Face the waste from your wardrobe and learn to (re)love your stuff.

Simply buying less stuff is one of the best things we can do to address textile waste and emissions. If you’re a serial shopper, here are some tips to help you get started.

• Set yourself a goal based on your current shopping habits. You could aim to buy only five new items this year (writer Tiffanie Darke came up with the ‘Rule of Five‘ and has set some helpful guidelines), or try to go to the shopping centre once every month instead of every weekend.
• Unsubscribe from marketing emails and unfollow brand or influencer social media accounts so you won’t have the latest trends and deals pushed in front of you.
• If you see something you absolutely must have, take a screenshot or photo, jot it down or bookmark it – then revisit it in a week and see if you still want it. More often than not, you’ll find the moment has passed and you no longer *need* to own the item.
• Think about how you feel when you buy clothes, shoes or accessories. Are you bored? Do you feel like you’ll miss out if you don’t buy something new NOW? How can you address those feelings?
• Think about when and where you usually make your purchases. Do you find yourself online shopping in the evenings, or while you’re waiting to pick up the kids from school? Is there something else you could do in these moments instead, like listening to a podcast or doing a puzzle? If you like a wander around the shops on a Saturday morning, could you find other activities that are just as fun?
• To enjoy the novelty of something ‘new to you’ without going shopping, come along to one of our upcoming clothing swaps – it’s a great way to give those unworn pieces in the back of your wardrobe a new life with someone else too.

The most sustainable item of clothing is the one already in your wardrobe.

Most people only wear about 40% of their clothes. Before you go shopping, it’s worth taking the time to “shop” your wardrobe for those forgotten gems.

• Experiment with different combinations of clothes and accessories – something as simple as belt can change a whole outfit.
• Try wearing things in a different way, like a maxi skirt as a dress or a t-shirt as a one-shouldered top. Pinterest is a good place to find fashion hacks that work with what you have!
• Not sure if the items you own are right for you? Enlist the help of a stylist to get more out of your wardrobe. Ciara Lowe-Thiedeman
  (The Style Counsellor) is a local stylist with a focus on sustainability.
• Sick of your clothes? Instead of throwing them out, pack them away in a vacuum bag for six months (or longer) and forget about them! When you bring them out again you’ll feel like you have a whole new wardrobe.

Taking good care of the items you have means you’ll be able to keep rewearing them for longer.

• Most of us wash our clothes more than we need to. To make fabrics last longer, spot remove any stains instead of throwing the whole garment in the washing machine and hang on the line instead of using a dryer.
• There’s no need to wash denim items more than once every ten wears or when stained.
• Check out the Fixing Fashion Academy module on clothing care for a breakdown of how to wash different materials – you may be surprised by how rarely most things need to be washed (and at what temperatures).

Keep your items in circulation for longer – learn to do simple repairs yourself or outsource to a pro.

Where to repair

• Try your local branch of Repair Lab or Repair Café – their helpful volunteers can fix all sorts of items and can even teach you the skills to do it yourself. Check their social media for upcoming events. Repair Lab will be attending several of our clothing swaps this year to help breathe new life into your clothes, shoes and jewellery that need mending – check out our upcoming events for more details.
• For clothing that’s seen better days, an alterations shop can help with rips, broken zippers, hems, and other adjustments. Popular local services include Darn-It in Claremont and Be Loved Alterations in Subiaco. Many dry cleaning businesses will also provide an alterations service.
• A cobbler can replace the heels and soles of those well-loved shoes – find one at a kiosk in a shopping centre near you.

Try DIY

• Improve your skills and confidence in tackling your own repairs with online or in-person classes. Studio Thimbles in Subiaco offers sewing courses and one-off workshops for complete beginners and up.
• Search online for how-to guides to help you sew on buttons, mend patches and more. Fashion Revolution has some good video tutorials, while the Fixing Fashion Academy has a series of modules on clothing care, repair and even upgrades.

• Join Visible Mending Perth or The Modern Mending Club on Facebook for ideas and inspiration.

Swap, gift, borrow or sell to get the unwanted clothes in your wardrobe back in use with someone who’ll love to wear them.

Swap

• Come to a WMRC clothes swap! Simply bring your unwanted quality clothing, shoes and accessories and swap them for things you’ll wear. Find out how to get the most out a swap, and view upcoming swaps here.
• Host your own swap with friends – here’s how.

Gift

• Donate to your local op shop. You can drop clean, quality clothing and shoes in the Good Sammy and Paraquad Industries charity bins at the West Metro Recycling Centre.
• Quality professional clothing can be donated to Dress for Success.
• The Bindaring Clothing Sale is one of Perth’s biggest and best preloved clothing sales. Donation days are held in the lead up to the event in May – check their socials for details.
• Old ball gowns and evening wear can be donated to Frock Up – the Dress Library at the Town of Cambridge. This allows students (and you!) to borrow quality gowns for special occasions for free. For more information, call Cambridge Library on 9383 8999 or send an email enquiry.
• Buy Nothing – join your local group and offer the items you no longer need to your neighbours. Be sure to follow the group etiquette and be respectful of others. Everything on Buy Nothing must be gifted for free.

Borrow

• Make some extra cash by renting out your designer items through an online platform such as The Volte.
• For formal dresses, jewellery, and bags you’ll only need once or twice, why not hire? Try local boutiques like HUSH Hire and O.N.S in Subiaco, or BYO Muse in Jolimont.
• Share items with your friends.

Sell

• For money back on your designer labels, consider consignment stores like The Secret Closet.
• Sell your pieces online through Facebook Marketplace or Depop.