Summer is just around the corner, and with restrictions being eased, festivals are a go-ahead. The most important question during the festival season, what should I wear?
A study from Censuswide found that “one in four of those surveyed would feel embarrassed wearing an outfit to a special occasion more than once”. This was particularly true for younger consumers as 37% say the will never rewear an outfit. It is this single-use outfit that is predominantly contributing to the 1.7 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in 2015 alone.
So, before you decide on what to rock up to the festival in, make sure you consider the impact it has on the planet and how you can reduce it.
Here are some ways you can be greener with your festival fashion.
Have a look in your wardrobe
It's always tempting to buy a whole new outfit when you have an event coming up. We want to feel and look amazing by finding a new outfit to flaunt. But you may be inspired by what is already in your closet. That old top you use to wear that was buried deep in the closet that you forgot about or those shorts you never found the occasion to wear.
It may seem crazy but have a look at your sportswear. The cyclist apparel has taken storm with cycling shorts and glasses finding their way into festival fashion in the past few years. Style this with an oversized tie-dye t-shirt or a crop top and you are sorted.
If you want to be more creative, you can try revamping your old clothes into something you love.
Borrowing instead of shopping
Swapping and borrowing clothes will stop the need of having to buy clothes while also letting you wear something new. If there is nothing in your wardrobe, then have a nosy in your friend’s closet. Or even try your grandparent wardrobe to find a vintage style.
Have you considered renting clothes? It is becoming more popular as there has been an increase in concerns of the effects that the fashion industry has on the environment. It is the perfect alternative for those events you do not want to commit to buying for one-time wear. Hire Street is one of many rental fashion websites that lets you rent out clothes at a small price (the longer the rent the higher the price).
A greener way to buy
If there is nothing that you think is suitable for the festival in your (or your friends) wardrobe, then it is time to buy… sustainably. To combat the one wear outfits, try shopping in charity or vintage shops to give donated clothes a new life. Fast fashion has grown to be a big problem as it creates 80 billion garments a year which equate to over 10 for every person on the planet. This figure has drastically grown as it is 400% more than the industry had produced only 20 years ago. Avoiding shopping in fast fashion shops (not just for festival clothes shopping but all together) will help reduce the demand for the clothes to be made.
Stopping Glitter Litter
It would not be a festival if you did not have a ton of glitter splattered all over your hair, face, and body.
However, they are harming rivers and oceans as they are made up of microplastics which has been proved to affect the growth of pond plants and it takes a long time to degrade. You should always avoid washing off glitter into the water systems. Try instead taking it off and placing it into the bin to completely stop it from contributing microplastics to the oceans. The best option to avoid this happening is to not use any glitter. However, we all love having that sparkle in the sun and there are other ways if you just cannot give up the glitter.
There are eco-friendly, biodegradable glitter products. EcoStardust is the world’s first glitter that is not made by harmful plastic (and is vegan and cruelty-free) who donate 10% of their profits to environmental charities. With the same amount of sparkle and a large variation of colours and sizes, biodegradable glitter is the best and environmentally friendly way to wear glitter.