Angel's Tips for “Making” Your Clothes Friendly to the Environment

Israel is only just catching on to the eco clothing trend, and for the environmentally conscious it can be a gut-wrenching, guilt-inducing dilemma just to go clothes shopping.

 So I’ve compiled a list of different eco clothing options.

Firstly, there’s the Internet, and ordering of organic clothes from shops like Edun and Made online. However there is a set back involved here: either the shops won’t ship to the Middle East or Israel, or they ship by air.

So you may be buying organic clothing, but you’re negating any green good you’ve done by having it flown to you and emitting tons of carbon emissions.

Looking at eco friendly clothing options closer to home leaves you with Israeli organic clothing manufacturers, second hand clothing or making your own clothes.

The Israeli organic clothing industry is only just starting to take off, with shops such as Tinok Yarok, Cotton, and Delta Galil now offering a green line, however the choice is still limited.

Buying second hand or vintage in Israel is a much easier affair (see my last post on vintage shopping here). Not only can you find a WIZO Bigdia in nearly every town but a large selection of other shops are popping up all the time.

Not to mention the growing trend for collectors to start their own business by doing house sales. Again I will mention that there is a certain amount of shipping in these options. A lot of the vintage clothing is sourced abroad and the flights taken to import the goods do damage to the environment. The WIZO Bigdia, is probably the greenest option out of these but it can be hard to find things sometimes.

And now we’re left with the last option: making your own clothes. This might not be easy for everyone, due to lack of sewing machine, sewing skills etc. but it is pretty much the best way to not only save money and create one off garments but to also to go green.

If you can make your own clothes you have the choice of the wide range of materials, styles and you can make something really individual. But sewing skills don’t have to rest there; the amount of waste created by throwing away damaged clothes can be reduced.

Fixing holes, tears and split seams can be a ten-minute job with the right skills; even second hand clothing if it doesn’t fit right can be customized. There are sewing classes and courses available, my mother taught me, but I’m going to recommend searching the Internet or even just buying a book and practicing.

 If I get enough interest I might start a sewing group once every two weeks, to get together and practice. If I do this, I’d first of all show how to do quick edits, like shortening skirts/trousers or tightening an elastic waistband before moving on to the more difficult things like tightening dresses. 

Comment below and let me know what you think.

This guest post is written by Angel Cutsforth. She blogs at Vintage Angel. 

More on eco-friendly clothes:

Wipe Out Spots With Strategically-Placed Sticky Stains

Green Prophet Starts At Home and Tackles The Wardrobe