FASHION AND BEAUTY

Avoiding waste: how to make clothes last longer

Recycling and reusing clothes have been common over time, but our generation seems to have forgotten these techniques. So, it begs the question: can we repurchase these skills and apply them to our wardrobe to extend the life of our clothes?

Especially in this day and age, which is pushing more and more on recycling and reusing clothes through various channels, the ability to make clothes last as long as possible also becomes crucial to combat waste and pollution.

Techniques for doing this exist, but it is actually not as simple as it may seem.

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Avoiding waste: how to make your clothes last longer, and maintain, the right way
Recycling and reusing clothes have been commonplace over time, but our generation seems to have forgotten these techniques. So, it begs the question: can we repurchase these skills and apply them to our wardrobe to extend the life of our clothes? Especially in this day and age, which is pushing more and more on recycling and reusing clothes through various channels, the ability to make clothes last as long as possible also becomes crucial to combat waste and pollution. Techniques for doing this exist, but it is actually not as simple as it may seem.
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Reshaping clothes
Let's face it, all of the tips here require a certain amount of manual dexterity, if you want to do it yourself, or the help of a grandmother or, in the absence, a tailor. Remodeling old garments was a common practice for centuries, even in high society, and not just among the poor, as we are used to thinking. Women would go searching in their grandmothers' trunks or attics and find clothes that had been perfectly preserved for a generation or more, and then take them to their tailors to have them remodeled in the fashionable style of the time.
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Mending and patching (and considering them distinctive elements)
At one time, clothes were mended because fabrics were scarce, and people did not have much money to buy new ones. In addition, each person had skills such that they could mend their own clothes. Nowadays, the habit of mending, destroyed by the introduction of ready-to-wear, should be recovered. Instead, patches and mending on clothes should celebrate the life of the garment, and should, even today, be worn with pride.
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Creativity is key
Different pieces of clothing can be worn in various ways, for various occasions and seasons. Matching different accessories, and different pieces of clothing (e.g. matching different jackets with skirt that has tired you out) can be very useful to avoid throwing away, prematurely, clothes that are still perfectly intact.
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Handing down clothes (the vintage)
In recent years, vintage flea markets, or even used-clothing selling apps, are slowly expanding. This is a great technique for several reasons: first of all, vintage is always coming back into fashion, so having some "old" clothes in your closet never hurts. Second, something you don't like and no longer wear can be a real treasure for someone else, saving money, time and even materials.
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Washing tips
Very often, nowadays, we throw things in the washing machine without reading the manufacturer's label at all, on which there is also the correct way to wash. Almost always, in fact, they contain valuable suggestions, such as turning jeans and velvet garments inside out before washing, washing delicates only in cold water or not using the dryer.
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Taking care of what you have
If one watches footage from even just after World War II, not to go too far back, one immediately notices the care with which clothes were handled. Among the tips for making clothes last longer is to treat one's clothing with grace, delicacy and care. Just to give a few examples: don't throw your coat on the chair on which the cat sleeps; don't put wet shoes in front of the fire for them to dry out and lose their shape; make sure there are no moths and similar insects in the closets.
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