Sancho’s is the home of sustainable fashion and ethical lifestyle products. Our Black woman owned business is based in Exeter, UK where we believe in doing better, providing sustainable and affordable clothing options. Through activism and spreading awareness, we are working towards a kinder world. Shop our Transparent Pricing collection here, our Organic Cotton Lounge Wear Collection here and read more About Us here.

If you are looking to live a more sustainable lifestyle, then the quickest and easiest change that you can make is to your shopping habits. 85% of textiles go to landfill each year, so by making changes to buy less clothes you stop contributing to the cycle of waste and pollution. Before you buy your clothes, ask yourself these 3 questions and you’re guaranteed to shop more sustainably!

It’s a fact that loved clothes last much longer than clothes that we buy for the sake of buying them. Sometimes we feel that we have the need to buy something, because we crave the excited and happy feeling that comes from a new purchase. But make sure that you think about more reasons than this for buying an item. If you find the perfect piece of clothing that you love, then you are guaranteed to want to wear it over and over again. Plus, even if it gets damaged you are more likely to get your sewing kit out and fix it rather than throwing it away!

Only buying items that we love stops us from finding a dress that we bought 5 years ago and never wore at the back of our wardrobe, and makes our clothes feel more valuable.

Our ethically made Oliana Jumpsuit has 42 5-star reviews because our customers love it! One customer said that “Wore with killer red heels and a statement belt felt a million dollars, wore with trainers and it is so comfortable and light I never want to take it off.” We want all of our customers to love every piece of clothing that they buy from us so that they are loved and worn for years to come!

The average woman keeps a piece of clothing in her wardrobe for 5 weeks and wears it only seven times before disposing of it! In the UK an estimated 350,000 tonnes of clothes end up in landfill each each, and nearly half of the clothes in the average UK person’s wardrobe are never worn. This is mostly because they have gone out of style or no longer fit.

If we continued to actively wear a garment for just nine months longer, it would diminish its environmental impact by 20-30%! This means that if we wore each item of clothing at least 30 times carbon emissions would be drastically reduced. The 30 wears challenge was started by Olivia Firth of Eco-Age as a way for regular people to have positive change on the world and embrace sustainable fashion.

Asking yourself whether you would wear a piece at least 30 times brings up multiple questions:

How good is the quality of the product?

Will it last at least 30 washes?

Will I still want to wear this in 6 months time?

Will I still want to wear this in a years time?

These questions are crucial to shopping sustainably. Thinking about whether you would wear a piece of clothing in a year forces you to think more broadly about your style and whether the piece is not going to be stylish in the future. This will help to prevent you buying clothes that were fashionable for one month and then out of style for years.

Plus, good quality pieces last longer. At Sancho’s, we only stock ethically sourced natural fabrics. This means that all of our clothes are made from sustainable materials that wear well for a long time. Buying high quality ethical pieces means that your clothes will last longer and wash better. By aiming to wear each piece at least 30 times you will reduce your carbon emissions and spend less money. Check out our values here.

Its easy to buy clothes thinking that “This is so me”, but “me” is a fluid idea that can change as the seasons change. So it is important to imagine what you want your life to look like and then ask whether this item supports that vision?

If you want your life to be simpler, more minimalist with a capsule wardrobe, don’t buy the item that can’t be worn in 5 different ways. Buy classic items that are in style throughout the year and can be layered with different items depending on the weather. Like our ethically made Oliana Jumpsuit which can be layered with an eco-friendly cardigan in the Winter or the sustainable Cap Tee in White which is the perfect basic top to style with your favourite ethical bottoms! These items can be easily styled without having the feeling of 'nothing to wear'.

Or if you want your life to be more colourful and joyful, buy a few statement bright items that can be mix and matched with your staple jeans or ethical trousers. The organic cotton Kenzie Top in Pink is perfect for adding bright colour to your wardrobe. Or the sustainable  Straight Sweater in Stem Green is ideal for layering over any neutral look all year round, to keep you warm whilst adding a pop of colour to your outfit.

The fashion trends change every year, but your idea of what you want your life to look like will not change as much. So shop whilst looking forward to the future to reveal whether you will love an item forever.

You can also ask yourself these questions when organising and de-cluttering your wardrobe to create a wardrobe that you love. We never want you to say the phrase “I have nothing to wear”, because your wardrobe should be filled with classic sustainable staples that can be worn for years. By buying less pieces that are more versatile you will change your shopping habits, reduce your carbon footprint, and love all of your clothes. To find sustainable fashion essentials shop our Comfort Capsule Range here.

Do you have items in your wardrobe that need re-homing? You love them but they just aren't being worn enough? Register your interest in Shwap now here and stay tuned on @wowsancho and @shwap.uk instagram for updates to a new vision for circular fashion!

Written by Hannah Judge