Secondhand, Shopping, Sustainable Fashion

My Favorite Sustainable YouTubers

I haven’t always shopped sustainably, especially when I was younger. I can’t even say sustainability was on my radar until some of my favorite YouTubers brought up the issue or explained why their content would be changing to more sustainable options. How many times can I say sustainable in this blog post?

Many of my favorite YouTuber’s weren’t always sustainable either, I actually found most from watching their fast fashion hauls–especially ones on Forever 21.

So here they are, my top 5 in no particular order…

dianachamomile

This Diana, from dianachamoile. She has a very girly vintage style and her videos are like little art pieces.

HellaJam

This is Jamie or Jam, from HellaJam. She’s a very funky momma that finds one of a kind pieces- all the time.

mademoiselle

This is also Jamie, from mademoiselle. She has a very chic and classic style and has amazing lookbooks.

Sarah Hawkinson

This is Sarah, from Sarah Hawkinson. She has an edgy style and makes really interesting “no makeup Monday” videos.

Wear I Live

This is Jenny, from Wear I Live. She has a very eclectic style and a really laidback attitude.

All of these ladies have done an awesome job at influencing me to make the change to a more sustainable closet so make sure you go check them out!

*Sidenote: most of these badass women have videos explaining their sustainability journey and are worth watching too!

Secondhand, Shopping, Sustainable Fashion

So I Finally Watched “The True Cost” Documentary…

watch “The True Cost” documentary here

Oh… my… goodness… I’m not quite sure I have ever been so disgusted and saddened by humanity in my entire life. I won’t lie, this documentary was hard to watch, but it is vital to understand just what the fast fashion industry has done to not only the environment but also to humanity.

Many of us are fortunate to be able to afford basic needs as well as indulge in shopping fast fashion brands but at what cost?

“The True Cost” documentary, published in 2015, is about what the fast fashion industry has done to the environment and humanity in a lot of third-world-countries. The documentary reveals in the first fifteen minutes about some of the humanitarian disasters the fast fashion industry is responsible for such as several factory fires and the collapse of the Dhaka factory that killed over 1,000 people. It then follows a few people’s lives that have been greatly impacted by the fast fashion industry, such as a factory worker, an ethical fashion designer, and an organic cotton farmer to name a few. The documentary also focuses on how the fast fashion industry ruins the environment from pollution and how this affects people in nearby villages such as how the runoff contaminates the drinking water causing cancer and birth defects for many children. It may seem that this documentary only focuses on the doom and gloom, but it is more so trying to bring the reality of this industry to life and put faces and stories to the $5.99 shirts and $20 jeans that we wear.

I feel that we often justify the sweatshops by saying “well, those people need a job anyways” but those people also deserve a living wage and safe working conditions too. They’re people, just like us… which is why I am even more dedicated now to not buy fast fashion. Hopefully, if enough of us boycott the fast fashion industry because of the impact it has on the environment and more importantly, the effect it has on humanity we can make a difference. For all of us.

Welcome

Welcome!

Hi there and welcome to Secondhand September!

My name is Alysha, I am a 25-year-old college student who is interested in how I can help the environment by shopping sustainably instead of supporting fast fashion.

To be honest, I have been thrifting all of my life. I first grew the love for it when I was little from my grandma and never really stopped. It wasn’t until I started watching my favorite YouTubers and reading other sustainable fashion blogs that I realized the fast fashion industry was such a huge issue to the environment. It is because of their influence and inspiration that I have/am making the move to shop secondhand or shop from sustainable fashion brands.

Throughout this blog, you will find resources, articles, videos and everything you need to become educated and a simple place to start because I know this sounds daunting. I’m with you on that. Trust me. I want this journey to not only be educational but to also be enlightening and fun.

So please come along and join me in making the switch the simple way!