As I continue on my journey to sustainability, I’ve had to take a hard look at my shopping habits, particularly in fashion. I started to do my research and discovered the hurtful impacts of fast fashion globally, particularly in impoverished countries. Fast fashion is detrimental from all aspects: economically, environmentally, and ethically. Read more about the issue here. Once I learned about the negative impacts, it was like taking the red pill in The Matrix; I couldn’t be ignorant to my choices as a consumer.

When I began to search for alternatives to fast fashion, I found a growing slow fashion community that I was excited to join. While investing in slow fashion comes with a higher price tag (because the people making your clothes are earning a living wage), I discovered other shopping that would fit into both my ethics and budget. Thrift shopping was a great alternative and fun way to look for pieces that I wanted at an affordable price, while saving my money for the pricier items. I learned to only buy things that I loved and would have a place in my wardrobe, and I have loved the journey of becoming a more conscious consumer.

One of the best charts I came across in this slow fashion transition was by Anuschka Rees:

While supporting ethical and sustainable brands was a great transition, at the end of the day the biggest step is to reduce your consumption. 1 garbage truck full of clothing is burned every second, and 80% of these clothing items could have been reused. To make a lasting impact on reducing the pollution of the fashion industry, I had to learn to love what was already in my closet.

So after that long-winded explanation, this is how I came across the 10 x 10 challenge. You pick 10 items of clothing from your closet and wear them for 10 days, figuring out different ways to style them. I will be doing this challenge throughout the summer and sharing my outfits here. While I am not doing a total fashion ban (I have my eye on a couple of items that I’ve been lusting after for months), my goal at the end is to discover my personal style, get my creative juices flowing, and give my clothes some extra love.

If you want to join me in this challenge, you can read more details about it here!