How to buy less clothes? And which materials are safer for nature? Here's how to make your wardrobe ecological

How to dress fashionable without harm to the environment, is it possible to buy things from synthetics, how to extend the life of clothes and where to take unnecessary wardrobe items?

For partnerships with MTS , which launched a competition for adolescents in the field of ecological fashion, Paper talked with the creator of the blog about the ecological life of i'M Organic Anastasia Kossychikova and the head of the sewing production of 99Recycle Olesy Kulik. Read the instructions on how to follow ecological fashion - from buying clothes to processing.

About the MTS project

“ Generation M ” is a charity project uniting the idea of ​​developing children's creativity and helping seriously ill children. Within the framework of it, MTS holds the MTS-Fashion contest for children and adolescents under the age of 18, inclusive. The authors of the best works from St. Petersburg will receive a gift from the Latrika brand and a tour of the 99Recycle . And all participants will be able to compete for internships by famous Russian designers.

1. Check what things you already have. According to the creator of the blog about the ecological life of I'M Organic, Anastasia Kosschikova, in the case of the wardrobe, the Pareto law often works: we wear only 20 % of things that help to make 80 % of our images. Therefore, in order to buy less clothing, you must first begin to wear those things that are already hanging in the closet. About how the townspeople refuse new clothes and what to live a whole year without shopping, listen to our podcast about conscious fashion.
2. When buying clothes, take into account its durability and how it will be combined with other wardrobe items. The head of the sewing production of 99RecyCle Olesya Kulik says that eco -garde is not only the things of brands that follow the principles of stable fashion, but also a thought -out set of clothes and accessories, where there are no unnecessary and short -lived things.
3. Pay attention to the materials. According to Anastasia Kosschikova, the best landmark is the international environmental marking of textiles: for example, Gots takes into account not only the production of raw materials, but also the observance of the rights of workers, and Oeko-TEX is the safety of textiles for humans. True, in Russia, according to her, there are not too much things with such markings. Therefore, Anastasia recommends evaluating any material in terms of its durability.
   
   Olesya Kulik believes that in the issue of wear resistance synthetic materials are often better than natural. Therefore, in some areas - sports, tourism - only they are used.
4. If you buy things from synthetic fabrics, try to choose stamps using processed materials. The Petersburg brand NNEDRE , for example, last year, released a capsule collection of processed plastic bottles, the 99Recycle project makes things from plastic bags, banners and press waves, and the Polyλrus brand sews bags of banners and old tires.
5. Give preference to local brands and vintage things. The concept of FAST FASHION is most dangerous for ecology: the production of cheap clothes of low quality. Many local brands, in turn, release quality things in small batches at prices slightly higher than in the segment of the massage. And buying clothes in flea markets , in second-hand and vintage stores helps that wardrobe items serve longer.
6. Participate in swaps. If the thing is no longer suitable for the size or do not like it, it can be attributed to the swap - a party for the exchange of clothing and accessories. At such events, you can give your things and find something for yourself. In St. Petersburg, such meetings are often held. For example, they are organized by the Wolves-Modniki project. Try to organize swaps in the place where you work. By the way, the employees of the “Paper” do this: from time to time they hold such parties.
7. Correctly take care of things so that they serve longer. Anastasia Kosschikova advises before buying to pay attention to the recommendations on the label: if they are quite complicated and you most likely cannot follow them, it is better to refuse the purchase so as not to spoil the thing at the first washing.
   
   In addition, the eco -journalist also reminds of customization of clothing, that is, a change or update of a particular thing. If a spot appeared on the sweatshirt, from which you could not get rid of, it can be hidden under a print or embroidery.
8. Use environmentally friendly cleaning products. Anastasia Kosschikova also draws attention to the fact that synthetic things need to be washed at low temperatures and in short washing modes to prevent the release of the plastic microfidomance and their ingress through water bodies through sewer drains.
9. Sort things for processing. For these purposes, some manufacturers of the massage - for example, UNIQLO are accepted clothes. In addition, unnecessary things can also be attributed to charitable stores. So, in " Thank you! »Then they are sold, transferred to those in need and sent for processing. Among the similar projects in St. Petersburg are “ Lepta ”, “ Landka ” and “ Peremolka ”.

In December, MTS launched an educational project about conscious fashion. Listen to the lecture of the founder of the Latrika brand Lesya Nikonova about the environmentally friendly attitude to fashion and life and the performance of Olesya Kulik on how sustainable sewing production is arranged.

In the lecture, Lesya Nikonova has advice to beginner designers. For example, how to approach the creation of a sketch for the competition. According to her, you need to put your vision into work and talk about new environmentally friendly materials - that even a simple black suit can be eco if you sew it from redesigned fabric. And to those who are already striving to launch their production, Nikonov recommends starting with small collections or entering the market with a monoproduct, so as not to produce excess and remain within the framework of an environmentally friendly approach.