Looking for eco-friendly outfit ideas for a last-minute trip? That was me last weekend when I had to go to Goa for an unavoidable family weekend. Lucky for you and I, sustainable fashion isn’t difficult and can even cater to our social made created “need” of having a new look for every vacation without needing new clothes.

Interested?

Well, then, here’s what I did to create a sustainable weekend “fit of the day” for the beach vacation I was on.

How to Create a Look with Sustainable Fashion Items for an Impromptu trip

The key to sustainable and slow fashion is to not buy new as far as possible. Which becomes easier when it’s a last-minute plan, because who has the time to shop then? The problem arises when even in the rush we choose to buy new, because of course then we turn to fast fashion.

Am I saying that buying new when needed is bad? Of course not! I brought new beach slippers from D-mart because I didn’t have any and the sustainable pair I was trying to order had a delivery date that wouldn’t work for me. But where we can, let’s try and reduce.

Wait, Anjali, how can I create new outfits then?

Well, for one, this obsession with a new look for every picture isn’t very eco-friendly…but if it adds true value to your life then it can be done in a sustainable manner. It just requires you to be creative. Mix-and-match baby! Borrow that hat baby! Use what you own, and try to thrift what you don’t.

Badly written songs aside, here’s what I would suggest based on my trip for your sustainable outfits.

Use What You Own

The most sustainable item is what’s already in your wardrobe. Best part is that it likely fits well, you know how to style it in a manner that makes you feel beautiful, if you wish you can mend it or be creative by styling the piece differently, and it’s easy on your wallet.

Now since I like to use what works for me, my preferred go to is either just wearing something I have worn before, and I am sentimental so that’s very likely, or styling it up just a little differently. Like I did for my flight from Pune to Goa.

And yes, since it was a last-minute unavoidable trip and because I have health concerns about traveling alone in trains, I had to choose the imperfect yet realistically sustainable route that is flying. Honestly, a flight for half-an-hour is scarring. But sometimes, life gets in the way of our lifestyle.

Back to clothing though.

This rarely worn outfit from my college days coupled with a blazar I owned from my days as a corporate girlie, made a chic business casual look that kept me warn on the plane but that could also be worn in Goa…until I hit the beaches that is.

While I would have preferred to wear the same fit the whole day, my mother likes it when I dress up and honestly beaches aren’t made for a dress this light. I would rather not stain it and increase my workload.

But does that mean I wasn’t sustainable?

You know me…so the answer is no. Of course, I was eco-conscious in my choices.

A little mix-and-match and I had two fits out of three pieces of clothing.

Two beaches, two days, two shirts, and the same shorts.

Wait, Anjali isn’t unhygienic?

Wait, Anjali, did you have to wash the shorts?

Well. No.

I didn’t wash the shorts. And yes, if I rolled around in the sane, that would be unhygienic. But the pants were a sturdy denim and while I didn’t focus on it, since I kept them dry, just shaking out the sand, and a quick air dry cleaned them right out.

Of course, if they had got a lot of sand or mud or stains, I wouldn’t have done this, which is why I had an extra pair of pants handy.

But what if you don’t have the right fits for the vacation?

Well, Anjali, then I will have to shop.

Or will you?

Borrow

I am lucky to have a sister and cousins whom I can exchange fits with. Those shorts that I am wearing? Originally belonged to my sister. As did this dress. She loves shopping and while she chooses slow when she can, she also doesn’t like reusing. Not the most sustainable, I agree, but since we swap clothes a lot, my cousins, friends, and I end up getting a lot of clothes which do us well for ages and she gets new looks.

Styling them different or if she’s okay with it, alternations or add ons like patches can create a new look out of a borrowed or inherited outfit.

Where else have you seen this pink dress? Perhaps in this skit about stress and eco-mistakes.

Thrift/slow fashion

Well Anjali, all that is good but borrowing is not an option for me and I badly need an outfit. Well, girl, then you still have eco-friendly clothing options.

Thrifting

Buy second hand from stores like FreeUp or Relove is always a better option than buying new. It keeps items that have been produced in circulation, thus reducing the need for new resources. Icing on the cake? It also keeps items from ending up in the landfills or clogging the Global South.

But if your culture like mine doesn’t support thrifting, here are a few alternatives to thrift store shopping.

Factory Discards

Relove also carries factory discards. As do other stores. Clothing with minor defects that cannot be sold in stores is sold to eco-conscious consumers, keeping resources in circulation and reducing textile waste.

But if you must buy, which can happen, and you have the time, the best choice is…

Slow, Ethical, and Eco-friendly Fashion

 Are all my clothes made of low-impact fabrics?

No.

Some leech microplastics, some aren’t vegan, some were bought from stores where I am not sure whether they are fast fashion, and some are fast fashion. They represent a lifetime of choices and lessons. And even the fast fashion ones? They add immense value to my life.

While I still sometimes falter and choose fast pieces, most of my new items these days are either thrifted or slow fashion. Imperfect slow fashion can include organic cotton or even conventional cotton items for they are suited to the Indian weather, but I try and stick to fabrics like hemp from companies which prioritize fair wages, zero-waste, upcycled clothing, recycled fabrics, ethical sourcing of materials, and transparent supply chains.

Or I get the fabric from trusted, ethical and eco-friendly stores, and get my unique outfits stitched to ensure I have a look I will love for a good while, that is just mine.

But if there no sustainable stores near you and the online ones are taking time, where can you go?

Local stores

When on a vacation, I prioritize buying local. I often fail…but my choice of  vacation items is always local and preferably hand-made. Only things that I absolutely love and feel will add a lot of my cupboard are allowed to breach this.

And in Goa, I got this white local non-wool top to wear at the beach…which I paired with a black skirt I have owned for years but never managed to pair with something long enough to wear it out. And yes, it was first my sister’s. If memory serves.

But despite all my gyaan I am not perfect. My slippers were from a local D-mart and could be fast fashion. While I carry my reusable bag everywhere, I know organic cotton has a considerable impact. In Goa, alone, I bought some swim suits which added value to my life and were unique but had been imported. Which means they could be fast-fashion. And travel emissions.

Or they could be locally made in another country.

Essentially, the point all this knowledge and making eco-habits can help us live a sustainable lifestyle based on reduce, reuse, and recycle. But if we make mistakes, it is alright…as long as we try to learn from it. We all have our limits and journeys, which need to be honoured to be healthy. After all, healthy and realistically ethical and green living will always be imperfect and unique.

What did you think? Did the clothing match the vibe of Goa?

Or do I need a fashion intervention like my sister says?

And would you like a video with advice from my mom on how to take care of clothes to ensure they last years like mine do?

The comments await you, my guy!

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