special event we can phone each other up and ask if they have anything that would work. I think it makes us closer as a family too :)
Hi Hannah, Since "sustainable fashion" is also to actually wear what you have instead of buying new, how about a video of you doing a challenge where you try to wear every piece of clothing you own in, like, 1 month ? You could write down your items, put them in 2 bowls (one for the top, one for the bottom) and let the hazard decide what you're wearing. This way, you would really know what items you like wearing (decluttering), force you to try new matches and maybe even rediscover old pieces. I'ld watch that :-)
This video was very interesting! I was confused about the low number of comments and views. Then I remembered that this is your new channel. I really enjoy both channels and hope that this one grows a long the way. :)
Awesome video! One issue with secondhand is finding clothes for different body types as some others have mentioned, but also if you're disabled it can potentially be really difficult to shop in charity shops. It means you need to be able to leave your house and get around town which not everyone can do, plus they're often not very accessible! Loads of the ones round here have steps or are packed with stuff. So you're left with Ebay etc where it's harder to find things, you can't try them on and they're usually more expensive. Also how good charity shops are for your style really depends on your area I think. Local ones I've been in almost never have things I like, but ones I've been to in London had way more variety. Anyway TL:DR secondhand shopping can be really hard for disabled people so it's cool to have a video like this that talks about lots of different options for improving things!
This is a great video! One thing I like to do is hold “clothing swap” parties with my friends. We get together at someone home for some drinks and listen to music, and bring some of our old clothes we don’t want anymore. The clothing is organized into categories (tops, trousers, skirts, etc) and everyone can take what they want from the piles. Anything left over gets donated. It fun, social, and helps get the shopping bug out without spending money.
For sustainable active wear, Grace Beverley's active wear brand TALA is a great option! It's (more) affordable (than most sustainable brands), sustainabile and ethically produced
I think we as a society need to change the value of clothes. I make my own clothes and it takes a damn long time but they will last! Repairing and altering your garments is so important too as well as just looking after them (washing, storing...). Clothes can last so long and my heart hurts because of this hyperconsumeristic world we live in. Thank you Hannah for participating in the discourse, I appreciate you!
So true. I need to learn to make clothes. I'm 6'3 so it's impossible to buy clothes. I just don't know where to start. But you're right about mending and looking after your clothes. I have clothes that I've owned for literally 5 years (I'd have older ones but I lost weight a few years back and got rid of them!).
Emma's accent is super similar to Claudia Kellgren-Fozard (as seen on her wife's Jessica's channel). :) Loved the video, I really appreciate Emma's knowledge and Hanna's honesty, not pretending she's better than she actually is. :)
YES YES YES I am here for this content !👌 What I also do is I participate in swaps with friends so that it's a social event, it's fun, you get showered with compliments and it's free! 😁
First of all, love to see this video on UA-cam and Emma's hair is so incredible 😍. Being a plus size person, I find it quite difficult to get into sustainable clothing style.
I am disabled and unable to work, so in the last 10 years I've only bought my clothes from Primark or charity shops. Most of my clothes are between 5 and 10 years old, even the Primark stuff has lasted pretty well considering how cheap that stuff is.
I am very happy you've started educating your audience on a sustainable lifestyle, good on you, you can tell it's not just for views and I really appreciate that a lot
Thank you for making this video! It’s content like this which has reshaped my way of thinking with regards to fashion. This time last year I was buying a new piece of clothing practically every week. And now I haven’t bought anything new for almost 6 months! Hoping to get into second hand shopping soon as and when I need to replace clothing.
so glad to see you making this video! honestly i'm so on board with sustainable fashion, and i only ever buy second hand, or from ethical companies for my clothes now. i find myself having to unfollow/unsubscribe from 'influencers' who aren't on board with this now as i just can't support people who support fast fashion. so thanks for making this video:)
As others have mentioned, there are rarely plus size clothes worth buying at charity shops. My friend will occasionally do a consignment or charity pop up specifically for plus sizes and my friends and I who are around the same sizes swap clothes as out weight fluctuates. :)
Love the video. I personally really like attending swap shops. I live in a student city so we have loads. For anyone who's interested and doesn't know. Swap Shops are Pop up events where you bring some pieces you don't wear anymore and either get a corresponding number of vouchers or free pick of the clothes other people brought. Sustainable and free ❤
I have the same issue with bras, but you can still help other people be more sustainable. There’s a charity called Smalls For All and they take old bras and things that might not fit any more. Deffo worth checking out.
OOoooooh I am loOOOoving all these videos about sustainability! I recently purchased period underwear thanks in part to you and have been making a serious effort to shop more secondhand in the past year. Would love for you to do more sustainability videos and turn it into a whole series! especially would love to see your approach to sustainability in FOOD because I know that's one of the biggest areas for potential change. Thanks
We did a clothing swap at my work recently, and also collected winter jackets for charity. We got 70ish winter jackets, and exchanged clothes with people in the community. Everyone just brought there clothes in, and let people grab what they wanted. It was really amazing.
I recently read The Conscious Closet by Elizabeth Cline, and while a few chapters got a bit repetitive with her suggestions, it made me completely rethink how I was handling my closet clean outs. I've already significantly reduced how much clothing I buy over the past couple years (mostly for money reasons, also for some weight reasons), but I wasn't actually considering the fabrics I was keeping/tossing or where my donations were going. So I'm putting a bit more effort into that process, and I'm limiting myself to only buying secondhand clothes (mostly online) until I've got all my wardrobe essentials set. I'm also never going to manage a capsule closet, but my goal is to eventually swap out my older items for sustainable, ethical, and long-lasting brands and pieces.
Great video. I'm so in to sustainability, reuse and up cycling. I shop in charity shops remaking clothes to my own style. I'm especially in to retro and vintage fabrics. After ripping one of my favourite dresses, pesky door handle, I used the material to make a bag. Had lots of complements about it and people asking me where it was from and could I make one. Long story short ... I work full time making hand bags, all individual. Love it.
I’ve started trying to shop second hand more but as a size 14/16 on bottom and 18 on top I do find that bigger sizes are less available. Maybe just where I’ve been shopping in scotland. Would love any recommendations if anyone has them for good stores :)
Yeah, this seems pretty common. My theory is that because larger sizes are more limited in stores, and often fit weirdly on different body shapes, people who wear larger sizes buy less impulsively and keep their clothes longer, so they don't end up in opshops so much.
Poshmark could be a great option since it’s like an online thrift store where you can set your sizes! You can get a lot more options than going to a thrift store :)
It's been a few months since this has been posted. But in case anyone is still reading the comments, something I have started to do is look at the website projectcece. It's a website that collects/compiles items from different sustainable online shops. You can select filters like vegan, environmentally friendly, ethically made (or combine them all) etc. A lot of them also have carbon neutral shipping. Might make the search for sustainable clothing more easy for people like me who are just now starting out
Learned a lot, thaks for sharing your wisdom girls. Just started to research about sustainable fashion so I can share this info on my second hand online shop. And of course improve more each day on new habits.
Hannah you smashed it! I loved this video and love the idea of bringing an expert to this sustainability topic to gain more knowledge. I currently really love how you adress the sustainable fashion topic. Your work is awsome :) Lots of love
I discovered charity/vintage/secondhand shops in my late 20s and I'm not going back. I also try as much as I can to shop my own closet. But when neither my own closet nor the secondhand shop has what I need, I do shop in mainstream stores because in my country we do not have many ethical clothing shops, sadly. Some more are popping up though!! Which I am excited to try.
Totally with you on charity shops for event wear, think how many lovely party dresses get worn only to be never touched again because they've served their purpose to that person. I always find lots of special occasion dresses in charity shops :)
don't forget making your own clothes! it takes practice but sourcing the materials and putting in the work yourself really opens your eyes to what clothes are actually worth/'should' cost - and yet if you have the time it's cheap, and it's a creative hobby, and everything is guaranteed to fit and look exactly how you want! always sew with sustainable fabrics of course ;)
I've been trying to more and more to make my clothes instead of buying them! yes, it does take quite some time, but you'll have something unique that fits you exactly right!
Great video! Another option (not very everyone, for sure!) is making your own clothes and upcycling. Although I must admit that it is very difficult to know where the fabrics or wool is from when you're randomly buying it in a shop or on the market. Also, if you have a friend who loves sewing, knitting or crochet, pay them to make you something. I'm making my friend a sweater literally whilst watching this video. As an early resolution, I actually decided that for the next year I will only buy second-hand or make my own things. Except for underwear, which I now know to buy bamboo :)
@@morehannah Great! If you like the feeling of proudly announcing your great charity shop finds, imagine what it feels like to be able to say "I made it myself!" 😄
In order to gain appreciation for the true cost (as in $) of making clothes, I would highly suggest checking out the historical sewing side of UA-cam, in particular Bernadette Banner. By watching one or two of her videos, it quickly becomes clear how much effort sewing actually takes. (Also I find sewing vlogs very soothing)
Hey I'm currently doing some market research for an Italian sustainable fashion company called Re-Bello and I was wondering how you primarily found these companies you shop from, and if you shop on any sustainable marketplaces such as Wonderful Things or MAMOQ????
Even this beginners’ video is somewhat overwhelming! I try to buy as much of my clothing as possible secondhand, but I’m very interested in the peer-to-peer renting of clothes as well! I live in the US, so I’ll have to do my own research on rental services in my area, but I really appreciate this video introducing me to the concept!
I've recently started shopping second hand more and I love it, not going to lie if I see something not second hand and I like it I will most likely splurge and get it. Also Hannah love your jumper dress??
Another sustainable option that I've been looking into trying is sewing my own clothes. There's an Instagram account/site called Sew Liberated where she makes really cute sewing patterns and advocates for slower fashion choices. Also My Green Closet is another UA-cam channel with lots of info on sustainable fashion.
Yay, Emma explained everything so well in this I'm so glad :') I shop in a lot of these ways, depop is really good I think, as it's making clothes and thrifts available to so many more people than just their local op shoppers and that's cool to come across great pieces! Also for underwear, making them out of t-shirts or with stretchy fabric is actually quite easy and I probably won't buy underwear again! It's great cos you can tailor it to how you like and what's comfortable for you and can work from a pair that you already love. Also buying handmade is really great too. And the other thing with the affordability of sustainable fashion is that it's good to invest it timeless and classic pieces that will last you a long time! Ok imma stop writing 😂
I’ve (mostly) stopped shopping online for clothes because of how often they didn’t fit and I had to send stuff back. Such a waste of transport emissions and packaging! I also learnt that some online fast fashion brands actually just throw returns in the bin because it’s more costly to pay someone to sort through them than the items are worth!
I was having a wardrobe clear out and had a pile of clothes to recycle, as they were over-worn and holey, and others to donate. I gave my mates first refusal at some of the donation pile and a fair few got taken by them!
I think it's worth pointing out (not sure how this applies to UK charity shops) but in America, social media haul culture and the sustainable movement have really depleted options in secondhand stores in certain areas. This really disadvantages poor folks who have no choice but to shop at these places (as we didn't growing up). Additionally, due to the increase in demand many secondhand stores have begun to raise prices to cash in, making it less affordable for those classes of people who need them.
I think this is something people can tackle as donors rather than purchasers - if we have high quality workwear, for instance, we can donate it to organisations like Dress for Success who will give it to people who need it for job interviews etc, rather than donating it to a charity shop or taking it to a consignment store, where they will price it as high as possible because their aim is to raise money. I would not want people to stop shopping secondhand because having volunteered in a charity shop for over two years myself, I know there are far, far more clothes being donated than we can even put out on the shop floor. Those that aren't bought by customers go to textile 'recyclers' who ship them to poorer countries to sell (where it negatively impacts local economies) or sort (a horrible job for for those people doing it).
If you or someone you know has a massive fabric stash like i do, learn to sew your own clothes, its easier than you think with all the resources online eg facebook groups and youtube tutorials. And if you already have the fabric its a great way to get something out of it
I find shopping sustainably so difficult because of sensory issues. I struggle to browse a shop, which is necessary in charity shops, but I also need to feel the fabric before buying and sustainable brands aren’t in stores near me. I have to browse online and then do a quick trip into the shop to feel the fabric and make sure there’s no thick seams or anything that will cause problems, so I can feel the clothes before buying but don’t have to spend too long in the shop. However, it does mean that I hate replacing clothes so my clothes get worn until they are falling apart. They’re always too far gone to be given to a charity shop so I turn them into cleaning cloths or recycle the fabric.
Anne-Lou it’s not so much that I want to keep getting the same thing, it’s that if I get the same thing, I can completely avoid the shops altogether. The reason I don’t use charity shops is because I can’t browse through rails of clothes because you have to move and touch other clothes to see what’s in the middle of the rail. I don’t go to tk max or look through sales racks for the same reason. Too much touching different fabrics involved. Most charity shops near me don’t have wheelchair accessible changing rooms either so I can’t try anything on to see if there’s a seam that causes problems. I wish I could just buy stuff online and know that it would feel okay against my skin
Anne-Lou I should probably give the charity shops another go really. It’s been a few years since I tried so there might be more accessible ones now and I might cope better with touching clothes if the shop is calmer.
Since I have become aware of ethical/sustainable fashion issues i have just found myself shopping a lot less but mostly because i am plus size. Unfortunately there are not a whole lot of options for plus size clothing in thrift shops (at least in my area) and not a lot of sustainable brands stock a wide range of plus size clothes that aren't just t-shirts or other basics. But on the plus side - I have gotten a lot better at repairing and maintaining my current clothing so it lasts as long as possible!
Hannah, definitely suggest the FB groups Clothes for Boobs and Bravissimo/pepperberry B/S/T as well as bratabase and bra swap on Reddit for bras. Sometimes you can trade with someone, because they didn’t want to return it or maybe they no longer fit into the bra. It’s generally cheaper and is basically second hand. Though it’s not always used bras. Sometimes, like I said, it’s new but didn’t fit and they either can’t or don’t want to return, so it is basically new. And yes, those particular sites carry a vast range of sizes. In fact, I’d wager it is more non matrix size options than matrix (Victoria’s Secret/La Senza, etc).
Unfortunately there was a 'Wish' fashion ad in the middle of this :( but thank you for making this video as, while I buy from charity shops, I want to be able to decrease my negative impact on the world.
Videos like this make me want to make all my clothing myself as an “easy” way to cut out a lot of the problems (I don’t know where the fabric comes from, but knowing what fibre it’s made from is a really common question the seller should be able to answer) maybe I’ll do that one day when I have time (though I already have a lot of homemade stuff and I can already sew, I’m totally aware this is not an option for most people)
Love this video! Such a relevant topic for me at the moment - I'm spending some time teaching at the moment and I had a lesson on sustainable shopping earlier today!
I actually find I like shopping second hand better because the huge variety of brands and styles on the racks means I'm more likely to find something that fits and that I like in one spot. I used to hate having to go to half a dozen stores in the mall just to find one item. One thing I've had a super hard time finding in a sustainable brand is women's dress/trouser socks for my work wardrobe. This is not the kind of thing you can get second hand easily and then I finding sustainable brands that make work appropriate socks is super hard! Hopefully I can find something.
I think you definetly should have talked about shipping problem; with the world and this channel being very much international, it's always important to consider where the company is based.
i love charity shops because i feel better about myself because i’m buying second hand, more sustainable, i like the clothes and i’m donating to charity as well. i’ve bought lots of things from charity shops and they are more special to me. also the other thing is that other people have loved the clothes that i’ve bought and they’re ready to move on and i can buy them clothes, find a new purpose and when i’m finished then i can give it back to charity for another person to find a new love. also i keep my clothes for a veryyy longgg time i can’t let go of them which is also a good thing bc i buy less as well. also i only rly buy when i’ve thought about it for a long time and if i’m thinking of it then i will go get it. wow this comment is so long
I feel like in the UK and US there are so many second hand options! Here in Germany only very large cities have second hand shops and there are rarely any charity shops (which I quite like because they have cheap basics and give the money to a good cause).
Great video, I love that you're opening the discussion around the topic ! :D It's very exciting to see "trendy influencers" like yourself questioning fast fashion, thank you very much
I've also realised that a lot of indie/alternative musicians make their merch on ethical clothing, which might be a good option for people to scratch the buying itch, support an artist they like and get a cool, sustainable clothing option?
I always fix my clothes when they start to break. Especially pants that start to thin out in the crotch (which happens a lot for me!), and I luckily have a grandma who is a seamstress so she can fix it. I also know how to fix shirts, and if a belt doesn't fit anymore, then I add more holes. I also glued my vans until the literally fell apart 😂
Awesome video! Totally get not being down with second hand workout wear, just feels...bleh. I actually work for prAna and they’re a really good option for sustainable/ethically produced leggings.
I'd love to know where we might be able to find sustainable fabrics so we can make our own clothes? (other than cutting up and revamping second-hand clothes, I mean). The biggest suppliers for fabric where I live are definitely not ideal, and it's something I've been wanting to learn more about!
This is completely irrelevant to the video, but Emma's hair is incredible 😍
I wish my hair did that
Yes my first thought as well :)
Yes, how it keeps moving when her head stops.
I wonder if it's considered a protective helmet for cycling.
@Chris Madden Hi. I hope you are doing well. This is one of my small businesses. It is a store where you can find high quality products with better price, and great design (All the designs are created by me):
Men, Women and Kids & Babies Clothes (T-Shirts, Hoodies, Tanks, Caps, Dresses, Bandanas...);
Accessories (Bags& Backpacks, Pillows, Mugs & Drink ware, Pets Bandanas, Stickers...)
Also, you can create your unique products with your designs and receive it.
Finally, I hope that you support my small business.
This is my Store : shop.spreadshirt.com/zizoustore/
“I cannot do all the good that the world needs. But the world needs all the good that I can do.” - Jana Stanfield
yesss I agree!!!! All of us have so much power to create positive change. Hug from Barcelona! :)
+
T the 8
The best thing about shopping second-hand is that the clothes have been washed a few times so are the true size! Nothing worse than buying something new and it shrinks/changes shape after the first wash so no longer fits :(
Yeah that's another issue with low quality items, the manufacturer doesn't have the time to pre-wash fabrics so they shrink and warp in the wash.
And the real color.
As a plus size person shopping second hand or sustainable brands can be quite difficult. Either they're aren't any "cool" or "trendy" pieces in second hand stores in the right sizes or just straight up nothing in the right size - so you couldn't try to tailor or remake it to work for your personal style. Secondly, plus size clothes are generally more expensive to begin with, so to then add the sustainable cost to items makes them almost ALL luxury priced.
This is why I try to make sure to donate clothes to my local, so that plus size clothes are in stock, but also to wear to death the clothing that I do keep around.
misshaack yeah this is a huge issue for me too. I’ve found universal standard pretty great. They aren’t second hand but their prices are similar to torrid and are produced ethically
I am not plus size, but I am very tall (6'3). I have a 36" inseam. I already have to shop in special sections/shops. 2nd hand (other than the limited tall clothing on depop) is near impossible!
Most people donate clothes that are too small for them, but still in good condition, well if it's too small for them, it's too small for me.
Good thing i barely buy any clothes.
As a S size person trying to shop second hand I noticed that there is nothing small sized in charity shops. Everything is L+ . Maybe anywhere outside of Europe there are more options.
@@Repeaterbeater that's so odd.. In the UK it's the other way around. So much small and not a lot of larger sizes.
Hi Hannah, I run a charity shop, and it would be great if you could be our celebrity who opens the shop when we have a refit! We will look like a boutique, and will help with sustainable fashion! :)
Oooh where are you based? Always looking for good charity shops!
@@hanzib31 In the Thames Valley area
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Naomi Brown contact her business email !
Here are some of my favourite (sort of) affordable sustainable brands: monkee genes, lucyandyak, everlane and hundred club. As a petite 14yr old who's 5ft2 it's hard to find normal clothes never mind sustainable and affordable ones . However, making the switch to second-hand/sustainable fashion has been the best choice of my life. I now can spread awareness about the topic to my peers at school and love it. The clothes I wear now don't only suit my style better but represent my morals and ethics as a person.
Yesss I’m with you there with the being short and finding it difficult
Love that youre 13 and already thinking about these things! Keep spreading the good word
only started watching but I love how you're both wearing Lucy and yaks
Total coincidence!
@@morehannah absolute legends!
loooooove it too!!!!! hug from Barcelona!
The charity shop flex is such a thing. I got a great dark green wool coat, that hits mid-calf, and has an amazing hood, for 20$ and anytime I get complimented on it its like "Thanks it was only 20$!!"
Also clothing swaps are great, get a few friends to all bring some clothes they're planning on donating anyways(give some warning so people can build up a stash) and bring some wine/drink of choice then have everyone go through things, try stuff on, and at the end of the night hopefully go home with something new
Kudos to your editor, Hannah! This video looks great (that color grading 😍) - love it! & of course a great vid - really needed this :)
aw thanks I will let them know!
my female friends, sister, mum, aunty, cousin and gran all swap clothes. we have dresses and jumpers and things that have gone back and forth over 6 different people before and are still going strong. it started probably because we didn't have much money growing up and we would get hand-me-downs from older relatives, but now before we get rid of anything it gets passed through the network and people take what they want first and anything left gets donated. Also if we have a special event we can phone each other up and ask if they have anything that would work. I think it makes us closer as a family too :)
Hi Hannah,
Since "sustainable fashion" is also to actually wear what you have instead of buying new, how about a video of you doing a challenge where you try to wear every piece of clothing you own in, like, 1 month ? You could write down your items, put them in 2 bowls (one for the top, one for the bottom) and let the hazard decide what you're wearing. This way, you would really know what items you like wearing (decluttering), force you to try new matches and maybe even rediscover old pieces. I'ld watch that :-)
"It's like The Holiday, but for clothes" 😂😂
This video was very interesting! I was confused about the low number of comments and views. Then I remembered that this is your new channel. I really enjoy both channels and hope that this one grows a long the way. :)
Awesome video! One issue with secondhand is finding clothes for different body types as some others have mentioned, but also if you're disabled it can potentially be really difficult to shop in charity shops. It means you need to be able to leave your house and get around town which not everyone can do, plus they're often not very accessible! Loads of the ones round here have steps or are packed with stuff. So you're left with Ebay etc where it's harder to find things, you can't try them on and they're usually more expensive.
Also how good charity shops are for your style really depends on your area I think. Local ones I've been in almost never have things I like, but ones I've been to in London had way more variety.
Anyway TL:DR secondhand shopping can be really hard for disabled people so it's cool to have a video like this that talks about lots of different options for improving things!
I recommend that you watch the true cost to see the impact that fast fashion has, its on Netflix
it's shocking
So happy you approached this topic, Hannah!
This is a great video! One thing I like to do is hold “clothing swap” parties with my friends. We get together at someone home for some drinks and listen to music, and bring some of our old clothes we don’t want anymore. The clothing is organized into categories (tops, trousers, skirts, etc) and everyone can take what they want from the piles. Anything left over gets donated. It fun, social, and helps get the shopping bug out without spending money.
That'd be so amazing if most of my friends weren't over a foot shorter than me 😂😂😂 I'm 6'3" and they are all about 5'2 😭
Spotted those Lucy&Yak dungs from a mile off 👌🏼
sameeeee hahahaha
For sustainable active wear, Grace Beverley's active wear brand TALA is a great option! It's (more) affordable (than most sustainable brands), sustainabile and ethically produced
They've had a bunch of issues with the quality of their leggings so beware of that! Great initiative though
Sustainable fashion is the future!🌿 I’ve been watching the conscious UA-camrs for years and finally decided to start my own channel about it❤️
that's awesome! I created my own sustainable fashion brand from my inspiration! would love to connect with you!
I think we as a society need to change the value of clothes. I make my own clothes and it takes a damn long time but they will last!
Repairing and altering your garments is so important too as well as just looking after them (washing, storing...). Clothes can last so long and my heart hurts because of this hyperconsumeristic world we live in.
Thank you Hannah for participating in the discourse, I appreciate you!
So true. I need to learn to make clothes. I'm 6'3 so it's impossible to buy clothes. I just don't know where to start.
But you're right about mending and looking after your clothes. I have clothes that I've owned for literally 5 years (I'd have older ones but I lost weight a few years back and got rid of them!).
Missed a trick there, you should have said it takes a DARN long time
I know, I am sorry
@@RachelJ715 Don't be sorry! I laughed :)
Emma's accent is super similar to Claudia Kellgren-Fozard (as seen on her wife's Jessica's channel). :)
Loved the video, I really appreciate Emma's knowledge and Hanna's honesty, not pretending she's better than she actually is. :)
You're so right! I was wondering why her accent was familiar, thanks
YES this is the first thing i thought of
You can find sustainable underwear brands! What Lydia Made is a good one! Also Organic Basics, Lara Intimates, Lonely Lingerie
Lucy and Yak do underwear now too 😍
libe too
Loving going through some of your older videos, from before I started following you. What a treat!
YES YES YES I am here for this content !👌 What I also do is I participate in swaps with friends so that it's a social event, it's fun, you get showered with compliments and it's free! 😁
First of all, love to see this video on UA-cam and Emma's hair is so incredible 😍. Being a plus size person, I find it quite difficult to get into sustainable clothing style.
I am disabled and unable to work, so in the last 10 years I've only bought my clothes from Primark or charity shops. Most of my clothes are between 5 and 10 years old, even the Primark stuff has lasted pretty well considering how cheap that stuff is.
I am very happy you've started educating your audience on a sustainable lifestyle, good on you, you can tell it's not just for views and I really appreciate that a lot
I’m so happy more People are talking about sustainable fashion now, things are gonna change for the better.
Thank you for making this video! It’s content like this which has reshaped my way of thinking with regards to fashion. This time last year I was buying a new piece of clothing practically every week. And now I haven’t bought anything new for almost 6 months! Hoping to get into second hand shopping soon as and when I need to replace clothing.
so glad to see you making this video! honestly i'm so on board with sustainable fashion, and i only ever buy second hand, or from ethical companies for my clothes now. i find myself having to unfollow/unsubscribe from 'influencers' who aren't on board with this now as i just can't support people who support fast fashion. so thanks for making this video:)
that feeling when you’re newly subbed and they make a gOd dAmn zArA hAuL-
As others have mentioned, there are rarely plus size clothes worth buying at charity shops. My friend will occasionally do a consignment or charity pop up specifically for plus sizes and my friends and I who are around the same sizes swap clothes as out weight fluctuates. :)
This is why I love thrifting / buying anything second hand. Takes the guess work out of it and you can still feel good about your purchases
Love the video. I personally really like attending swap shops. I live in a student city so we have loads. For anyone who's interested and doesn't know. Swap Shops are Pop up events where you bring some pieces you don't wear anymore and either get a corresponding number of vouchers or free pick of the clothes other people brought. Sustainable and free ❤
Oooh that’s such a cool idea!
I was going to say!! There's loads in Brighton and I go as often as possible
I have the same issue with bras, but you can still help other people be more sustainable. There’s a charity called Smalls For All and they take old bras and things that might not fit any more. Deffo worth checking out.
OOoooooh I am loOOOoving all these videos about sustainability! I recently purchased period underwear thanks in part to you and have been making a serious effort to shop more secondhand in the past year.
Would love for you to do more sustainability videos and turn it into a whole series! especially would love to see your approach to sustainability in FOOD because I know that's one of the biggest areas for potential change. Thanks
We did a clothing swap at my work recently, and also collected winter jackets for charity. We got 70ish winter jackets, and exchanged clothes with people in the community. Everyone just brought there clothes in, and let people grab what they wanted. It was really amazing.
I recently read The Conscious Closet by Elizabeth Cline, and while a few chapters got a bit repetitive with her suggestions, it made me completely rethink how I was handling my closet clean outs. I've already significantly reduced how much clothing I buy over the past couple years (mostly for money reasons, also for some weight reasons), but I wasn't actually considering the fabrics I was keeping/tossing or where my donations were going. So I'm putting a bit more effort into that process, and I'm limiting myself to only buying secondhand clothes (mostly online) until I've got all my wardrobe essentials set. I'm also never going to manage a capsule closet, but my goal is to eventually swap out my older items for sustainable, ethical, and long-lasting brands and pieces.
Great video. I'm so in to sustainability, reuse and up cycling. I shop in charity shops remaking clothes to my own style. I'm especially in to retro and vintage fabrics. After ripping one of my favourite dresses, pesky door handle, I used the material to make a bag. Had lots of complements about it and people asking me where it was from and could I make one. Long story short ... I work full time making hand bags, all individual. Love it.
I’ve started trying to shop second hand more but as a size 14/16 on bottom and 18 on top I do find that bigger sizes are less available. Maybe just where I’ve been shopping in scotland. Would love any recommendations if anyone has them for good stores :)
If you also want to look into sustainable brands, look at this list of plus size brands (scroll down): mygreencloset.com/directory/
Yeah, this seems pretty common. My theory is that because larger sizes are more limited in stores, and often fit weirdly on different body shapes, people who wear larger sizes buy less impulsively and keep their clothes longer, so they don't end up in opshops so much.
Poshmark could be a great option since it’s like an online thrift store where you can set your sizes! You can get a lot more options than going to a thrift store :)
@@ericabellew8809 poshmark is US only, and OP is from Scotland
It's been a few months since this has been posted. But in case anyone is still reading the comments, something I have started to do is look at the website projectcece. It's a website that collects/compiles items from different sustainable online shops. You can select filters like vegan, environmentally friendly, ethically made (or combine them all) etc. A lot of them also have carbon neutral shipping. Might make the search for sustainable clothing more easy for people like me who are just now starting out
Could you make a second edition where you go shopping together?? 😍😍
Loving the L&Y! Such an incredible company (and amazing to work for
we 💛 Lucy & Yak
this was really helpful! loving the sustainability content on this + your main channel.
emma’s hair is the best thing i’ve ever seen
Learned a lot, thaks for sharing your wisdom girls. Just started to research about sustainable fashion so I can share this info on my second hand online shop. And of course improve more each day on new habits.
Hannah you smashed it! I loved this video and love the idea of bringing an expert to this sustainability topic to gain more knowledge. I currently really love how you adress the sustainable fashion topic. Your work is awsome :) Lots of love
I discovered charity/vintage/secondhand shops in my late 20s and I'm not going back. I also try as much as I can to shop my own closet. But when neither my own closet nor the secondhand shop has what I need, I do shop in mainstream stores because in my country we do not have many ethical clothing shops, sadly. Some more are popping up though!! Which I am excited to try.
Love this! I've been so sick of fast fashion and really want to check out some thrift shops. I pass one every day on my way home.
Totally with you on charity shops for event wear, think how many lovely party dresses get worn only to be never touched again because they've served their purpose to that person. I always find lots of special occasion dresses in charity shops :)
don't forget making your own clothes! it takes practice but sourcing the materials and putting in the work yourself really opens your eyes to what clothes are actually worth/'should' cost - and yet if you have the time it's cheap, and it's a creative hobby, and everything is guaranteed to fit and look exactly how you want! always sew with sustainable fabrics of course ;)
Loved this sustainability convo!! 💖🙌🏽 Also loving both of your cute patterned prints 😍
I've been trying to more and more to make my clothes instead of buying them! yes, it does take quite some time, but you'll have something unique that fits you exactly right!
Great video! Another option (not very everyone, for sure!) is making your own clothes and upcycling. Although I must admit that it is very difficult to know where the fabrics or wool is from when you're randomly buying it in a shop or on the market.
Also, if you have a friend who loves sewing, knitting or crochet, pay them to make you something. I'm making my friend a sweater literally whilst watching this video.
As an early resolution, I actually decided that for the next year I will only buy second-hand or make my own things. Except for underwear, which I now know to buy bamboo :)
I’ve got a video on upcycling coming soon actually!!
I was going to comment this, i have a ton of fabrics i already own so its a great option for me to make my own clothes
@@morehannah Great! If you like the feeling of proudly announcing your great charity shop finds, imagine what it feels like to be able to say "I made it myself!" 😄
LOVE a good clothes swap!! ❤ I'm borrowing a lovely skirt from my best friend for an event next month and I'm so excited xx
In order to gain appreciation for the true cost (as in $) of making clothes, I would highly suggest checking out the historical sewing side of UA-cam, in particular Bernadette Banner. By watching one or two of her videos, it quickly becomes clear how much effort sewing actually takes. (Also I find sewing vlogs very soothing)
Hey I'm currently doing some market research for an Italian sustainable fashion company called Re-Bello and I was wondering how you primarily found these companies you shop from, and if you shop on any sustainable marketplaces such as Wonderful Things or MAMOQ????
Thank you for this video! This is one of my goals for next year! X
Loved this video! Thank you Hannah and Emma for sharing your wisdom!
Even this beginners’ video is somewhat overwhelming! I try to buy as much of my clothing as possible secondhand, but I’m very interested in the peer-to-peer renting of clothes as well! I live in the US, so I’ll have to do my own research on rental services in my area, but I really appreciate this video introducing me to the concept!
This is such an informative and interesting video, thanks so much for sharing!
Thought I was already pretty clued in on this topic but I learned so much from this! Great vid 😊
Loving this sustainable series!
Charity shops on ebay are a great resource. That's where i buy things like handbags and shoes and event dresses now
I've recently started shopping second hand more and I love it, not going to lie if I see something not second hand and I like it I will most likely splurge and get it. Also Hannah love your jumper dress??
I love this video so so much!!! Also I love Yaks and you look great in them!
Thank you girls, you are so awesome 🌺🤗🙏🏻
Another sustainable option that I've been looking into trying is sewing my own clothes. There's an Instagram account/site called Sew Liberated where she makes really cute sewing patterns and advocates for slower fashion choices.
Also My Green Closet is another UA-cam channel with lots of info on sustainable fashion.
Yay, Emma explained everything so well in this I'm so glad :') I shop in a lot of these ways, depop is really good I think, as it's making clothes and thrifts available to so many more people than just their local op shoppers and that's cool to come across great pieces! Also for underwear, making them out of t-shirts or with stretchy fabric is actually quite easy and I probably won't buy underwear again! It's great cos you can tailor it to how you like and what's comfortable for you and can work from a pair that you already love. Also buying handmade is really great too. And the other thing with the affordability of sustainable fashion is that it's good to invest it timeless and classic pieces that will last you a long time! Ok imma stop writing 😂
I’ve (mostly) stopped shopping online for clothes because of how often they didn’t fit and I had to send stuff back. Such a waste of transport emissions and packaging! I also learnt that some online fast fashion brands actually just throw returns in the bin because it’s more costly to pay someone to sort through them than the items are worth!
Both of your bibs are so great! 😍
I was having a wardrobe clear out and had a pile of clothes to recycle, as they were over-worn and holey, and others to donate. I gave my mates first refusal at some of the donation pile and a fair few got taken by them!
I think it's worth pointing out (not sure how this applies to UK charity shops) but in America, social media haul culture and the sustainable movement have really depleted options in secondhand stores in certain areas. This really disadvantages poor folks who have no choice but to shop at these places (as we didn't growing up). Additionally, due to the increase in demand many secondhand stores have begun to raise prices to cash in, making it less affordable for those classes of people who need them.
I think this is something people can tackle as donors rather than purchasers - if we have high quality workwear, for instance, we can donate it to organisations like Dress for Success who will give it to people who need it for job interviews etc, rather than donating it to a charity shop or taking it to a consignment store, where they will price it as high as possible because their aim is to raise money. I would not want people to stop shopping secondhand because having volunteered in a charity shop for over two years myself, I know there are far, far more clothes being donated than we can even put out on the shop floor. Those that aren't bought by customers go to textile 'recyclers' who ship them to poorer countries to sell (where it negatively impacts local economies) or sort (a horrible job for for those people doing it).
Thanks Emma and Hannah, super interesting stuff :)!!
Ur matching dungarees are the best
These are all very helpful ideas. I would just like to add its tough to shop second hand if your a us size 10 and up
If you or someone you know has a massive fabric stash like i do, learn to sew your own clothes, its easier than you think with all the resources online eg facebook groups and youtube tutorials. And if you already have the fabric its a great way to get something out of it
I find shopping sustainably so difficult because of sensory issues. I struggle to browse a shop, which is necessary in charity shops, but I also need to feel the fabric before buying and sustainable brands aren’t in stores near me. I have to browse online and then do a quick trip into the shop to feel the fabric and make sure there’s no thick seams or anything that will cause problems, so I can feel the clothes before buying but don’t have to spend too long in the shop. However, it does mean that I hate replacing clothes so my clothes get worn until they are falling apart. They’re always too far gone to be given to a charity shop so I turn them into cleaning cloths or recycle the fabric.
Anne-Lou it’s not so much that I want to keep getting the same thing, it’s that if I get the same thing, I can completely avoid the shops altogether. The reason I don’t use charity shops is because I can’t browse through rails of clothes because you have to move and touch other clothes to see what’s in the middle of the rail. I don’t go to tk max or look through sales racks for the same reason. Too much touching different fabrics involved. Most charity shops near me don’t have wheelchair accessible changing rooms either so I can’t try anything on to see if there’s a seam that causes problems. I wish I could just buy stuff online and know that it would feel okay against my skin
Anne-Lou I should probably give the charity shops another go really. It’s been a few years since I tried so there might be more accessible ones now and I might cope better with touching clothes if the shop is calmer.
Since I have become aware of ethical/sustainable fashion issues i have just found myself shopping a lot less but mostly because i am plus size. Unfortunately there are not a whole lot of options for plus size clothing in thrift shops (at least in my area) and not a lot of sustainable brands stock a wide range of plus size clothes that aren't just t-shirts or other basics. But on the plus side - I have gotten a lot better at repairing and maintaining my current clothing so it lasts as long as possible!
Hannah, definitely suggest the FB groups Clothes for Boobs and Bravissimo/pepperberry B/S/T as well as bratabase and bra swap on Reddit for bras. Sometimes you can trade with someone, because they didn’t want to return it or maybe they no longer fit into the bra. It’s generally cheaper and is basically second hand. Though it’s not always used bras. Sometimes, like I said, it’s new but didn’t fit and they either can’t or don’t want to return, so it is basically new. And yes, those particular sites carry a vast range of sizes. In fact, I’d wager it is more non matrix size options than matrix (Victoria’s Secret/La Senza, etc).
This was so informative - thank you!
Buying clothes second hand is the best option for me because it's much more affordable. :)
Unfortunately there was a 'Wish' fashion ad in the middle of this :( but thank you for making this video as, while I buy from charity shops, I want to be able to decrease my negative impact on the world.
Videos like this make me want to make all my clothing myself as an “easy” way to cut out a lot of the problems (I don’t know where the fabric comes from, but knowing what fibre it’s made from is a really common question the seller should be able to answer) maybe I’ll do that one day when I have time (though I already have a lot of homemade stuff and I can already sew, I’m totally aware this is not an option for most people)
You've been putting out SO much content, wow!
Love this video! Such a relevant topic for me at the moment - I'm spending some time teaching at the moment and I had a lesson on sustainable shopping earlier today!
ASOS 😬 lol
I actually find I like shopping second hand better because the huge variety of brands and styles on the racks means I'm more likely to find something that fits and that I like in one spot. I used to hate having to go to half a dozen stores in the mall just to find one item. One thing I've had a super hard time finding in a sustainable brand is women's dress/trouser socks for my work wardrobe. This is not the kind of thing you can get second hand easily and then I finding sustainable brands that make work appropriate socks is super hard! Hopefully I can find something.
I think you definetly should have talked about shipping problem; with the world and this channel being very much international, it's always important to consider where the company is based.
Thank you for making this video! It means a lot
A great sustainable shop is Santchos in Exeter (they have an online shop too)
i love charity shops because i feel better about myself because i’m buying second hand, more sustainable, i like the clothes and i’m donating to charity as well. i’ve bought lots of things from charity shops and they are more special to me. also the other thing is that other people have loved the clothes that i’ve bought and they’re ready to move on and i can buy them clothes, find a new purpose and when i’m finished then i can give it back to charity for another person to find a new love. also i keep my clothes for a veryyy longgg time i can’t let go of them which is also a good thing bc i buy less as well. also i only rly buy when i’ve thought about it for a long time and if i’m thinking of it then i will go get it. wow this comment is so long
I love a charity shop! We get loads of books from them too
I feel like in the UK and US there are so many second hand options! Here in Germany only very large cities have second hand shops and there are rarely any charity shops (which I quite like because they have cheap basics and give the money to a good cause).
Great video, I love that you're opening the discussion around the topic ! :D It's very exciting to see "trendy influencers" like yourself questioning fast fashion, thank you very much
Love how a fast fashion brand advert played right in the middle of this.... youtubes algorithm has failed them this time 😂
I've also realised that a lot of indie/alternative musicians make their merch on ethical clothing, which might be a good option for people to scratch the buying itch, support an artist they like and get a cool, sustainable clothing option?
I always fix my clothes when they start to break. Especially pants that start to thin out in the crotch (which happens a lot for me!), and I luckily have a grandma who is a seamstress so she can fix it. I also know how to fix shirts, and if a belt doesn't fit anymore, then I add more holes. I also glued my vans until the literally fell apart 😂
Love this
Awesome video! Totally get not being down with second hand workout wear, just feels...bleh. I actually work for prAna and they’re a really good option for sustainable/ethically produced leggings.
I'd love to know where we might be able to find sustainable fabrics so we can make our own clothes? (other than cutting up and revamping second-hand clothes, I mean). The biggest suppliers for fabric where I live are definitely not ideal, and it's something I've been wanting to learn more about!