An Interview with Charlotte The Sustainable Stylist

We interviewed Charlotte @charlottethesustainablestylist on her journey with sustainability and self care tips:

Tell us a little about yourself?

I’m Charlotte, the sustainable stylist UK, and I love rescuing ‘lost clothes’ to style up into fun, curious and unique creations, designed to delight and inspire my gorgeous Insta community. I am a sustainability blogger, researching different methods of living a more sustainable existence though lots of different ‘eco books’, then walking the talk and sharing key points and my findings in my blog 'How Can I Save The Planet From My Kitchen Table'. 

How have you adopted sustainable routines into your styling?

I have always adored charity shopping - the buzz when you find a bargain item in your size is real!! But in recent years I’ve taken it up full time, and now I am #purelypreloved! When an item becomes unwearable for any reason, l never throw it away. I put anything damaged, e.g. stained, ripped clothes or odd socks into a black bin bag, write ‘to be ragged’ on it and take it to a charity shop. They have ways of disposing material so it can be recycled and they also make money on each full bag, so you are still contributing to charity! 

Do you have any tips on buying cruelty-free fashion and making conscious choices?

1. Don’t buy online unless you know you will keep it! When we buy a pair of jeans in 3 sizes and send 2 back to the warehouse after a ‘try-on haul’, those pieces are not steamed and sent on to the next customer.  They are disposed of in one way or another, usually many end up in landfill.

2. The women in the production chains are paid next to nothing for eye straining, back breaking work in unhealthy, unhygienic, unsafe factory conditions, for us to wear a £5 fast fashion top once and throw it away. We need to respect their efforts by only buying the clothes we truly want and not feeding the industry which exploits them.   

3. Educate ourselves on the truth of said industry, and our favourite brands.  People are always shocked at the price of sustainable/ethical clothing, but they represent the true cost of clothes. Look at the care taken in a brand’s production line by researching them on the Fashion Transparency Index or the GoodOnYou app and if it’s a terrible score, then avoid supporting them. 

4. If there is an item you like from a fast fashion chain, then see if you can find it secondhand on Vinted. You are supporting the earth by choosing to keep the item in circulation and you save money!

What are some of your self care routines?

I have a few which I began last year after undergoing several months of CBT counselling. I love to sit in the corner of my sofa with a book and a cuppa with jazz on in the background.  I only discovered how relaxing I find jazz during lockdown and now it is my go-to!  I also really like listening to ASMR videos which is funny because my husband can’t stand the sounds on them! I also work out regularly, and find that it gives me time out of my busy brain to just be in my body and enjoy (or not in the case of most HIIT workouts)! Plus, shooting looks for my Instagram page is a real creative outlet which is something I think we all need as part of our mental self care!

Find out more on Charlotte's Blog here.