Why I Stopped Buying Clothes: Fast Fashion's Devastating Impact

Last year I decided I needed to stop buying new clothes.

When I say stopped buying new clothes, of course I still buy things that I need to otherwise eventually I wouldn't have anything to wear at all! I only  buy things that are second hand (except for clothes from companies that I know are environmentally friendly. And underwear and socks. That would just be weird)

I had a few reasons for doing this. The first few are pretty simple.

Firstly, I did it to save money. New clothes can be expensive. You know the saying, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Buying a stripey t-shirt that looks exactly the same as that other stripey t-shirt you already have and rarely wear (we've all been there..) isn't great and is a waste of money in my eyes. I'd much rather save money towards moving out!

My second reason is that I simply don't have the space! At the moment I have a makeshift wardrobe in my bedroom (which is supposed to be a sitting room...) consisting of about 12 cube storage unit spaces and a clothes rail. I still have a wardrobe in my old bedroom upstairs which still has some of my clothes in. Even with two spaces for clothes in the house, my wardrobe(s) are overflowing... and I REALLY enjoy shopping. I decided I needed to start getting rid of clothes that I don't wear and only keep the things I know I wear regularly.


However, my main reason for doing this is because of the devastating impact fast fashion is having on the environment.

Here's a few of the facts for you:

• The fashion industry is the 2nd worst polluter in the world! The only industry that is worse is oil. 
• Growing plants like cotton is using up so much water that even huge bodies of water have completely dried up (see picture below for an example), affecting the local climate and the people who live in those areas. It takes up to 2,700 litres of water just to make one cotton t-shirt!
• Water is being polluted by the factories that are making the clothes we wear, and they're polluting it with really harmful substances. This creates issues with the wildlife living in the water (resulting in most, if not all wildlife in the water dying.) and for the people who's main and maybe only water source is polluted and unsafe to use to wash and drink.
• The pesticides used to grow cotton etc at a fast enough rate to meet demand are being linked to illnesses that the people growing them are experiences. I read in one place that one farmer had a brain tumour which was caused by the pesticides!
• Fast fashion is causing high amounts of waste. Clothes are being made as cheap and quickly as possible, meaning the quality is forfeited and they don't last as long, and they end up being thrown in the bin and creating more waste than there already is.

This is just one area of water that has been affected by the industry. Taken from News.com.au

I watched a really interesting documentary on the BBC by Stacey Dooley about the fashion industry's impact on the environment. I got a lot of the above information from this program, but one of the main things that was shocking was that almost non of the companies she contacted about these issues were willing to speak to her, or even make a comment about it. Does this mean that these companies know the impact they're having on the environment and they don't want to admit it? Clearly as long as we're consuming and the demand is there, nothing will change.

Just one example of polluted water. Taken from The Independent

Is there anything we can do?

I am in no way saying that everyone has to stop buying new clothes all together. That's what I have decided to do after finding out the information I have spoken about above. However it is most likely the only way that companies are going to realise something needs to change. The less demand we create, the more they'll realise they need to change the way they make and sell clothes.

If stopping buying new clothes is something you don't feel able to do, there are other things you can do to make a difference.

When you are shopping, ask yourself these questions to decide if you really need to buy something:

- How many of your current clothes will it go with? Will it be the kind of things you only wear once a month because you can only make one outfit with it?
- Is it high quality? Will it last a long time or end up in landfill after only a few wears?
- Do you already have something similar? If it looks exactly the same as those other black jeans you have, maybe you don't need it.

You could also try only buying new clothes when you need to replace something, such as a pair of leggings that have a hole in them.

Lastly, I highly recommend downloading the apps Vinted and Depop. I've bought quite a few bits from these apps and they're great. You're protected by their buyers policies so it's all safe. (I'm selling a few bits on these apps too! On Vinted my user name is Caitlan43, and on Depop it's cait425.)

Realising the impact we're having on our planet is such a hard thing to hear about, but we're the only ones who can make a change. You may think that just changing the way you personally shop won't make a difference, but what if everyone who thought that did in fact make these changes in their life? It starts with YOU.


Let me know in the comments your thoughts on this topic and anything you're going to do to help save the environment from the fashion industry - I'd love to hear from you!

First Steps to Zero Waste

While starting my journey to living zero waste, there have been a few things that I have found really easy to change, that cut down waste massively. I've decided to compile a list of a few things that I have changed, that you too can do if you are aiming towards a zero or low waste life, or just if you want to do your bit to help the planet. I'm going to share my favourite products and tips that should help you at the start of your journey.

1) Get reusable everything. I'm talking bags, straws, coffee cups, and anything else you can possibly think of or find. Cut out single use plastics and products. Although some of these can be recycled, it still takes energy to produce them and uses up other unnecessary resources, and so not using them at all is best. I have a good collection of reusable straws now, and I make sure I have a couple in my bag wherever I go just in case. I also carry shopping bags with me so I never have to buy a single use plastic bag. Our fridge has a collection of reusable travel coffee cups on top of it which I try my best to use whenever I go out for coffee. Most big chain coffee shops will give you either a discount or reward if you take a travel cup with you which is even more of a reason to do this! I also use washable makeup wipes which are amazing, and I'm currently testing out using washable sanitary towels and a Moon-cup - I'll keep you posted on how they work out!

2) Buy beauty/wash products with no packaging. I've found that lush has been amazing for this. They have shampoo bars and soaps that have no packaging at all, and if you choose to use packaging, it is made out of recycled material and so can be recycled. They also have no packaging options for pretty much all of their products which is great. It's not necessarily the cheapest option, but I find the products mostly last longer than normal packaged ones, and I personally don't mind spending a little extra if it will help the environment in the long run. The products I currently use are the shampoo bars, soap, toothpaste tablets, deodorant and body conditioner.  

3) Stop buying new clothes! The fashion industry has a HUGE impact on the environment - it's the second biggest pollutant in the world, and buying cheap new clothes that only last a month or go out of fashion after a couple of weeks is only making things worse. Buy second hand whenever you can - sites like vinted and depop are great (I have a few items I'm selling on these sites! check out my Instagram to find these), and charity shops are great if you rummage through all the clothes they have. Of course this gets slightly tricky when it comes to underwear and socks. I still haven't quite cracked this one, but I think researching into where the products you are buying come from and how they are made helps you to find the ones with the least environmental impact. 

4) Switch to a compostable toothbrush. You can get these for around 60p off amazon, and they're no different to a normal toothbrush, except they don't harm the environment. 

5) Buy lose fruit and veg, and take your own produce bags to put them in. A thin sheet of plastic really doesn't do anything to protect the food, so just buy them without! This also means you can buy the exact amount you need so nothing is wasted. 

6) Stop buying things you don't need, and ask people to buy you specific items for your birthday or for Christmas to avoid gifts that will go to waste. If you are ever given something you know you won't use, give it to a friend or donate it to charity - better to help someone else out than see something go to waste. It's also so easy to go to a shop for one thing and come out with ten - I struggle with this a lot! It's something to keep persevering at! 

7) Try to reuse the waste you do create wherever possible. I love turning jars into candles, or using them to store things in. You can also use plastic food trays to put paint in or to grow seeds to avoid having to buy something especially. Turn old socks into sock monkeys or other animals, fill old bottles with rice to make skittles for a little game of bowling, cut the front off a birthday card and reuse it for someone else, used old toilet roll tubes to make Christmas crackers. Be creative with your waste - you can do more with it than you think!

As I always say, going zero waste is a journey. You won't be able to achieve all your goals over night, but these are a few things you can aim to start with. Something I find helpful is to be looking for and testing out a new product before I get to the end of the one I currently have. For example, I was testing out shampoo's while I still had an old bottle of shampoo so that if it didn't work out it wouldn't matter. Things can also be a bit more pricey than 'normal' products, but they more often than not will last a lot longer, and are of a higher quality. And personally, I think it's completely worth spending the extra money if it helps the planet in the long run!

Let me know in the comments if you have any other tips and tricks for going zero waste, or any products you love!

Zero Waste: what and why?

I'm currently at the beginning of  a journey.
I'm aiming towards a zero waste lifestyle.


What is a zero waste or low waste lifestyle?

A zero waste lifestyle is when you have no waste from your daily life - you buy or grow food and use products with no rubbish to go in the bin - not even recycling. Low waste is similar, except you still create some waste but keep the amount as low as possible. This is done by doing things like reusing waste you have created, or simply buying things without packaging or with packaging that can be composted. The aim is to stop our planet being filled with our rubbish which ends up in landfill, being burnt, or worse still in the ocean. There's only so much rubbish our planet can handle, and reducing the amount we produce should help the planet to last longer for future generations.

taken from gurly.blog.

Why am I going zero waste?

I've always been conscious of recycling and what impact I'm having on the planet, but I've become a lot more passionate about it and aware of it over the last few months. A big turning point for me was after watching a programme by a journalist called Stacey Dooley about the fashion industry's impact on the environment. I will be making a whole other post on this programme at a later date, but watching it really opened my eyes to just how much we are spoiling the earth we live in for our consumerist lifestyles. We're constantly being told we need to go out and buy the latest clothes, and that our old clothes are ugly and we need to just throw them out. We're told we need to buy the biggest and best presents for friends and family at Christmas and birthday's. We need to buy lots of processed food and fruit and veg that has been grown using chemicals and packaged in unnecessary plastic that can't be recycled, and the wonky 'unsuitable' ones are thrown out.

Ultimately these things are harming the planet, creating an uncertain future for us and future generations.

The fashion industry is polluting the earth and using up the water we have. The food industry is creating silly amounts of unnecessary waste. Something needs to change, and until we stop buying into everything we are being told by shops about needing more than we actually do, nothing is going to change.


My aim is to do whatever I can to cut back on the waste I am producing. I'm still in the process of figuring out how to do this. This is a journey. It's not something that will magically happen over night. It happens by making small changes, one at a time, until I reach my goal.


So far I've changed:

- The shampoo I use (I'm still using up an old bottle of shampoo, but I have a shampoo bar from lush which is amazing!)

- The toothbrushes and toothpaste I use (I'm using toothbrushes that can be composted when you're finished with them, and toothpaste tablets)

- The soap I use (I've been getting soap from lush too as it have no packaging and is made with kind ingredients)

- The razor I use (A lovely friend of mine got me an environmentally friendly razor for Christmas)

- The way I shop (I no longer buy new clothes unless I know they have been made in a sustainable way. I mostly shop in charity/thrift shops, and online at places like Depop and Vinted. I also try to be conscious of other products and the packaging they are in, how long they will last, and if they can be recycled. I also never buy plastic bags and take my own wherever I go. If I ever get caught out and don't have a bag, I will only buy one that can be reused that is ideally not plastic)

- The products I use for my 'time of the month' (I have bought a moon cup and washable towels. This is something that is taking a bit of time to make the switch, but I'm getting there!)

Because I'm still living at home with my parents, there are some things that I can't really change now, like the food in the house and the packaging it comes in. I would also love to get makeup that is all zero waste, but as I said, this is a journey, and I won't be able to change everything over night. There are lots of products to test,and not all of them work for everyone.



This is a journey that I will be sharing on my blog as time goes on. I will share the things I struggle with, the things I find easy, and any tips I find help. I'd also love to hear any tips you have, or any products you have found - let me know in the comments, or contact me through my Instagram (@beautifully.made97) or Facebook (Beautifully made and unfinished)

Breaking the Mould

It's been a while, but I'm back!

The last time I posted on this blog was just over two years ago. Life has moved on a little bit since then, and I'm excited to share with you what has been going on! But first...

Welcome to my blog! 

If you're new here, welcome! I really hope you enjoy reading the content I make and that it inspires you in some way. I just wanted to share a bit about where I'm at in my life right now, as well as my plans for the blog.

What have I been up to?

As I've already said, it's been over two years since I last posted an update on this blog. At the time I had been home from my DTS (I still have posts about this if you want to know more) for about 5 months, and I had just started a job as a trainee youth worker in a local church with a hope of doing a youth work degree to become qualified.

Two years on and I'm in my second year of doing a youth work degree in Cambridge, supported by the church I work for. It's not an easy degree, and there have been times that I have really struggled (doing a degree and doing placement work is tough!), but it's been an incredible experience so far and I can't wait to see what the rest of the degree will teach me.

There's more that has happened over the last couple of years, and I hope to talk about some of it as I start posting more often.

What's new?

I am aiming to post once each week or so - you can sign up for emails to notify you when I post, or you can follow my Facebook and Instagram pages search for beautifully made and unfinished on Facebook or @beautifully.made97 on Instagram) to keep up to date with my blog, as well as my daily life.

My posts will be about real life topics that are often avoided because they're 'awkward' or 'uncomfortable', as well as other topics that I am passionate about. I want to break the mould and get people talking about the things that really affect us, rather than the weather and work. A few of the things I will be posting about are the environment, the fashion industry's impact on the environment and our self esteem, mental health, faith, and relationships. I've been working on my blog for the last few months changing the layout and thinking about what my aim for the blog is and creating new content.

I'm so excited to finally be able to share what I've been doing with you, and I really hope you enjoy reading my posts. Let me know in the comments of any posts you'd like to see!