How I Dress Stylishly and Ethically Without Breaking The Bank - Contest #226

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I still remember the moment I learned about sustainable fashion... that was the day I realized how unsustainable my shopping habits were. As a designer, fashion is something I love so much,,, maybe because there's kinda a connection between design and fashion... that's why there is fashion design :D.

But jokes aside, I love to dress well and stylish and my vast knowledge of colors and patterns from my years and experience as a designer come into play here to help me pick the best fabric for custom made clothe designs or ready made designs and also know what and what colors go well together...

For me, I'm a huge fan of complementary colors... for people without in-depth knowledge of colors... by complementary colors, I mean colors that are opposite each other in the color wheel... for example... teal and orange go fantastically well together, purple and yellow work great as well, Pink and Mint Green and many more complementary color combinations...

These complementary color harmony can never go wrong no matter the choice of colors as far as you combine the right complementary colors.

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The first time i heard about sustainable fashion, I thought it's something only meant for celebrities and rich people... but here's the thing I found out when I began to learn more about it deeply...

Sustainable fashion is not meant for celebrities or rich people only... in fact, anyone can embrace sustainable fashion and dress stylishly and ethically without spending too much money on expensive clothes and accessories.

Ever since i discovered sustainable fashion, I've come to realize how fun it is... it allows you to be really creative (which is something I already love to do :D) and above all, It's affordable.

Don't get it twisted about sustainable fashion sounding so Boujee... in fact, it's something anyone can do and the sweetest part is that it doesnt have to be perfect...

For me, all that matters is making good choices and having the right sense of colors and patterns and how to combine colors and patterns in a way that it appears stylish.

And no, it doesn’t mean you have to wear the same dress outfit for a month straight because you want to be sustainable and spend less :D (if that's your choice the there's no problem at all). It’s about being intentional of the fashion wear you buy, the price, where it comes from, and your need for it.

So, how do I dress stylishly and ethically without breaking my budget?

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My go to way to dress stylishly and ethically without breaking my budget is Thrifting like it's my job... A lot of people think thrifting is old fashioned but I tell you, you can find some really interesting, unique and stylish fashion wears in a thrift shop.

I refer to it as a goldmine that's really really underrated. Back in the days, I used to think second-hand clothes were for the poor only or outdated (even though it's really a market saturated by people who cannot really afford to buy the new cloths)...

But in recent times, thrift shops have been heavily patronized by people who really care about sustainable fashion and affordable fashion wears while also dressing stylishly and ethically,

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The thing I like about going to the thrift shop to shop is that, you never know what you'll find... It's like an adventure... you go there with all the excitement because you know there's a huge chance you'll be faced with a lot of surprises.

Imagine picking up a practically unworn Madewell denim jacket for $15. Fifteen freaking dollars!... A new Madewell denim jacket is sold for about $118... Like I said, the jacket is practically unworn because it still looks like new... that's the beauty of thrifting.

Sometimes people think thrifting is just about the price tags... For me, It's about giving perfectly good clothes a new home and a second life instead of letting them turn to waste and become a problem to the lands and water bodies.

Plus, there's something so satisfying about finding something that not many people will have or the best part, finding a one of a kind piece.

With my deep knowledge of colors, patterns and textures, I can rock fashion wears from the thrift shop and still look stunning and stylish and ethical while keeping my bank account healthy.