5 Tips to Shop Ethically
1. Be an Informed Consumer
Take a proactive approach and check brands' stance on sustainability and ethics. Have a look on their website and social media to see if they mention their practices to make sure you feel comfortable shopping with them. Most brands who engage in sustainability practices won’t be afraid to share their policies publicly. If they don’t, the chances are it’s not a priority for them and it’s probably better to shop elsewhere for a more ethical option.
2. Quality over Quantity
Whilst fast-fashion may make shopping appear more affordable, this can actually be a misleading notion since many fast-fashion brands create their pieces from cheap materials which do not last as long as garments from more sustainable, premium quality brands. Investing in fewer, better quality pieces will significantly reduce your contribution to damaging effects of overconsumption and supporting the fast-fashion industry. After a few seasons, you’ll have a high-quality, sustainable wardrobe to be proud of! Treat yourself to that quality piece you’ve had your eye on for ages ;)
3. Repair your Clothes
Follow brands’ care instructions to ensure your clothes last as long as possible. If they do become damaged, try to get creative and think about how you can transform them. A good tailor should be able to help you come up with ideas and will help you produce a brand new, upcycled piece! Sometimes the smallest alteration is needed to get another lifetime out of your fave item.
4. Hang Dry
The Energy Saving Trust has shown that laundering accounts for 60–80% of a garment's total environmental impact. Hang drying instead of tumble drying is an easy hack to reduce this statistic which saves you money and energy!
5. Consider Ethical Practices of Workers
Treatment of workers should be something brands prioritize. Do your homework and check if the brand publishes anything about their manufacturing practices and fair pay. Check their ‘about us’ pages and social media. Brands who treat their staff ethically won’t be afraid to publish this kind of information. Only shop at brands where you feel comfortable that their workers are not exploited.
Sustainability and ethics are extremely important to us at Ode & Rae and we want to make it easy for you to feel good about your purchase.
Our swimwear is made from regenerated plastic from landfill and oceans around the world. We focus on producing Limited Edition collections where we produce a limited quantity of styles to ensure the exclusivity of our collections whilst avoiding the risk of overproduction.
We select our partners carefully based on their ethical standards, our Bali-based manufacturer pays their workers twice the minimum wage, 13 months of the year to allow them to support various cultural holidays.
Ultimately, we believe that style shouldn’t have to come at the cost of sustainability and we’re committed to enabling you to shop consciously and feel good about your purchase.
