When buying a piece of jewelry, clothing, or handbag, investing in something well-made from quality raw materials means that the item in question should last longer than something constructed poorly from cheap materials. It may feel tempting to buy a piece of jewelry that is gold-plated or gold-filled (meaning a small percentage of gold is bonded to base metal), but it’s less likely to become a piece of jewelry that you will pass down to future generations, re-purpose, or resell at a good value. The same goes when it comes to buying a sweater, for example. Sure, the fast-fashion acrylic sweater might seem like a bargain, but will it still be wearable in a year or two, or will it be misshapen and pilling? Investing in one made with natural fibers (cotton or wool) and taking great care of it ensures that it will be a wardrobe staple for many years.

In a world where we’re encouraged to buy more and always have the newest new thing constantly, it’s hard to tune out that noise. But, when we think about sustainable fashion and accessories, we keep returning to the idea of buying less and better.

Here are four ways to lighten your fashion footprint by thinking long-term, getting personal, and shopping smart.

1.  Buy Authentic Jewelry That Will Last Forever

It’s so tempting to cut corners to feel like you’re getting a bargain. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in jewelry sales; things that are gold-filled or gold vermeil look like their solid-gold counterparts at a fraction of the price. 

But what’s under the surface? Literally, under that thin layer of gold is a base metal, and with regular wear and tear, the gold will likely come off in a few years.

You know the old Girl Scout song, “Make New Friends, but Keep the Old.”  There’s a reason that the following line is “One is silver; the other is gold,” and not “One is pewter, and the other is nickel or brass.” Not to knock metal alloys and more abundant elements, but silver and gold are, well, the gold standard for a reason. They are durable, precious, and traditional.

The environmental and waste impacts of faux jewelry are important to consider: what happens to all the costume jewelry and no-longer-gold-filled stuff that people are finished with? It can’t be melted down and recycled into new jewelry the way solid gold, silver, or platinum pieces can, and it won’t be a family heirloom.

Buying less jewelry that is of higher quality is the best way to protect both your own investment and the health of the planet!

As a bonus, we also look for recycled gold and gems, brands with minimal carbon footprint, and companies that make intentional, impact-informed business decisions. Catbird, one of our favorite jewelry companies, is a great example of how a jewelry brand can be transparent and sustainable, with an extensive section on its website detailing its values.

And, if you like supporting indie, women-led brands, here are a few you should know about and shop from!

2. Refresh Your Handbag Instead of Buying a New One

Every season, there’s a new “it” bag or a new shape, style, or size of last year’s bag, but do you really need a whole new bag? If your current handbag still fits your stuff and your needs, and you’re just feeling bored with it or itching for something new and special, we recommend thinking outside the bag: enter the Salt Strap!

On the other hand, if your bag is scratched or dirty, if the zipper is broken, or if the lining has stains, plenty of places will repair it, giving you that brand-new bag feeling without sending your old one to a landfill. Here are a few tips:

• Ask your local tailor or shoe repair store if they fix bags.
• Buy a classic bag second-hand and have it cleaned and restored.
• Revisit your old favorite bags and swap one with a friend for a few weeks so you each feel like you have something new.

3. Buy Custom-Made Jeans That Fit Your Body Made with Recycled Materials

Ever wished that you could have jeans made to fit your specific body but use vintage Levi’s as a starting point? You need personal style, recycled from Lenny. She created Lenny as “a denim lover and fashion enthusiast who wanted to make the perfect fitting jeans for people,” says founder Lindsey Davidson, aka Lenny. “We are all different, and that is why I believe a pair of jeans should be made to fit your body, not the other way around!”

With that in mind, Davidson has created a business that empowers people to embrace their bodies while utilizing pre-existing stock. By using vintage, the brand isn’t creating new fabric or virgin materials), keeping old jeans out of landfills. It’s a win-win-win situation.

How does this magic work? Using the Lenny website, you can book an in-person appointment if you’re in the Los Angeles area or a virtual fitting if you’re not.

Though the price is steep compared to buying off-the-rack, the jeans are tailored to your body, contain no new fabrics, and help save the planet! What more could you possibly want from a new (old) pair of jeans?

4. Stop Buying Flimsy, Plastic Hair Clips and Elastics

There are many ways we need to think about using less plastic, but none is quite as chic and functional as Day Rate Beauty. This Hollywood-hairstylist-created brand will become your go-to everyday fast, chic, and secure way to throw your hair up.

And for the ultimate do-it-all multi-tasker, The Power Pin 7-inch or Petite Power Pin 5.5-inch French Hair Pin is a must. Both work as a great alternative to hair ties for high and low buns, are way more glam than a claw clip for a quick updo and can be used as a statement piece. They’re available in hair color-coordinated shades if you want it to blend in or buy bright pink or gold if you want it to stand out! The pins are nylon coated for anti-snag and anti-breakage, come in biodegradable packaging, and are “tested on red carpets, not on animals.”

Once, not long ago, the mention of “hemp T-shirts” would have evoked images of coarse smocks from patchouli-scented shops—and even elicited giggles from fashion folks.

A lot can change in a short time.

These days, you’d have to be living under a rock (in a state without legalization) to miss that cannabis is having a moment. And that’s cannabis in all its many forms. Everyone from young adults to octogenarians are giving it a try, ingesting THC gummies for sleep and tinctures for pain; slathering on CBD balms for sore muscles and face serums to promote healthy skin.

It’s not surprising then that the apparel industry would be embracing it too. And it most certainly is on board: In fact, the global hemp clothing market was valued at $2.29 billion in 2021, according to an Allied Market Research report, and is expected to grow to $23.02 billion by 2031.

Still, the use of hemp for textiles is not just about what’s on trend. It’s a super smart environmental and practical choice, as the crop has a lower carbon footprint than other fabric bases and, in material form, is known for its ability to maintain its shape and hold dyes.

That’s surely what’s driven some of the most coveted lines across the country—from bold New York-based brand, Mara Hoffman, to aspirational California barefoot luxury line, Jenni Kayne—to take notice and jump on the bandwagon. Favorite denim designers have gotten into the game, too, from classic Levi’s to “mindful fashion” line RE/DONE, as have performance brands like Patagonia, REI Co-op and Prana.

These companies have one connective concept in mind: sustainability—Of the planet and their collections. So, for reasons that range from wearability to ecology, fashion is embracing hemp, shifting its rep from crunchy to cool.

Hemp To Be Square

So, what makes hemp so desirable? 

First of all, yes, the hemp in question—that very one that’s the basis for your favorite sheer tee—is made from a varietal of that same cannabis sativa plant known for giving potheads a heady high. But, according to Jody McGinness, executive director of The Hemp Industries Association, according to a 2018 legal definition, this version that’s used for industrial purposes like food and fiber must involve varieties of the plant that have less than .03% Delta 9 THC. “It was creating that federal definition of hemp (as distinct from marijuana),” he says, “that ‘legalized’ commercial hemp growing in the U.S.”

And the hemp plant is, apparently, very ecological, which is no small thing for the apparel industry which—especially with the advent of fast and disposable fashion—has struggled with bad press around waste, pollution, overconsumption, poor working conditions and more. Robert Jungmann, founder of coveted T-shirt line, Jungmaven, has understood the benefits of hemp for a long time. In fact, he not only pioneered its use in mainstream fashion, elevating its style, but he also founded his entire collection around it. (Those who live in pursuit of the perfect tee will undoubtedly know the line.)

He originally became intrigued by the ways in which growing hemp could mitigate clear-cutting. (That’s an extreme logging method that involves harvesting and replacing natural forests with man-made ones that have incongruent ecosystems and is responsible, according to Sierra Club, for decimating over one million acres in California since 1997.) The more he learned, the more intrigued he became.

As it turns out, the hemp plant is environmentally sound on several different levels. For one thing, it absorbs carbon dioxide, so it actually helps alleviate pollution. In other words, it’s not only neutral—it’s beneficial for the air we breathe. Also, as Jungmann explains, it’s incredibly versatile. “It regenerates the soil, it requires minimal water and no pesticides to grow,” he says. “It is natural and nontoxic.” Essentially, it reduces water pollution, erosion, carbon and more, combatting the agricultural fallout that contributes to climate change.

Design Within Reach

On top of all that, hemp turns out to be top-notch when it comes to durability, as well. That may not sound like a sexy word, especially in the high-end style space, but one of the major knocks on the fashion industry in recent years has been the sheer magnitude of what is produced, purchased and then discarded. Creating pieces that hold their shape and color keeps consumers from having to buy, wear, then trash their clothing at that same feverish rate. “Hemp just so happens to create a unique fiber for apparel,” says Jungmann, who notes one simply needs to slip on one of their T-shirts to understand the benefits. “I love how durable yet soft and worn-in the fabric feels. It gets better with age, which is rare these days with products. I have always known it would take off in the fashion and apparel space.” After all, who doesn’t want to keep a beloved dress or jacket for as long as possible?

So, integrating hemp is not just a chance to virtue signal; it’s smart business. It also, some designers say, provides a chance to innovate, as it’s still a new frontier with developing technology. Bernardo Carreira, who founded his waterproof hemp shoe company, 8000 Kicks, in Portugal, says they’re on their fifth iteration of hemp fabric and are constantly working to reimagine and improve. (They’re not alone: Other shoe brands like Allbirds and Sanuk are also integrating the material.)

As 8000 Kicks moves beyond shoes into backpacks, socks, belts and more, Carreira collaborates with his unlikely partner—his grandmother, Otilia, who has over 50 years of experience in textiles—to reengineer the yarn to best suit each specific product. “Our dream is to develop this fiber to the point where it no longer makes sense to use leather or polyester because hemp is just better,” he muses.

 Ultimately, hemp believers see the decision to integrate the crop as not only a fashion choice, but a position—and a way to do their part. “Fashion is a form of activism,” says Jungmann. “What we choose to wear says both who we are and what we stand for.”

An insect-repellent scarf from Shoo for Good

Whether you are spending time outdoors in your own backyard or venturing out on an African safari, when the bugs are biting, it’s good to have some extra protection. Enter insect-repellent clothing, designed to ward off ticks, mosquitoes and more.

Originally developed for members of the military who suffer terribly in remote, insect-laden outposts around the world, clothing that’s infused with insect repellent is having its moment in the mainstream this summer. 

Outdoor clothing brands–and style mavens!–are ramping it up, with insect repellent bound into the fabric fibers of their designs, or the creation of clothing made from ultra-fine mesh that provides a physical block to keep bugs out. Here are a few of our favorites. 

Shoo For Good

Shoo for Good founder Christy Hobart loves a good garden party but did not enjoy the onslaught of insects that came along with it. A former fashion editor in NYC, Hobart now lives and works in Santa Monica, CA, where she spends time outdoors gardening, entertaining friends, raising chickens in her garden. A few years ago, the mosquitoes got significantly worse, and Hobart decided to design a range of sheer or lightweight scarves, wraps and throws infused with InsectShield, an EPA-registered permethrin, approved by the World Health Organization (WHO), that is bound into the fabric fibers. The stylish pieces repel insects for up to 70 washings and help contribute to the fight against malaria. With each piece sold, a contribution is made to the United Nations Foundation’s United to Beat Malaria, an organization that provides protective bed netting to families in malaria-ridden regions of the world.

Shoo for Good cotton scarves and wraps repel mosquitoes and other bugs for up to 70 washings. They are created by artisans in Ethiopia who work under fair and sustainable conditions as members of the World Fair Trade Organization, including women who spin locally sourced cotton, dyed in small batches with traditional techniques that have been passed down for generations.

Outdoor Research Bugout Brim Hat 

This hat will take you to the Australian outback, the bush in Africa, or a hike in the Malibu Hills–anywhere you will find insects–and offers protection from biting bugs with Insect Shield® technology. With a wide brim and mesh vents and adjustable draw string, it is moisture-wicking, water resistant and also offers UPF 50+ protection to keep you cool, dry and bug-bite-free. 

Mozzie Style

The experience of Mozzie Style jackets and pants is like wearing a portable screened-in porch. The jackets and pants are made of fine mesh that is highly breathable, but with holes too small for bugs to penetrate. Simply designed, lightweight, made from recycled polyester, the pieces provide a physical, insecticide-free barrier that has been tested by Oklahoma State University and found to significantly reduce the number of bites. Similar to a long-sleeved shirt, but cooler and more comfortable in warm weather.

Puffer
Don’t be fooled, the Otis P Puffer Jacket from Noize may look thin, but it has enough recycled filling to keep you warm and cozy all the way down to 23 degrees. Not bad for something you can roll up and stash in your backpack, or even tuck in your car’s glove compartment!

Pictured: Wild Rogue Jacket, Prana

Shirt Jacket
Turn up the chic quotient of any shirt-and-pants combo by opting for a simple polished shirt jacket. The Wild Rogue Jacket from Prana is outfitted with clean lines and snap buttons which ensure that it will never lose its contemporary appeal. Additionally, it’s made of 100 percent organic cotton moleskin fabric, which will keep you stylish and comfortable all day long. 

Anorak
When the day doesn’t forecast snow and threatens a downpour instead, reach for the Precip Eco Anorak from Marmot, an ultralight waterproof anorak made of 100 percent recycled nylon ripstop.

These eco-conscious lines prove that you don’t have to sacrifice ethics to make a fashion statement