'Loved Clothes Last' by Orsola de Castro

If you love clothes but struggle to know how to best look after them, you are not alone.

In a world that has conditioned us all to over-consume and discard, getting the correct information on how to look after your clothes to make them last can be hard. Enter stage left; sustainable hero and Fashion Revolution co-founder Orsola de Castro!

Orsola has written a new book entitled ‘Loved Clothes Last’ which aims to encourage us to keep and look after the clothes we have, instead of the constant cycle of decluttering and amassing even more!

The self-proclaimed “Obsessive keeper” shares her advice to make garments live as long as possible and we are super excited to dive into her book.

Orsola de Castro, founder of Fashion Revolution and author of ‘Loved Clothes Last’

Here are some tips that she shared with The Guardian on how to shop sustainably and look after those prized pieces:

Look at the Label

Before you buy, be sure to look at the materials. Is this something you love enough to look after in the right way? Will you wear it often and it will require lots of washing? De Castro warns us of all of the microfibres that are released when we wash something synthetic like polyester. The solution? Only buy polyester items that don’t need washing regularly, like coats.

Wash Less

Talking of washing, we all wash our clothes more regularly and more harshly than we need to. By doing this, we are wearing our clothes out faster, shortening their lives. Remove stains by just gently washing the area (not the whole garment), and if it is time to give it a proper wash, do it at 30 degrees.

via Unsplash

Reimagine Clutter

Start thinking about your clothes as what they are: matter. By throwing them out, they do not disappear but most likely end up in landfill. Before buying a garment, think about how you can make it last as long as possible to avoid it going to waste. 

Embrace Imperfections

The small stains, holes and imperfections on our clothes tell a story and show how well loved the pieces are. De Castro’s top tip for making them less obvious are brooches and pins - she always carries a few around with her to place over holes to add an individual spin to garments. 

If the garment is a bit beyond jazzing it up with a brooch then repair it. She is a big fan of boro which is a Japanese technique of patching denim to make the repairs and stitching more obvious, again to embrace individuality.

Write to the Government

De Castro reminds us of the glaring fact that 100% of the population buys and wears clothes. As consumers, we all should have an interest in an industry we rely on so heavily. However, without putting pressure on brands to reform and governments to legislate against bad practice we won’t get very far alone. We can hold institutions to account that have the power to make real change. 

(Not mentioned in Orsola’s list, but…) Share and Swap!

By using platforms like Nuw, we can help reduce the amount of clothes going to landfill. Even when we donate clothes to charity shops with good intention, the vast majority are not used in a sustainable way. Clothes are often sent abroad to countries such as Haiti and Ghana, which is leading to a loss of local textile skills as western fashions flood the market with the volume often exceeding the demand. 

When swapping and borrowing clothes locally, we prolong their lives without adding to their carbon footprint. It's also cheaper than buying new and often leaves you with much more special and individual pieces! 

Loved Clothes Last by Orsola de Castro is out now.