How to extend the life of your clothes?
To limit the environmental and social impact of the fashion industry, the priority is to buy less but better .
The key ? Prioritize the purchase of durable parts and maintain them well, to keep them for a long time. Because the most responsible clothing is the one that lasts .
From purchase to transmission, from maintenance to storage, here we share some tips to help you prolong the life of your clothes.
Buy quality clothes
Many things are at stake when choosing the pieces that join your wardrobe.
The secret to a lasting wardrobe? Beautiful materials, timeless cuts, solid and modular pieces.
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Pay attention to their composition:
A rule to remember: favor renewable natural materials such as cotton, wool and linen.
We favor organic cotton, which is more respectful of the environment since the certification prohibits chemical inputs and GMOs. The wool is also to be chosen organic, to guarantee compliance with eco-responsibility and animal well-being standards.
We keep in mind that flax and hemp plant fibers are very interesting options: their culture is less water-intensive than that of cotton and they can be grown locally (France is the world's leading producer of flax!).
Recycled materials can be a good alternative, bearing in mind that synthetic fibres, even recycled ones (e.g. recycled polyester from our fleeces) continue to emit micro-particles of plastic during each washing cycle (see paragraph on washing).
Find more information on the materials to avoid or to favor in an article published soon and in this infographic from ADEME .
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Check the robustness of the confection :
A durable garment is one that is well made and sewn with care. To ensure its solidity and the quality of its finishes, we do not hesitate to touch it and observe it in detail. Turning the fabric allows you to observe the seams, the finishes. We check in particular that the points are resistant, the buttons and the zips sewn firmly.
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Bet on the timeless :
Sharp trends pass quickly. By favoring pieces with clean, classic or even iconic cuts, we avoid the “quickly outdated” effect.
To assert your style, customize them by adding accessories: pretty brooches on a T-shirt, a belt on a blazer, necklaces on a sweater.
Or by experimenting with new ways to wear them: a light skirt goes out in winter with tights and boots, a denim jacket slips under a trench coat, a chunky knit is worn as a dress,...
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Look for labels :
GOTS, Oeko-Tex, European Ecolabel, Fairtrade… each label certifies compliance with specific specifications including environmental or social criteria: non-toxicity, circular economy, product origin, animal well-being, proportion of organic fibers , etc....
We spot them on the labels of the clothes, to guide our choices.
Find more information on the labels most used in the textile industry in France on the website of the Union des Industries Textiles .
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Find out about the manufacturing conditions :
We inquire with the brands to ensure respect for the workers throughout the production chain. More and more of them are detailing this information on their site, and sometimes even directly on the clothing label.
We favor pieces bearing a label guaranteeing good working conditions, such as Fair Wear Foundation , World Fair Trade Organization , Fair for Life , etc.
Remember that buying a garment made of organic fibers offers no guarantee on the social aspect, organic cotton can also be harvested in unworthy conditions!
Take care of washing your clothes
Washing and drying our clothes generates half of their environmental impact [1] because they release plastic microparticles in the wastewater, which ends up in the oceans. Result: washing textiles pollutes marine ecosystems more than plastic bags [1] !
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Limit washes :
The more you wash your clothes, the more you damage their fibers - this is all the more true for sweaters and jeans - and the more you pollute.
By limiting washing, we increase the life of clothes while reducing its ecological footprint.
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Follow the washing instructions :
Before launching a machine, we check the labels.
Some items require a more delicate cycle than others, but in general, washing clothes at 30 or 40° is more than enough.
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Review your habits :
We avoid too violent spinning which stretches the clothes, the dryer which removes material and causes it to shrink, dry cleaning which damages the fibers and pollutes.
You wash your clothes upside down, with an eco-labelled detergent, without overloading the machine and using nets to protect the most fragile parts, then you favor drying in the open air.
Keep your clothes in the best conditions
Caring for clothes also involves how to put them away, how to take care of them on a daily basis and how to mend them if necessary.
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Organize your clothes properly :
We choose beautiful rounded wooden hangers that do not deform the pieces. For fabrics that stretch easily, we prefer folding to bending, at the risk of ending up with one sleeve longer than the other...
If you plan not to wear certain clothes for several months - especially at the change of season - the use of storage covers is a great option: they protect the rooms from humidity, dust and insects. For knits and thick sweaters, we opt for flat storage in storage boxes to avoid any deformation.
Storing your clothes correctly helps to avoid unpleasant surprises in the new season (see point on moths!). In addition, this is THE good time to sort out and declutter your closet.
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Prevent the appearance of moths :
To avoid moths and other pests that damage our clothes, we favor natural products that repel them: lavender, sweet woodruff, thyme, bay leaf or cedar or mint essential oil. And we remember to air the cupboards regularly.
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Caring for the leather :
To prolong the life of leather shoes, jackets and bags, they are carefully maintained. The mild soap, microfiber fabric and special leather balm combo works wonders. In the event of major damage to be repaired, the parts are entrusted to a professional.
Give second-hand clothes a second life
Donation, barter, resale, deposit in the textile terminals: the options are multiple to offer a new life to the clothes which one wishes to part with.
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Sort regularly :
We take advantage of the end of each season to tidy up and reorganize our dressing room, but also to sort things out.
Getting rid of clothes that are too small or too big and those that you no longer wear allows you to make room and identify the missing pieces to renew your wardrobe with clothes that are truly adapted to your needs.
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Repair damaged parts :
To keep your favorite clothes for longer, mastering the basics of sewing is lifesaving.
Whether it's sewing on a button, repairing a tear or redoing a hem, these techniques are accessible to everyone (long live the tutorials on the internet) and make it easy to extend the life of your favorite pieces.
If you don't feel up to it, you go to a dressmaker or a Repair café.
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Pass on your clothes :
Clothes that we no longer wear can be resold: consignment stores, second-hand platforms, vintage shop, ..., there are plenty of options!
You may prefer to donate it to relatives or associations, by depositing it directly at solidarity collection points (Emmaüs, Le Secours Populaire, etc.) or at textile terminals.
They will thus live a new life in the hands of a new happy owner.
Clothes that are too worn or degraded to be passed on are kept to be turned into household rags!
At all stages of a garment's life cycle, there is only one solution to make the right choices: get informed and demand brand transparency .
To dress responsibly, we start by asking ourselves the right questions: what clothing do I really need? Should I buy it new or can I bet on other modes of consumption: borrowing, renting, buying second-hand? Which piece to choose and how to take care of it so that it lasts?
Extending the life of one's clothes thus becomes a militant act: it is contributing, at one's level, to developing the fashion industry by supporting a more virtuous mode of consumption.
[1] ADEME infographic “How to reduce the impact of my look”
