HOW TO SHOP ETHICAL SUSTAINABLE FASHION | 8 Top tips for beginners

This video covers 8 of our favourite tips on how to shop for ethical and sustainable fashion.

We discuss what makes a fashion brand ethical and sustainable so that you can ensure your fashion budget supports those aligned with your values. We can use our consumer power to create demand for ethical clothes and withdraw it from fast fashion production.

Support me on Patreon:

Follow me:

The Low Impact Movement:

Thank you to my wonderful patreon supporters:
Carolyn Elizabeth, Maria Piva and Charlotte Whitten

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RESOURCES:

Ethical Unicorn Blog:

Fashion is not the 2nd most polluting industry:

Why you shouldn’t Declutter Immediately:

How to Quit Fast Fashion Trends:

Kristen Leo (excellent resource for Ethical / Sustainable fashion):

Fast Fashion Explained in 5 Minutes:

Stacey Dooley Documentary: Fashion’s Dirty Secrets:
(UK reviewers only)

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▲ L O W I M P A C T L I V I N G I N ▼

New York City:

Austin, TEXAS:

Washington D.C:

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▲ L O W I M P A C T L I V I N G ▼

My Autumn / Fall Capsule Wardrobe

6 Ways to Reduce your Waste | without bulk

Beginners Guide to Natural DIY Cleaning:

24 Ways to Reduce your Food Waste:

MY LOW WASTE HAIR CARE ROUTINE 💁🏻curly hair:

THE TRASH DIARIES ep.1 | What I wasted this week:

Microplastics are everywhere | what can we do?:

How to Make Almond Milk:

My Zero Waste & Minimalist Bathroom Essentials

2 Steps to Zero Waste

Zero Waste Essential Kit

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▲ D I Y V I D E O S ▼

10 EASY DIY NATURAL BEAUTY HACKS YOU NEED TO TRY!

DIY Homemade Deep Conditioner:

HOMEMADE DEODORANT RECIPE | low waste:

Homemade Shampoo Recipe:

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▲ P L A N T B A S E D R E C I P E S ▼

5 QUICK & EASY VEGAN SUMMER SNACKS | Healthy & Simple:

PACKAGE FREE PRODUCE HAUL | + 4 seasonal plant based recipes:

Thanks for watching xx

#lowimpactmovement #lowimpactliving

[SustainablyVegan]

Hey Everyone! I hope you enjoy the video - please see the description for more resources and info :).
Immy xx

[nicolegugliotticraft]

great video. it would be awesome if you could just acknowledge the lack of size inclusivity in ethical fashion brands. i thrift almost everything and would love to support ethical designers, especially for basics like leggings, but they don't stock my size. i hope by mentioning this at every pass will encourage smaller brands to start working on increasing size inclusivity.

[marie-christinelandry]

You should make a video on how to shop linens, comforters, pillows, etc. ethically! :)

[Shelbizleee]

Loving all the collabs you're doing Immy! Such valuable information 💕

[coralpardo]

I love that you are really responsible in the information you are giving. As a scientist sometimes I cringe at some people trying to do good, but spreading false info. Cheers

[RovingReader]

Patagonia has a used portion of their website. You can also send them items to repair and send back :)

[FinsternisSan]

Yes! Especially the op shop/charity shop/thrift store stat. I work at an thrift store and we have to throw out so much stuff because people 1. don't wanna feel bad about throwing things away, and 2. people are classist and don't have a high opinion of people in poverty who buy second hand so they think that their trash will just do (you see this a lot with food banks too). We do textile recycling, but that isn't enough. I try to do most of my shopping second hand, but i'm also poor, and plus sized so finding things like underwear or bras ethically and in my size/comfortable is almost impossible because sustainable/eco fashion brands don't cater to plus size people.


Big tip is that if you're just starting to move out, or just need things, check out your local second hand store. We will have what you are looking for. Especially kitchen supplies because we have it, and we have too many. Just always research which second hand store that aligns with your values (ex: salvation army is anti-lgbt, good will has questionable wage practices with workers, etc).

[lizachka]

Thank you so much for mentioning faux fur and faux leather; I feel like their environmental impact is so overlooked by many vegan/ethical vloggers. Really great video.

[kalpic]

I love the clothes rotation trick to make it seem like you've gotten knew clothes! I might try that.

[crystalh]

I think the discussion of taking care of your clothes is so lost in the sustainable conversation. Washing on gentle and lying flat or hanging to dry extends the life of my clothes immensely. I learned so many of the care tips from my mom when I was younger and they have served me well!

[HenryRobertDuncan]

Your channel is a must-watch for me. Keep up the fantastic work!

[sopheco]

I started becoming concerned about buying synthetic leather because of the whole being made of plastic thing, BUT, and I don't know if there are other brands doing the same thing, Will's Vegan Shoes makes at least some of their shoes out of bio oils made from European crops. I just bought a pair as my work shoes (after my current pair literally fell apart, eek!) and am still breaking them in, so hopefully will be able to give a better review soon. Balancing both environmental and animal rights ethics can be difficult sometimes!

[SM-bhdy]

Theres an awesome app called "Good on You" which rates brands depending on environmental, labor and animal welfare. Would recommend

[Lady_dromeda]

The majority of my clothing is hand me downs from my sister, which has saved me so much money too. The only unfortunate thing is that they don’t really fit properly at the moment, but they will in a few months or so (I’m pregnant so nothing “fits” but at least I have clothes)

[Linda-onno]

while i was working at one of the fast fashion brands, i learned that to make/dye one pair of jeans you need as much water as in one olympic size pool. aslo, if you donate your jeans to recycle them into a new pair, you have to consider that cotton fiber gets shorter and therefore your new pair of jeans is less durable. plus, black dye is the most unsustainable as opposed to other color dyes because of the chemicals and amounts of water used.

[anastazjagrant]

There is one shop in Poznań (Poland) that opened recently. This is non profit place when you can leave you things for free or take something for free too. It’s called Po-dzielnia, and it’s basically mean share, you can find it on Facebook, it was made by Kasia Wągrowska, she wrote a book about zero waste living! It’s like second hand, and there are a lot of clothes but you can find some other stuff there like plates, some toys for kids, a lot of books, bags, pillows or frying pan even! It’s really great! So next time I will need something or want something knew I will just go check if I can find it there! It’s so great that people want to share their stuff for free!

[professorthread]

This is so cool! I'm about to take a friend shopping for winter clothes (he claims he's "useless" when it comes to clothes and I make costumes for a living), and I will definitely keep lots of this stuff in mind. I've gotten him into second hand shopping and he lives in a great city for it :)

[tessaawoods]

Hi Immy! I've been watching your low impact/sustainable fashion channel for almost a year. I love your videos and how informative they are! I started working at Patagonia this school semester, and they're kind of pricey but they are also another very good, sustainable brand with fair labor practices for their workers & the environment. I love working here because the people I work with are wonderful, and I've been learning more about ethical business practices. Check them out too! Like I said, they are a bit pricey but their products are such great quality and have an ironclad guarantee. Thanks again for your videos!❤️

[estheryamuza]

Querida Immy,
I’ve been following you since the end of last summer and I’d like to tell you I find your channel truly honest and inspiring. You’re being of the greatest help in my way to zero waste.
Where I currently live (south of Spain) is difficult to find good quality an pretty second hand clothes. Tomorrow I fly to London where I’ll stay for less than one week and I’ll be grateful if you can recommend me a couple of shops where to go. I hope you can read this on time!
Thanks for your help and dedication. Cheers!

[sarahj]

I've been thinking about starting a more low impact lifestyle for a couple months, but my parents don't seem to get it and they just keep buying me stuff (all kinds of stuff just to surprise me). Anyway I have to ask for items for Christmas because my family doesn't like giving money instead of presents for Christmas. I was online shopping (I know, I know, I'm trying to break the habit of moving away from fast fashion) and I saw this super cute sweater. I was just about to add it to my list when I watched this video and immediately removed it because it was made entirely from polyester and acrylic! Your video saved me from polluting waterways with microfibers, so thank you so much. Keep doing what you're doing