“Self Portrait” by Katie McDowell (18), New Orleans Center for Creative Arts "An Old Man in Military Costume" by Simone Wuttke (18), Dartmouth College (recent Benjamin Franklin High School graduate) "This oil on canvas painting is inspired by Rembrandt's 'An Old...
Did you know clothing isn’t biodegradable?
That means it doesn’t decompose once it’s dumped in the trash—it just sits in a landfill and creates nasty greenhouse gases in our environment. “We have to think longer and harder about the clothing we wear, where it came from, and where it’s going,” urges Alison Parker, owner of ricRACK.
Here are some tips she shared on how you can be kinder to the environment while still being stylish…
Buy secondhand instead of shopping new
Thrift stores get donations of all kinds of name brand clothing, fancy gowns, designer jeans, gently worn accessories, vintage t-shirts. It’s fun to shop through and find hidden gems, plus it saves you money! It’s a win-win-win: you’re supporting your community, and by not supporting fast fashion, you’re supporting planet Earth.
Wash your clothes less often
Scientists are finding tiny little particles called microplastics in fish. These microplastics are coming from polyester fibers that end up in the ocean through discarded water from our washing machines. Try to wash your clothes less often whenever possible, especially if they aren’t actually dirty or it’s not a steamy July-in-New-Orleans day when you’re sweating through your clothes. Give it the sniff test and use your best judgement. The ocean will thank you!
Learn to sew
If your clothes get a hole or a button falls off, instead of trashing them, learn how to sew so you can mend it yourself. You’ll wear that shirt or dress with a new sense of pride knowing you fixed it yourself.
Repurpose your clothes
Let’s say you’ve outgrown a pair of pants or your shirt has too many holes (or sweat stains, hey, it’s New Orleans) and it’s beyond mending at this point. What can you do? Cut it into rags! Sew a fun patch to cover a hole! Turn those pants into shorts or that shirt into a tank top!
Donate your clothes
If your clothing is still in good shape, donate it to a local thrift store. And while you’re there, scope out the aisles to see if you find anything good!
Host a clothing swap with friends
Clothing swaps are a fun way to exchange clothes that you’re no longer wearing with friends. It’s like shopping your friend’s closet, except everything is free! It feels great knowing someone will get good use out of something that’s been sitting in the back of your closet.
JUST PLEASE DON’T THROW YOUR CLOTHES AWAY 🙁
Whatever you do, please don’t throw your clothes in the trash.
There are so many other options.
Thrift Stores in the New Orleans Area
• ricRACK
1927 Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. (New Orleans)
• YEP Thrift Works
1626 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. (New Orleans)
• SisterHearts Thrift Store
7519 W Judge Perez Dr. (Arabi)
• Thrift City
601 Terry Pkwy. (Terrytown)
• Goodwill
3400 Tulane Ave. (New Orleans)
123 Allen Toussaint Blvd. (New Orleans)
875 Manhattan Blvd. (Harvey)
• Red, White & Blue
5728 Jefferson Hwy. (New Orleans)
605 Lapalco Blvd. (Gretna)
• Bridge House
4243 Earhart Blvd. (New Orleans)
7901 Airline Dr. (Metairie)