The Clothing I Own

Last year I wrote a couple of blogs on my favourite clothing out of my wardrobe.  Since then my wardrobe has reduced in size as I've removed items I no longer use or like and changed slightly as the work I do has changed.  I thought I would do a blog on all the clothes I own (not including my very small collection of work out gear, outerwear, and underwear) now that it's much smaller.  The colour palette of my clothes is mainly blues and greens with the neutrals of blacks, greys, and creams.  This hasn't actually been a conscious choice, but more the route that has naturally occured due to the colours I like.

Work Clothes

Starting with my work clothes - it hasn't been necessary to have a large number of these but these do need to be sturdy enough to take the physical work I put them through.  Most of these (the two army trousers, orange shorts, and two t-shirts) are second hand and the fleece is over ten years old and still going strong.  The long sleeve top was brought new last year in a sale, but the plan is to replace it with a second hand item when it wears out.

New and 'Unethical'

Then there are all the new clothes I brought and still have, but haven't been ethically sourced.  Most of these were brought before I started this process and have had for many years, but some have been items I have brought out of necessity.  Once they fall apart I will try and replace them with more ethical items.

Ethical Material

I'm not really someone who's into the leather look, but there are some items which I want to have either the longetivity you normally get with leather (such as the Elvis and Kresse belt) or the structured look.  All these items were brought new.

I also have some organic cotton items which were brought new.  These items have lasted really well (especially my Thought Clothing jeans), especially with the mount of wear I put them through.  I expect to have these for a long time.

Hand Me Downs

There is only one item in the hand me down section which is from my Nan.  It is a beautiful piece which I like pairing with unexpected items, but it is also special as she is no longer with us and it's a nice way of remembering her.

Handmade

Buying handmade items is a good way of supporting local communities wherever you are.  Most of these are from when I over in Africa, but the jumper is very special as it was made by my Nan (it is also theoretically a hand me down as it started as my older brother's).  The Femme Head is a new piece which has now only been hand printed but the t-shirt itself was thrifted.

Gifts

There aren't many gift items as I am very difficult to buy for clothes wise.  The fleece is a no brained really as I may have a slight obsession with these.  The dress is not necessarily my style, but it's actually the bridesmaids dress that was brought for me when I was a bridesmaid at my brother's wedding.  ImI keeping it for now, but if I really don't wear it I'll think about getting rid of it.

Pre-loved, Charity Shop, and Vintage

The last section is second hand, predominantly brought in charity shops.  This is how I buy most of the clothing I need now, and charity shops are always my first port of call when I need a new piece.  Whilst I am interested in buying new, but ethical pieces in the future, to me buying second hand is the most ethical way of sourcing clothes and I'll only buy new when second hand just isn't possible.

My wardrobe isn't big by any stretch of the imagination, but it still larger then I actually need.  At the moment I wear and like all the items I own so I will keep them, but I don't intend to add to this only to replace when the time comes that I need to.  I expect it to reduce over time and maybe illIdo another blog this time next year to see the change.

My favourite clothing - leisure

There have been a few changes in my life recently and I've had to put a section of my clothes into storage, but I have kept a number of items for when I'm not at work and these are a few of my favourites (missing a couple of skirts that just didn't seem appropriate right now).  So here they are, my favourite clothes for my days off.

Let's start with tops.  My most worn is definitely my BrewDog t-shirt with the two jackrabbits (or hares).  I actually thought it was an owl when I first saw it.  I've worn this a lot, as you can see by the fading, and the fit is great, but the main reason I like it is because it is made with 100% organic cotton and is an EarthPositive t-shirt.  The EarthPositive link means that it was manufactured using only renewable energy.  I haven't seen this on the items from BrewDog I've looked at recently so I don't know if this is still a part of the clothing line.

My next t-shirt is one that I brought a few years ago for Comic Relief.  I mainly got it because the line is one of my favourites from Blackadder.  I've worn this a lot as well and it's beginning to discolour quite badly and slightly loose its shape, but I'm going to cling on until the last possible moment.  It is a good reminder though that when it's time to replace it to not buy white.  The label also says on this that the cotton is 100% sustainably sourced but I'm not sure what that actually means and if that's just green wash.  If you have the answers please let me know?

My last short sleeved top is my Harry Potter Primark t-shirt. It's not the most ethical item of clothing I own, but I've had this for years and it's still holding strong so I'm going to keep it until it falls apart.  It is an ironic slogan to have for someone who spends almost all their time being well-behaved, but I like the cheeky idea of it.

The long sleeve top I wear regularly is from the H&M Conscious line.  It is the organic cotton, tight fit long sleeve top in navy blue.  Even though it is fitted it's very comfortable and pretty warm.  It also washes really well and doesn't get misshapen so I'm hoping that I will have this item for a long time.

My normal jumper is the Lands' End fleece that I brought from a charity shop.  I love fleeces as they're warm and lightweight, but they also don't itch my skin in the same way wool does.  However, I am aware that there are issues with fibres from these types of clothing getting into the water so will be looking out for wash bags I can use to collect these fibres once these come out.

When it comes to trousers my favourite are my Braintree (now known as Thought Clothing) which I brought off Natural Collection about 5 years ago when they were having a sale.  They are made from 98% organic cotton with 2% Spandex (which helps them hold their shape) and Thought Clothing is an ethical brand in both how they source the fabrics and how they treat the people who make them.  I also love the colour of these and they're very comfortable to wear.  I pretty much wear them every week.

The other trousers I wear are also from the H&M Conscious line and are the Lyocell- blend cargo trousers.  Tencel lyocell is deemed a more sustainable fabric as it uses less energy, water, and dye then cotton during manufacturing; manufacturing uses a closed loop system which recycles the solvents used reducing the amount of toxin being released; and the company is looking to solve the issue with energy use during manufacturing by looking at renewable energies.  Though these trousers are fitted, which I don't normally wear, they are really comfortable and easy to wear, they have also worn really well.  The fabric is also very breathable and less susceptible to bacteria growth which means I can get away with washing it less often then normal trousers.

I thought it would be a good idea to keep one dress for special occasions (though in writing this I've realised I packed away my heals, ops).  I brought this second hand from eBay to wear to work, but I've worn this on other occasions too and just changed my accessories.  It's a blast from my childhood past as it was made by C&A.  It's 100% polyester and, though it says hand wash only, has held up very well to a lot of wear and being put in the washing machine.  It's an old style but suits my figure well and I feel very comfortable when I wear it.  I intend to wear this for many years.

When I first started trying to buy more ethical new clothes I started by looking at clothes that were sustainably made and sourced, with ethical manufacturing.  But over the wears I have found that buying second hand clothing has been just as sustainable, easier to get at, and a lot less expensive.  I have everything I need at the moment so it's unlikely that I'll be buying anything new or second hand in the near future.  When I do need to I'll look for second hand first before I go down the new, but ethical route.