Upcycle

Upcyling and repurposing old clothes is one of the smartest ways to be more sustainable in your approach towards fashion. Akanksha Kaila Akashi, founder of Refash, a platform for upcycled fashion, suggests innovative ideas like cutting thin strips from a dupatta and turning them into shoelaces, and sewing together fabric strips from old clothes to turn them into colourful rugs

Create a capsule wardrobe

A capsule wardrobe is a collection of clothes and accessories that can be styled in multiple ways. Ankita Srivastava, sustainable fashion consultant and founder of Little Things Studio, recommends focusing on versatile silhouettes and classic pieces that can be styled in multiple ways across seasons. Sticking to a cohesive colour palette that suits your personality can make mixing and matching effortless

Swap clothes

One can adopt the ‘circular fashion’ approach by swapping clothes within their network. To make this fun, Akanksha suggests hosting a style swap day with friends to restyle each other’s wardrobes without buying anything extra, or joining a hyperlocal swap circle

Choose 'repair' over 'reject'

Minor adjustments and repair tricks like sewing buttons or fixing a hem can breathe new life into a garment and extend its lifespan. Clothing pieces should not be discarded over tiny flaws

Shop intentionally

Besides extending the lifespan of your wardrobe pieces by repurposing, swapping, etc., shopping intentionally is also important to ensure sustainability. Ankita suggests that one should only buy fashion items that they love and will use often. Choosing natural or low-impact materials over synthetics like polyester, and being aware of the practices that brands follow are other ways to be more mindful while shopping

Read full story: Sustainable style: Upcycling to creating capsule wardrobe, here’s how you can adopt eco-conscious fashion practices