Sustainable practices are the new classic! Being creative and finding multiple ways to wear your pieces is the best way to once for all say goodbye to the “wear it once” culture. According to public data shared by Panaprium, the average American throws away 70 pounds of clothing every year, and it is time to give Mother Earth a break.

Being a fashion icon in every level of life sounds like goals, but honestly, re-wearing the statement outfit that received thousands of likes on Instagram isn’t bad when: 1- you are helping the environment and 2- you are sharing with your followers some mindblowing ways on how to do it.

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To help us all implement conscious practices, our friends from Lucy and Yak shared with HOLA! USA their top tips towards breaking away from using your clothes one time. From mixing and matching to accessorizing, these tips will save your closet and your purse.

Take care of your closet: it’s time to say goodbye to the ‘wear it once’ culture

As “how to shop more sustainably” (+133%) and “top sustainable clothing brands” (+55%) searches have increased over the last 90 days, as reported in the Keyword Tool Data, it seems Americans are trying to tackle the wear it once culture by force in 2022.

With the first month of the year being open to mindfulness and healing, why are individuals spending this time trolling the web for new outfits and only wearing them once?

Let’s ask the question one more time! Why are people only wearing it once?

For many choosing an #OOTD (outfit of the day) can be a time-consuming process, and on average, women spend 16 minutes of their weekday mornings deciding what to wear, according to Glamour. With so many of your wardrobe pieces not cutting your OOTD, this results in the average American throwing away 70 pounds of clothing every year.

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Whether it’s due to fear of judgment or financial status, opting only to wear an outfit once is not sustainable. So how can you confidently wear your outfits more than once while changing things up?

• Mix and match – If you have a favorite top you’d really like to wear, but don’t want to wear the same skirt or bottoms you’ve worn before, try mixing and matching it with different pieces in your wardrobe – a dress can look very different with heels and a sparkly bag than it does with a white t-shirt under it matched with sneakers.
• Have a fashion show – Another top tip is to take all your clothes out of your wardrobe (or at least the ones you’re bored of), put your favorite happy playlist on, and dance about your room trying on different outfits, seeing what sparks joy, what creative combinations your happy mind comes up with and how much fun you can have with trying on clothes.
• Accessorize – Any outfit can feel renewed with layered necklaces, a vintage rucksack, or a thrifted hat. Take out all your accessories and lay them out on the bed – look at the colors, the shapes, and patterns and match them up with items of clothing that pair well, or even clothing that clashes to create a statement.
• Try dye - Got a white t-shirt that you’re considering getting rid of because it has some slight discoloration, or it just feels a bit basic? Try experimenting with fabric dye to give your t-shirt a new lease of life, either going for a classic tie-dye or maybe even trying dip-dyeing.
• Find inspiration – Check out Pinterest or Instagram to see what your favorite influencers are wearing right now – but before you follow the link, think about whether you have something similar in your wardrobe to recreate the look. We love seeing eco-conscious influencers reuse their clothes in fun ways. This is a great way to look at all your clothing in a new light and perhaps pull together outfits you would never have thought of yourself.

“The cotton in most of our clothing tends to be grown in dry environments, requiring about 7,500–10,000 liters of water to produce. That’s about ten years’ worth of drinking water for one person,” said Ilyanna Peters from Treepoints. “By combatting our compulsion to over-consume, being mindful of the things we buy and support, and reusing, re-wearing, and repurposing, we would have a more planet positive and socially responsible way of living!”

“Fundamentally, when it comes to purchasing clothes, the most important thing is thinking about how much you buy, where from and the quality. Because clothes have become so cheap, we no longer care as much about quality,” Peters says. “We just buy new garments when the ones we have lost their shape or appeal. If we stop buying poor quality, it will push brands to improve the quality of their garments. It will also allow us to keep our clothes longer, which is good for your wallets and for the environment. But in the meantime, take care of your items- wash your clothes in cold water and repair them yourself if you can.”