Shopping in my Mom’s Closet

When I Want Something New, but Want to Save the Planet—I Check Mom’s Closet.

By Anamaria Popovska

My mom’s closet is my favorite place to shop.

Let's face it, our beloved earth is dying and for some reason, people find it too hard to pick up their trash and recycle it; and don’t get me started on how people refuse to walk just short distances instead of increasing their gas mileage. So, I thought to myself, what's a fun way to help our earth live a long and happy life? Recycling, but not just garbage—clothes too!

We all love to express ourselves, and fashion is a key way of doing so. This past year a rather sustainable trend came about: going through your mom's closet and picking out all her disco clothes and 90's flare jeans and re-working them into outfits. It's kind of like thrifting, but it's even cheaper.

Why is recycling clothes necessary?

Thrifting is an environmentally friendly, sustainable way to buy new “old” clothes. It's a way of recycling clothing; with it, we are keeping clothes out of landfills and slowly working to cut production in the fast fashion industries.

Most importantly, thrifting helps reduce chemical pollution which is great for keeping our earth clean and our skies blue. It also reduces your carbon footprint, you know that wretched thing we learned about in the fourth grade?

But thrifting isn't for all; the idea of putting on a shirt that a random fifty-year-old man wore fifteen years ago may gross some people out, even after washing it twenty times over and over again. I get that, but you can still contribute to the recycling of clothing by going through your mom’s, dad’s, sister’s, brother’s, or any family members' old clothes and reworking them.

What does my mom have that Urban Outfitters doesn't?

We can all admit, Urban Outfitters does have cute clothes. Listen, I am guilty of spending hundreds of dollars on their jeans and shirts too, but after really understanding the issue of clothing and textile waste, I tried stepping away from it; the first way I did this was by going through my mom's closet.

All the clothes she wasn't wearing anymore (the ones sitting in those dusty bins in the attic), I took out and went through. It was like my own personal thrift store. I found her cute 90's flare jeans and re-sewed them to my size. I found this vintage blazer that is now a staple piece in my wardrobe. Even old baggy t-shirts can be cut up and sewn into the cutest outfits. But if you don't know how to sew, don't worry; there are so many other ways you can rework outfits. Baggy shirts and pants are a trend now; channel your inner streetwear, Billie Eilish-style, and find your mom's baggy sweatpants. Or if something is a bit too tight, cut up the sleeves, make a little slit in the jeans and work it.

So, what I’m asking you to do is take a second look around before buying that really cute blazer from Zara. It would probably look great on you, but if you think about it then maybe you’ll agree that, “yeah mom might have a better one in her closet.”