Search Results
221 items found for ""
- Welcome to Shidonna Raven – Fashion
This is a place where fashionistas and those who like the quality of master craftsmanship can be themselves. Tell us all about you? What do you like most about fashion? Leave your comments and questions. We love hearing from fashionistas and people with a strong fashion sense, so look for a reply. What will you be carrying this season? Why? Which Shidonna Raven Fashion will you choose? How will you accessorize this season? Send us a picture ! It could be featured in our blog. Share your comments with the community and this post with 3 of your family and friends. #fashion #shidonnaravenfacom #highfashion #shidonnaravenfashiondesign #fashiondesign #womensclothes #home #clothes #clothing #shidonnaraven #shidonnaravenfashion #welcome
- Reupholster Your Furniture
By Hadley Mendelsohn September 22, 2021 Source: House Beautiful Photo Source: Shidonna Raven FASHION: Heirloom & HOME, The Versatile I Cord To celebrate the launch of the Heirloom & Home Collection, we will be bringing you Home Decor Tips. Enjoy! Reupholstering your furniture will automatically freshen up an entire space. And if you love eclectic decorating, juxtaposition colors in a room works so well—an angular mirror, vivid orange art , marble fireplace, rustic stool, and geometric pottery can all unexpectedly be complemented by the softness of a blush pink chairs. Welcome to the Premier of our Heirloom and Home Collection . How can you re-purpose a space to suit your needs and interests? How can you re-purpose your space for your post pandemic needs? Is your home decor sustainable (climate change friendly)? Send us a picture ! It could be featured in our E Zine. Share your comments with the community and this post with 3 of your family and friends.
- Introduce a New Throw Blanket
By Hadley Mendelsohn September 22, 2021 Source: House Beautiful Photo Source: Unsplash, David P. To celebrate the launch of the Heirloom & Home Collection, we will be bringing you Home Decor Tips. Enjoy! Putting a colorful throw blanket at the end of your bed or flung over the sofa is an easy but transformative design trick. It's also a great way to experiment with colors and prints before fully committing to them. Welcome to the Premier of our Heirloom and Home Collection . How can you re-purpose a space to suit your needs and interests? How can you re-purpose your space for your post pandemic needs? Is your home decor sustainable (climate change friendly)? Send us a picture ! It could be featured in our E Zine. Share your comments with the community and this post with 3 of your family and friends.
- Win one of our Cowls or Scarves 0922*
Source: Shidonna Raven Fashion. All Rights Reserved. Copyright. Photo Source: Shidonna Raven Fashion. Turlee Cowl & Purse . All Rights Reserved. Copyright. Be entered to Win one of our coziest fall and winter season cowls or scarves when you submit a comment on one of our E Magazine posts and complete our survey . Limitations apply* Which one will you choose the scarf or the cowl? Who will it be for? Will you gift it for a special occasion or holiday season? Share the love with your fellow fashionistas by sharing this post with 3 friends and family members today!
- Win one of our Cowls or Scarves 1022*
Source: Shidonna Raven Fashion. All Rights Reserved. Copyright. Photo Source: Shidonna Raven Fashion. Pillar Cowl . All Rights Reserved. Copyright. Be entered to Win one of our coziest fall and winter season cowls or scarves when you submit a comment on one of our E Magazine posts and complete our survey . Limitations apply* Which one will you choose the scarf or the cowl? Who will it be for? Will you gift it for a special occasion or holiday season? Share the love with your fellow fashionistas by sharing this post with 3 friends and family members today!
- Design & Decor Series: Heirloom & HOME Collections, Introduce Contrast
By Hadley Mendelsohn September 22, 2021 Source: House Beautiful Photo Source: Photo Source: Shidonna Raven Fashion. 4 Throw . All Rights Reserved. Copyright. To celebrate the launch of the Heirloom & Home Collection, we will be bringing you Home Decor Tips. Enjoy! To create interesting contrast, replace one thing in an otherwise totally traditional room with something super modern, like this geometric throw and abstract paintings . Welcome to the Premier of our Heirloom and Home Collection . How can you re-purpose a space to suit your needs and interests? How can you re-purpose your space for your post pandemic needs? Is your home decor sustainable (climate change friendly)? Send us a picture ! It could be featured in our E Zine. Share your comments with the community and this post with 3 of your family and friends.
- Win one of our Cowls or Scarves 1122*
Source: Shidonna Raven Fashion. All Rights Reserved. Copyright. Photo Source: Shidonna Raven Fashion. Pillar Cowl . All Rights Reserved. Copyright. Be entered to Win one of our coziest fall and winter season cowls or scarves when you submit a comment on one of our E Magazine posts and complete our survey . Limitations apply* Which one will you choose the scarf or the cowl? Who will it be for? Will you gift it for a special occasion or holiday season? Share the love with your fellow fashionistas by sharing this post with 3 friends and family members today!
- Design & Decor Series: Upcycle Items You Already Own
By Heather Benjamin December 22, 2015 Source: Greenhouse Guide Photo Source: Unsplash, Use what you already own – think candle jars for planters, mason jars for organizing office supplies or kids’ art supplies, or repurposed glass jars for bulk goods. I also enjoy labeling my pantry items with an embossing label maker to add a clean, unified look. You can also find sustainable products that reflect your personal style. For example, I have a sleek graphite compost bin and indigo shibori unpaper towels. How can you shop sustainably for your home? How can this impact the environment positively? Why? Share your comments with the community and this post with 3 of your family and friends.
- Design & Decor Series: Green Homes 101
By Heather Benjamin December 22, 2015 Source: Greenhouse Guide Photo Source: Unsplash, Green Homes 101 Making your home a greener place is a commitment to yourself, your family, your community, and the world. But more than that, it is a learning process. As exciting new technologies, products, and scientific breakthroughs constantly emerge, staying educated on the hows—as well as the whys—of maintaining a green home is the best way to ensure your efforts are as effective and beneficial as possible. The green home defined A green home uses less energy, water and natural resources, creates less waste and is healthier for the people living inside compared to a standard home. It’s as simple as that! A home can be built green, or you can make it green later. A green makeover can happen all at once, or it can be a gradual process. But what it all comes down to is a new way of thinking—and a new way of living. From a more energy-efficient kitchen to a tree-filled backyard paradise, your home can be green top to bottom, front to back, inside and out. And it doesn’t matter whether you rent or own, live in an apartment or single-family home, or live in the city, the suburbs or the country. Benefits of a green home There are many very real benefits to living in a green home, and every day, more and more Americans are discovering those benefits. Green homes are healthier, more durable and more cost-effective. Average Predicted Energy Savings of LEED Homes Based on their average Home Energy Rating System (HERS) scores, homes certified under LEED for Homes since the program launched in January 2008 are predicted, on average, to have the potential for reduced energy usage compared with International Energy Conservation Code standards:LEED CertifiedLEED SilverLEED GoldLEED Platinum~30%~30%48%50-60%.That’s why owning or renting a green home is good for your health, your wallet and our environment. How can you shop sustainably for your home? How can this impact the environment positively? Why? Share your comments with the community and this post with 3 of your family and friends.
- Design & Decor Series: Green Homes 101 Cont'd
By Heather Benjamin December 22, 2015 Source: Greenhouse Guide Photo Source: Unsplash, A healthier home The use of toxin-free building materials in green homes helps combat indoor air pollution, which can be much worse than outdoor pollution. Unhealthy air inside can pose serious health risks for residents. Natural ventilation in green homes, as well as use of mechanical ventilation systems to filter and bring fresh air inside and vent stale air outside, keep residents breathing easy. A cost-efficient home The net cost of owning a green home is comparable to—or even cheaper than—owning a standard home. If up-front costs are higher, it is often because many architects, homebuilders, engineers, plumbers and other industry professionals just don’t have the knowledge and experience to cost-effectively plan, design and build a green home. Finding a professional familiar with green building techniques will save you money and ensure you’re getting the best quality work possible. Month after month, people who live in green homes save money by consuming less energy and less water than standard homes. Over the years, that adds up to big savings. A healthier home can mean fewer expensive doctor’s visits and fewer days of missed work. Soon it will cost less to insure a green home than a standard home. An increasing number of insurance companies are offering discounts on policies covering green homes. Similarly, several mortgage companies offer discounted loan rates for homebuyers buying green. A green home is often more durable than a standard home because of its high-quality building materials and construction processes, requiring fewer repairs. The value of a green home is often higher than that of a comparable standard home, and the market demand for green homes continues to rise. The Solaire, a green residential high-rise in New York City, brings in rents 10 to 15 percent higher than market rates, and in Rocklin, California, the LEED-certified homes in the Carsten Crossings development outsold the competition two to one. Local, state, and federal governments are increasingly offering tax breaks and other incentives for building LEED homes or adding green features to your home. An environmentally friendly home Residential cooling and heating alone make up 20 percent of the United States’ yearly energy use. Throw in , appliances and other electronic equipment, and homes are clearly a major source of energy consumption. Most of that energy comes from greenhouse gas producers like oil and coal, contributing to global climate change. Green homes use 40 percent less energy than comparable standard homes. Some green homes further reduce our dependence on conventional energy sources, as they generate some or all of their energy needs through alternative energy sources such as the sun, wind, geothermal energy and biomass. Efficient plumbing and bath fixtures, drought-tolerant landscaping and water-conserving irrigation systems help green homes use less water than standard homes. Far fewer natural resources are used in the construction of a green home. Many green building materials have significant recycled content. Some companies, for example, now make carpets and floor tiles from recycled tires and bottles. Green homes can also be constructed with salvaged materials from demolished buildings. Green homes use materials made from rapidly renewable materials, like bamboo, hemp, agrifibers, and soy-based products. And the use of wood that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council helps promote socially and environmentally beneficial forestry practices. Building a standard 2,500-square-foot home creates approximately two tons of construction waste that ends up in landfills. Construction of a green home, however, generates less waste—often much less. How can you shop sustainably for your home? How can this impact the environment positively? Why? Share your comments with the community and this post with 3 of your family and friends.
- Tax Deductible Home Improvement & Repairs For 2022
By Rebecca Henderson Reviewed by Expert, Riley Adams, CPA March 8, 2021 Source: Wallet Genius Photo Source: Unsplash, Tax credits reduce your tax bill on a dollar-for-dollar basis. However, deductions are what lower your taxable income . The good news is that some home improvements can make your living space better and reap you benefits on your taxes too. There are multiple tax deductible home improvements you can undertake. That new bedroom might just increase your refund. In this article, we’ll show you what kinds of home improvements you can deduct from your taxes. We’ll even show how this can apply to rental properties. Who knows, getting more money back from the IRS could even be the start of your next home improvement project. So, can you write off your home improvements this year? Read on to find out. Home Improvements vs. Repairs: Know the Difference Before you start any work on your home or rental property, be sure you’re clear on the difference between a home improvement and a home repair. This distinction will be critical come tax time. The last thing you want is to end up in hot water with the IRS because you tried to pass off a repair as an improvement on your tax return. Let’s go over a quick description of both a repair and an improvement. Once you understand the difference between the two (which is actually fairly obvious when you think about it), you’ll know how to proceed at tax time. Improvements According to the IRS , a capital improvement is any upgrade or modification that “substantially adds value to your house, prolongs the life of your home or adapts it to new uses.” Increasing the number of bedrooms and/or bathrooms in your home would be an improvement, for example. So would installing energy-efficient outdoor lighting. Other common examples of home improvements are a new roof, new driveway, a new septic system, or brand new appliances. These expenses would be tax deductible or tax credits, depending on the improvements undertaken. Some home improvements are only tax deductible in the year the house is sold, so make sure you keep all receipts and documentation. Repairs The IRS defines a repair as “any modification that restores a home to its original state and/or value.” For example, repairing and/or replacing window screens don’t necessarily add value to the house. Instead, you are merely restoring the original condition of the property. More mundane fixes, like repairing a leaky faucet or replacing a few broken roof shingles, are also merely repairs. In general, home repairs are not tax deductible. However, there are a few exceptions. Repairs made after a natural disaster, repairs to a rental property, and repairs to a home office may also qualify for tax deductions. We’ll discuss these more in a minute. When to Claim Home Improvement Deductions on Your Taxes You can — and should — claim tax deductions in the year your home improvements were done. However, some improvements must be claimed over a few years’ time. Some can only be claimed if you sell the property . For instance, any energy-efficient upgrades you made should be claimed for the energy efficiency tax credit within the same year. That goes for any improvements you make to your rental property or home office. For projects such as a new roof, the deductions can be taken out over several years through something called accelerated depreciation, or MACRS (modified accelerated cost recovery system). The IRS has a detailed page about it here , or you can ask your local tax professional how to make it work on your own tax return. Types of Home Improvement Deductions Here are some specific types of home improvement deductions you can make, depending on what changes you make to your home: 6. Energy-Efficient Improvements There are a variety of upgrades you can make to your home that improve your energy use. Examples include geothermal heat pumps, solar-powered water heaters that heat at least half of the home’s water, and double- or triple-paned energy-efficient windows. Many newer homes may have these types of improvements already. This is typically a tax credit you might take on an older house that needs some updating. Note that you can claim tax credit on energy-efficiency improvements you do to your rental property as well. 5. Improvements to Your Home Office A home office is defined as a space you use exclusively for business purposes on a regular basis. According to BudgetDumpster , “home office improvements are deductible over time with depreciation, and repairs are deductible within the tax year they are completed, since they’re considered necessary for the upkeep of your business.” Typical improvements include new paint, lighting, or flooring. If the pandemic saw you transition to working from home on a more regular (or even permanent) basis, this could be a great choice for you. 4. Rental Property Improvements Unlike with your primary residence, improvements to rental properties “ don’t even need to be upgrades that add substantial value to the property .” Repairs could include projects like fixing damaged cabinets, cracked tiles, faulty appliances, or even the air conditioning. It’s common to do these minor repairs whenever a tenant moves out. These types of improvements should be claimed in the same year they were completed. However, redoing a kitchen or bathroom will add value to your property for many years to come. That means you can’t deduct the entire cost in a single year. 3. Improvements Based on Medical Care Customizing your home to fit your medical needs can be quite expensive. However, you do have the opportunity to deduct some of the cost from your taxes. This comes in handy if someone in your house has any sort of accessibility needs that require modifications or upgrades to your home. In fact, in addition to the cost of making these improvements, you can also deduct any expenses you have to operate and maintain those medically necessary additions. Shower handrails, wheelchair ramps, wider doors and hallways, and any other improvements made for medical purposes are tax deductible. 2. Improvements For Resale Value Any improvements made to your house that increase the resale value are tax deductible, but not only in the year they’re made. This is because they benefit the property over time by adding lasting value. Examples of this type of improvement include permanent additions, installing a security system, adding in a swimming pool, or major landscaping. You may need to spread out these deductions over a few years. You may deduct these over time through the use of MACRS depreciation. Depending on the improvement made, you will need to follow a specific, relevant depreciation schedule to deduct these expenses over their expected useful lifetime. Typically, these will be deducted in under seven years but can vary depending on the type of improvement. Consult the IRS tax guidelines to learn exactly what you need to do to claim these depreciation deductions and lower your taxable income accordingly. 1. Casualty and Theft Improvements/Repairs This one gets a bit tricky. In order to claim a tax deduction on repairs necessary due to a natural catastrophe, “ the disaster needs to be a ‘federally declared disaster’ by the President of the United States. ” So simply replacing roof shingles after a night of high winds won’t qualify, but a federally recognized tornado disaster would. You won’t even really get a tax deduction, per se. It’s more of a break on the damage or losses, which will be helpful when budgeting for repairs. You will have to itemize your deductions. If your insurance company reimburses you , however, you won’t be eligible for the deduction. Make the Most of Your Remodel We recommend speaking with a tax professional in your area before starting any home renovations. It’s much easier to be prepared ahead of time. Specifically, it’s better to keep track of your expenses as you incur them, rather than to have to think back at tax time. You don’t want to be tracking down receipts that might be long gone. Another professional you might consider consulting is a realtor . Even if you’re not thinking of selling your home, it’s a good idea to see what other houses comparable to your own property have in terms of upgrades. You might find inspiration in what has been done to these properties. Or you might find out what to avoid when completing your own improvement project. Most Common Improvements The most common improvements to make include updating kitchen cabinets, adding rooms or bathrooms, and replacing doors and windows. According to TaxAct , “for a mid-range kitchen remodel, you’ll recoup about 57 percent of the cost. For a mid-range bath remodel, you’ll recoup about 70 percent of the cost.” A realtor will know what upgrades will garner you the most profit when it does come time to sell your home. They can advise you where your money will be best spent. You should also know that opting for tax deductions will likely require you to itemize your deductions. Claiming the deductions you’re eligible for is only worth the effort if all of your itemized deductions exceed the IRS standard deduction. That number is $12,550 for the 2021 tax year for individuals, and twice that for married couples. Keep that in mind as you tally up your expenses and prepare your taxes. Improve Your Home, Increase Your Tax Return Renovating your home can be a huge task. When you do, it’s always good to know that you can deduct some of the cost. Just make sure to research your particular improvements ahead of time. And make sure you keep all your receipts. If the whole thing seems confusing to you, it’s never a bad idea to consult a professional. A licensed accountant or tax professional will be able to properly guide you on your home improvement journey. In no time at all, you’ll be well on your way to both upgrading your home and enjoying the financial benefits, too. How can you shop sustainably for your home? How can this impact the environment positively? Why? Share your comments with the community and this post with 3 of your family and friends.
- What Is Fast Fashion and Why Is It So Bad?
April 1, 2023 Source: Good on You Photo Source: Shidonna Raven Fashion. Copyright. All Rights Reserved. Fast fashion is a relatively new phenomenon in the industry that causes extensive damage to the planet, exploits workers, and harms animals. Here’s why it’s best to steer clear when you can. A tragic reality check for fashion Clothes shopping used to be an occasional event—something that happened a few times a year when the seasons changed or when we outgrew what we had. But about 20 years ago, something changed. Clothes became cheaper, trend cycles sped up, and shopping became a hobby. Enter fast fashion and the global chains that now dominate our high streets and online shopping . But what is fast fashion? Why is fast fashion so bad? And how exactly does it impact people, the planet? It was all too good to be true in the oughties. All these stores selling cool, trendy clothing you could buy with your loose change, wear a handful of times, and then throw away. Suddenly everyone could afford to dress like their favourite celebrity or wear the latest trends fresh from the catwalk. Then in 2013, the world had a reality check when the Rana Plaza clothing manufacturing complex in Bangladesh collapsed , killing over 1,000 workers. That’s when consumers really started questioning fast fashion and wondering at the true cost of those $5 t-shirts . If you’re reading this article, you might already be aware of fast fashion’s dark side, but it’s worth exploring how the industry got to this point—and how we can help to change it. What is fast fashion? Fast fashion can be defined as cheap, trendy clothing that samples ideas from the catwalk or celebrity culture and turns them into garments in high street stores at breakneck speed to meet consumer demand. The idea is to get the newest styles on the market as fast as possible, so shoppers can snap them up while they are still at the height of their popularity and then, sadly, discard them after a few wears. It plays into the idea that outfit repeating is a fashion faux pas and that if you want to stay relevant, you have to sport the latest looks as they happen. It forms a key part of the toxic system of overproduction and consumption that has made fashion one of the world’s largest polluters . Before we can go about changing it, let’s take a look at the history. How did fast fashion happen? To understand how fast fashion came to be, we need to rewind a bit. Before the 1800s, fashion was slow. You had to source your own materials like wool or leather, prepare them, weave them, and then make the clothes. The Industrial Revolution introduced new technology—like the sewing machine. Clothes became easier, quicker, and cheaper to make. Dressmaking shops emerged to cater to the middle classes. Many of these dressmaking shops used teams of garment workers or home workers. Around this time, sweatshops emerged, along with some familiar safety issues. The first significant garment factory disaster was when a fire broke out in New York’s Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in 1911. It claimed the lives of 146 garment workers, many of whom were young female immigrants . By the 1960s and 70s, young people were creating new trends, and clothing became a form of personal expression, but there was still a distinction between high fashion and high street. In the late 1990s and 2000s, low-cost fashion reached a peak. Online shopping took off, and fast-fashion retailers like H&M , Zara , and Topshop took over the high street. These brands took the looks and design elements from the top fashion houses and reproduced them quickly and cheaply. With everyone now able to shop for on-trend clothes whenever they wanted, it’s easy to understand how the phenomenon caught on. How to spot a fast fashion brand Some key factors are common to fast fashion brands: Thousands of styles, which touch on all the latest trends. Extremely short turnaround time between when a trend or garment is seen on the catwalk or in celebrity media and when it hits the shelves. Offshore manufacturing where labour is the cheapest, with the use of workers on low wages without adequate rights or safety and complex supply chains with poor visibility beyond the first tier. A limited quantity of a particular garment—this is an idea pioneered by Zara. With new stock arriving in store every few days, shoppers know if they don’t buy something they like, they’ll probably miss their chance. Cheap, low quality materials like polyester, causing clothes to degrade after just a few wears and get thrown away—not to mention the microfibre shedding issue . Why is fast fashion bad? Polluting our planet Fast fashion’s impact on the planet is immense . The pressure to reduce costs and speed up production time means environmental corners are more likely to be cut. Fast fashion’s negative impact includes its use of cheap, toxic textile dyes —making the fashion industry the one of the largest polluters of clean water globally, right up there with agriculture. That’s why Greenpeace has been pressuring brands to remove dangerous chemicals from their supply chains through its detoxing fashion campaigns through the years. Cheap textiles also increase fast fashion’s impact. Polyester is one of the most popular fabrics. It is derived from fossil fuels, contributes to global warming, and can shed microfibres that add to the increasing levels of plastic in our oceans when washed. But even “natural” fabrics can be a problem at the scale fast fashion demands. Conventional cotton requires enormous quantities of water and pesticides in developing countries. This results in drought risks and creates extreme stress on water basins and competition for resources between companies and local communities. The constant speed and demand mean increased stress on other environmental areas such as land clearing, biodiversity, and soil quality. The processing of leather also impacts the environment, with 300kg of chemicals added to every 900kg of animal hides tanned. The speed at which garments are produced also means that more and more clothes are disposed of by consumers, creating massive textile waste. According to some statistics, in Australia alone, more than 500 million kilos of unwanted clothing ends up in landfill every year . Exploiting workers As well as the environmental cost of fast fashion, there’s a human cost. Fast fashion impacts garment workers who work in dangerous environments, for low wages, and without fundamental human rights. Further down the supply chain, the farmers may work with toxic chemicals and brutal practices that can have devastating impacts on their physical and mental health, a plight highlighted by the documentary “ The True Cost “. Coercing consumers Finally, fast fashion can impact consumers themselves, encouraging a “throw-away” culture because of both the built-in obsolescence of the products and the speed at which trends emerge. Fast fashion makes us believe we need to shop more and more to stay on top of trends, creating a constant sense of need and ultimate dissatisfaction. Who are the big players? Many retailers we know today as the fast fashion big players, like Zara or H&M , started as smaller shops in Europe around the 1950s. Technically, H&M is the oldest of the fast fashion giants , having opened as Hennes in Sweden in 1947, expanding to London in 1976, and before long, reaching the States in 2000. Zara follows, which opened its first store in Northern Spain in 1975 . When Zara landed in New York at the beginning of the 1990s, people first heard the term ‘fast fashion’. It was coined by the New York Times to describe Zara’s mission to take only 15 days for a garment to go from the design stage to being sold in stores. Other big names in fast fashion today include UNIQLO, GAP, Primark, and TopShop. While these brands were once seen as radically cheap disruptors, there are now even cheaper and faster alternatives like SHEIN, Missguided, Forever 21, Zaful, Boohoo, and Fashion Nova. These brands are known as ultra fast fashion , a recent phenomenon which is as bad as it sounds. Is fast fashion going green? As an increasing number of consumers call out the true cost of the fashion industry, and especially fast fashion, we’ve seen a growing number of retailers introduce so-called sustainable and ethical fashion initiatives such as in-store recycling schemes . These schemes allow customers to drop off unwanted items in “bins” in the brands’ stores. But it’s been highlighted that only 0.1% of all clothing collected by charities and take-back programs is recycled into new textile fibre . The underlying issue with fast fashion is the speed at which it is produced, putting massive pressure on people and the environment. Recycling and small eco or vegan clothing ranges —when they are not only for greenwashing —are not enough to counter the throw-away culture, the waste, the strain on natural resources, and the myriad of other issues created by fast fashion. The whole system needs to be changed. Is fast fashion in decline? We are starting to see some changes in the fashion industry. The anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse is now Fashion Revolution Week , where people all over the world ask questions like, “Who made my clothes?” and “What’s in my clothes?” Fashion Revolution declares that “we don’t want our clothes to exploit people or destroy our planet”. Millennials and Gen Zers—the drivers of the future economy—may not have caught the fast fashion bug. Some have argued that this generation has “grown too clever for mindless consumerism, forcing producers to become more ethical, more inclusive, and more liberal” . However, ultra fast fashion brands like SHEIN are selling more than ever, and these young shoppers are their target market. There is also a growing interest in moving towards a more circular textile production model, reusing materials wherever and whenever possible. In 2018, both Vogue Australia and Elle UK dedicated entire magazine issues to sustainable fashion, a trend being taken up each year by more and more big names. What can we do? Buying Less is the first step—try to fall back in love with the clothes you already own by styling them differently or even “flipping” them. Why not turn those old jeans into some trendy unhemmed shorts, or give that baggy old jumper new life by turning it into a crop? Creating a capsule wardrobe is also worth considering on your ethical fashion journey. Choose Well is the second step, and choosing a high-quality garment made of eco-friendly fabric is essential here. Choosing well could also mean committing to shopping your closet first, only shopping second hand , or supporting more sustainable brands like those below. Finally, we should Make It Last and look after our clothes by following the care instructions, wearing them until they are worn out, mending them wherever possible, then responsibly recycling them at the very end of their life. Learn about fast fashion’s sustainable alternative, slow fashion How can you shop sustainably for your home? How can this impact the environment positively? Why? Share your comments with the community and this post with 3 of your family and friends.