Whether for financial reasons, environmental concerns, or simply being overwhelmed by your closet, there are a lot of cases for a low-buy year, season, or month.
When I asked the Slow Fashion Saturday community about their slow fashion intentions, the most common response was that they wanted to do a low-buy or no-buy year.
I have a similar goal this year — I want to prioritize only adding intentional, high-quality pieces to my closet without breaking my clothing budget. This will mean being selective in the number of items I add to my closet.
Everyone’s low-buy will look a little bit different. But these tips will help you create your framework and stick to it for a successful low-buy year.
1) Set a Clear Intention
Define your goal, your why, and understand where you’re at now. Here are some prompts to help you set your intentions!
Determine what qualifies as a no-buy or low-buy year for you
Perhaps you’re taking Tiffanie Darke’s “Rule of 5” challenge and adding only 5 things to your wardrobe. Perhaps you’re committing to only buy 1 piece per month. Perhaps you don’t want to buy any new fashion item this year. Maybe you’re going to take a complete pause for a few months, even including secondhand items.
It’s about what makes sense for your life. And perhaps you’ll get some more clarity after reflecting on your why in the next question…
Get clear on why you are taking this challenge
There might be several reasons here — perhaps you want to save money and you want to feel more in control of your closet.
And then go a level deeper:
Why do you want to reduce your overconsumption? (To feel more confident about your personal style? To align your fashion choices more closely with your environmental concerns or passions?)
Why do you want to save money? (To pay off debt, to save for a home down payment, to create an emergency fund?)
Think about how you want to feel at the end of this year. Do you want to feel calmer when you go into your closet? Proud of yourself for being a more conscious consumer? Confident because you’re more in control of your finances?
Decide how you will track your progress
If you’re taking this challenge for financial reasons, add up what you spent on fashion last year. Use this as a benchmark to compare what you spend this year.
If you’re taking the challenge because you’re overwhelmed by your closet, count the number of items currently in your wardrobe. If your goal to reduce the total number of items, take a tally at the end of each season to see how you’re doing. (My free closet tracker is an easy way to do this!)
Or if you’re taking the challenge primarily for sustainability reasons, perhaps you want to also track the type of items you purchase. For example, maybe you want to only buy secondhand or only support sustainably-minded small brands.
Lean into the slow fashion habits you already have
This was something that sustainability creator Immy Lucas included in her low-buy planning YouTube video: “what good habits do I already have?” I loved that idea of starting the challenge with a positive mindset acknowledging what we’re already doing right.
Maybe you always shop secondhand first, perhaps you don’t buy fast fashion, maybe you mend your clothes, or you already wear what you have a long time. Keep doing more of that and go from there!
2) Do a Closet Audit
Take stock of what is already in your closet, counting how many pieces you have in each category. You’ll then also have a total of how many pieces are in your closet. This process might take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour, depending on how many clothes you have and if some are in storage or not.
If you’re not sure about everything in your closet, take a moment to do a mini closet audit first, with three categories.
- Keep in closet: pieces you enjoy wearing or are excited to wear
- Separate out: pieces that haven’t been worn lately (or at all) but have potential — challenge yourself to restyle those pieces to see if they could work!
- Take out to re-home: pieces that don’t suit your personal style, lifestyle, or don’t fit (and aren’t alterable)
If you want an easy way to keep track of your garment categories, my free closet tracker template is here to help!
If you did the mini closet-audit, only count the items in the first two categories. For the third category, you
Once you know how many pieces are in your wardrobe (and how many you have in each category), you can reflect on the following:
In what categories do I already have enough or too much?
- This becomes your “do not buy” list.
Are there any categories I have a gap in that needs to be filled?
- This becomes your “ok to buy” list or your wishlist.
Given your responses, you might have to go back to your intention in step one and update your goals.
For example, if you experienced body and size fluctuations, a major lifestyle change, evolution in your personal style, or moved to a different climate, a full no-buy or super restrictive low-buy might not be realistic for you this year.
Or perhaps it’s the other way around — maybe after counting the pieces in your closet, you want to create tighter parameters around a low-buy.
3) Set Up Systems for Success
As the James Clear quote goes from Atomic Habits, “you do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
Plan your purchases
Whether you want to utilize the “To Buy?” tab in my Closet Tracker template or just keep track of your most-wanted/needed pieces in your Notes app, this can be a powerful practice.
Or perhaps you want to plan when you will buy.
Tiffanie Darke suggests planning your “Rule of 5” challenge pieces evenly throughout the seasons.
And one Slow Fashion Saturday subscriber had a great idea to plan these purchases around upcoming experiences and travel! Tying an item to an experience can add a sentimental value to them, making those garments all the more special.
If you plan your purchases around certain times, you can still enjoy that element of discovery. This is a way to engage in a low-buy without a prescriptive shopping list. (Though I think a loose list is still helpful, as you’ll still want to make those limited number of purchases count!)
Remove shopping temptations
No matter how strong our willpower is, at one point it does run out — so why not make it easier on ourselves?
Unsubscribe from newsletters, cancel subscriptions (like to Prime), unfollow or mute accounts that push constant consumption, delete shopping apps, log-out of shopping accounts, and remove “saved card” details from payment processors or other shopping sites you frequent.
Determine what to replace shopping with
When you want to change any habit, the first step is building an awareness of why we have that habit in the first place. What need is it satisfying? What purpose is it serving in our lives? (E.g., Does that habit help us feel better when we’re down? Does that habit make us feel less lonely?)
And then we can start to find healthier alternatives to meeting that need or desire.
I know shopping and buying new things can add a sense of excitement to my day. But perhaps instead I can be more proactive about planning fun activities with friends that I can look forward to.
Putting on a new garment can make me feel confident. But also maybe I could spend some time shopping my closet and creating fresh outfits in proportions that flatter to satisfy that purpose.
This one is quite personal, so it might take some time to get clarity on it.
How can you support yourself with community and accountability?
Will you track your clothing spending and come back to it each month?
Will you share your goal with a partner, friend, or loved one? Or even better, can you have someone join the challenge with you?
There are many subscribers of the Slow Fashion Saturday newsletter that are doing a low-buy year so that’s been something we’ve been talking about lately!
Cultivate a positive mindset
A low-buy or no-buy challenge doesn’t have to be viewed as scarcity or as a punishment. It can be an opportunity to have renewed gratitude for the abundance in our closets, or a moment to pause and reflect.
It also can be a chance to start noticing what you do like already about your clothes, your outfits, or your closet. What did you get right? Which purchases were a good investment? What pieces do you wear all of the time?
Another subscriber shared that she found it helpful to track her outfits and note down what she liked about each outfit. As she said, “I can’t tell you how helpful [noting down what I liked about each outfit] has been. It’s much more motivating to develop a plan incorporating positive realizations than negative perceptions. Such a great reminder that gratitude is where it’s at!”
I’m a big fan of cultivating gratitude with our closets because it helps us get off of the “never enough” consumption treadmill. I find gratitude to be foundational to a slow fashion mindset — it helps us appreciate the abundance of what we have and inspires us to care more for what we own.
Are you taking a low-buy or no-buy challenge this year? Stay inspired on the journey by joining the Slow Fashion Saturday newsletter…
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This week’s quote is a Somali proverb: “Be a mountain or lean on one.”
Earth911 inspirations. Post them, share your desire to help people think of the planet first, every day. Click to get a larger image.
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Ballet flats have long been a staple in my wardrobe, but in the past few years have experienced a significant resurgence — and for good reason. The right pair can be practical, versatile, and oh so chic through days at work, with family, or out for the evening. But finding that “just right” set that’s well-crafted and sustainably made can be a whole other story. That’s why this sustainable flats guide exists.
Comfort, style, sustainability, and longevity are a lot to ask in a shoe, but I don’t believe it’s too much. It just takes some extra digging. And thankfully, I’ve done that digging for you. Because I get it! I want a flat that looks beautiful. I want a flat that’s made responsibly in line with my values. I want a shoe I can actually wear for my life. And I want that shoe to be worth the investment — it has to last. That’s why I vetted through dozens of brands to create this curated list of flats.
What Makes a Flat More Sustainable?
Material Sourcing
Footwear is a tricky category when it comes to sustainable fashion because we ask a lot of our shoes. We wear them in rain or sunshine, paved paths and cobblestone, day in and day out for years. And through it all, they have to remain beautiful. Because when they’re unwearable, there’s not much left to do with them: there is no viable footwear recycling today. Anywhere that calls it “shoe recycling” is really repurposing that footwear. But once it can no longer be worn, it’s simply trash.
In other words, our shoes need to be incredibly durable, even though the most durable materials don’t always come with the lightest footprint. In footwear, when we talk about durability, we usually rely on leather or high-performance synthetic materials. Leather can hold up with many years of wear, getting more beautiful with wear, and is easy to repair when needed. Synthetic materials are also durable, particularly for withstanding the elements like snow and rain.
But sourcing these materials conventionally is highly polluting — so how can we source these materials better?
For synthetics, we have recycled options. Today, that’s largely recycling from plastic bottles, which isn’t without it’s controversies, but there is much innovation happening in the industry around true textile-to-textile recycling.
For leather, I look for:
- Vegetable-tanned (rather than chromium tanned)
- Locally-sourced leather (more traceability), and/or
- Leather Working Group certified leather, which covers responsible management of water, energy, and waste; safe chemical management, traceability of the raw material, and occupational safety for workers.
Notably, there is no certification for animal welfare, so these are imperfect systems. But the alternative is footwear made from synthetic plastic materials or vegan leather alternatives that don’t yet meet the same durability standards as leather. Sustainability within today’s constraints requires trade-offs.
That said, there is always secondhand leather — by buying shoes secondhand you can access the quality of leather without adding further demand for the material.
Responsible Manufacturing
When considering responsible production practices, I look for first and foremost: transparency. Seeing what the brand shares about their material sourcing, their process, and who made their shoes where. And then I look at the details of that process: were the shoes made locally or within a geographic region? How are the workers paid and treated — and under which conditions do they work?
And, sometimes a brand employs an out-of-the-box approach to manufacturing entirely. There are a few slow fashion footwear brands challenging the traditional fashion system of ordering in mass quantities before demand is assessed —which inevitably leads to overproduction. These brands use an “on demand” model instead, producing their shoes only after they’ve been ordered. This reduces the risk of overproduction (i.e. producing more than what gets sold) while also encouraging more thoughtful consumption. You can’t impulse buy a pair of Mary Janes that you have to wait 8 weeks for.
Wearable and Beautiful
The most perfectly environmentally sustainable flat in the world is useless if no one wants to wear it. And as I mentioned earlier, footwear cannot be recycled into new footwear at the end of its life, so we want our shoes to last a really long time. That means they need to be design forward and comfortable, too.
My Top Picks for More Sustainable and Ethical Flats
Keeping all of that in mind, these more sustainable flats brands meet this criteria, albeit to various extents. Some err more on comfort while some more on style. Some have admirable levels of transparency and social impact, while other brands have more of a focus on their ecological impact. I’ve included descriptions alongside each brand as well as a summary of conscious qualities so you can find a brand that meets your priorities best. And, of course, a price range so you know what makes sense for your budget as well.
Some that this guide includes affiliate links which means we may earn a commission if you shop through these links. As always, brands featured in shopping guides are brands that meet our strict sustainability criteria that we think you’ll love.
1. ALOHAS
Spanish brand ALOHAS flips the typical fashion production system on its head with its on-demand model.
Instead of overproducing thousands of shoes to later discount them, ALOHAS does the exact opposite. Its newest styles are available for pre-order at a discount of 30%, so the footwear brand can more accurately forecast demand. Then the shoes — like their flats — are primarily made by local artisans in Spain and Portugal. The brand regularly shows the behind the scenes of their production on their social media.
Conscious Qualities: On-Demand Production, Locally Made
Size Range: EU 35-42 (US 5-11)
Price Range: $195-$225
2. Rothy’s
If you’re looking for flats for all-day wear at work or running errands, Rothy’s is my recommendation with their cushy insoles. The brand makes their more sustainable flats from recycled plastic bottles, as well as materials like hemp and merino wool, but they still look sleek enough for the office.
While I might not wear Rothy’s flats to a fashion event (I prefer smooth leather for more elevated occasions), they are more than stylish enough to wear to most of my real-life scenarios. My favorite part about Rothy’s, though, is that they are machine washable.
Materials: Recycled & Natural Materials, Owns One Factory (undisclosed percentage of production)
Size Range: US 5-13
Price Range: $99-$165
3. Vivaia
Vivaia has the most adorable sustainable Mary Janes made from recycled plastic bottles. The adjustable straps and arch support make Vivaia’s Mary Janes suitable for all-day comfort, even if your feet are typically prone to slipping out of flats.
This vegan footwear brand also makes square-toe and pointed-toe flats for a more elevated look. And of the several recycled plastic bottle footwear brands on the market today, Vivaia tends to have the most elevated designs in my opinion.
Conscious Qualities: Vegan, Recycled Materials
Size Range: US 5-11
Price: $97 – $116
4. The RealReal
The RealReal is an authenticated luxury resale platform with contemporary, designer, and high-end luxury brands. Depending on your priorities you can find shoes in anywhere from pristine condition (but higher priced)) to “fair” or even “as is” for the largest discount from full price.
You don’t always have as many options aesthetically when shopping more sustainably, so I like to go to The RealReal when I’m looking for specific styles. I was recently looking for Mary Janes with feminine detailing and came across Larroude Flats on The RealReal, where I purchased a pair of neutral scalloped accent flats. (Pictured here!)
Conscious Qualities: Secondhand
Size Range: US 3.5-14
Price Range: $9+
5. ESSĒN
ESSĒN elegant, minimalist footwear is artisan handcrafted from Leather Working Group-certified leather in solar-powered facilities in Italy, Portugal, and Spain. Each shoe also comes with a product passport where you can view the step-by-step journey that product took through the brand’s supply chain from raw material to manufacturing to packaging and distribution.
Beyond transparency and responsible manufacturing, ESSĒN’s slow fashion business model prevents overproduction by operating on a made to order basis. Meaning while sizes and styles are predefined, the shoes are only produced after they’ve been ordered.
Conscious Qualities: LWG Certified, Supply Chain Transparency, On Demand Production
Size Range: EU 35-44 (US 4-13)
Price Range: $295-$450
6. Allbirds
Another comfort-first footwear option besides Rothy’s is Allbirds. The brand creates lightweight, super smooth and breathable flats from tree fibers, aptly called “Tree Breezers”. The (washable) shoes are also soft enough to wear without socks.
The Allbirds Tree Breezers are far more comfortable than typical flats, though I find that the Rothy’s are slightly comfier.
Conscious Qualities: Natural materials (FSC-Certified eucalyptus, castor mean oil, sugarcane EVA)
Size Range: US 5-11
Price Range: $105-$125
7. Darzah
Fair trade certified by Fair Trade Federation, Darzah’s ethical flats are entirely hand-embroidered and handcrafted in Palestine from locally sourced leather.
The tatreez flats from this nonprofit are embroidered by refugee and low-income women artisans in the West Bank with this traditional Palestinian techniques.
Conscious Qualities: Sustains Heritage Crafts, Fair Trade Certified
Size Range: EU 36-41 (US 6-10)
Price Range: $199 – $209
8. Nisolo
If you’re seeking a quality pair of classic leather flats ideal for your capsule wardrobe, Nisolo is a strong pick. Nisolo’s flats are handcrafted by artisans using leather sourced from a Leather Working Group certified tannery.
I’ve been wearing my Nisolo shoes for many years and can attest to their quality and durability.
That said, the brand has recently turned over to new ownership and now has significantly less information about their sustainability and ethics in their supply chain. I will be keeping a close eye on this brand to see if it continues to uphold the values Nisolo has long held.
Conscious Qualities: LWG-Certified, Artisan Handcrafted
Size Range: US 5-11
Price: $138 – $198
For More Slow Fashion Content:
You May Also Want to Check Out:
The Best Affordable Ethical Fashion Brands
Responsibly Made Vegan Shoe Brands
15 Brands with Ethical Boots to Rock this Fall (and Beyond)
The post 8 Best Ethical & Sustainable Flats That Are Effortlessly Chic appeared first on Conscious Life & Style.
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Today’s quote is from writer, businessman, and conservationist Simon M. Lamb. In his book, Junglenomics: Nature’s Solutions to the World Environment Crisis, he suggests that nature provides solutions to help us reform our environmentally destructive economic practices.
Lamb writes, “As in nature, so in economics — what provides survives.”
Earth911 inspirations. Post them, share your desire to help people think of the planet first, every day. Click the poster to get a larger image.
Editor’s Note: This poster was originally published on March 27, 2020.
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