Sustainable Options For 8 Fall 2020 Trends

As soon as it turned September 18th in NYC, temperatures dropped to the 60s and it immediately felt and smelled like autumn. I’m seeing so many fall trends pop up and although the words “trendy” and “sustainability” are still awkward to use in the same sentence because trendy often correlates with fast-fashion; there are still ways we can try to be trendy and sustainable! You’ll see throughout this post a lot of these items I’ve listed and bought are on secondhand apps / vintage stores, but there are still a handful of companies that make trendy pieces out of deadstock or do so in limited batches.

1. Leather Boyfriend Blazer

I would say go to my favorite vintage stores NANIN VINTAGE or IAMTHATSHOP, but I honestly think the best place to get these are on a second-hand clothing app like Poshmark. Just type in “leather boyfriend blazer” on one of these apps and you’ll find so much more affordable options.

Thrifting and/or secondhand is sustainable because you’re reusing rather than buying something new.

2. Tie-Dye Shirts

The one pictured here is from SISTERHOOD, which comes in both red and blue — made out of organic cotton, not the most sustainable fiber since it still requires a lot of water to produce, but one of the better options out there compared to regular cotton and polyester.

FORDAYS also has good options if you want more diverse styles & colors — oversized, cropped, sweaters, or more. Use code CLAIRE for 15% off.

SISTERHOOD states on its website that it is carbon neutral and plants a tree with every purchase although no public information I could find to confirm. It states that it has an onsite agent that oversees production from start to finish, visits it factory regularly, and working to only offer 100% sustainable fabrics. Taking a look at its clothing on site, it looks like it uses some natural fabrics and some deadstock.

3. Bucket Hats

Once again, FORDAYS comes up on the list because it’s a great place to shop for simple bucket hats. It has an amazing take-back program where it will take any piece of clothing and give you a great discount when you send back a FOR DAYS item.

Use code CLAIRE for 15% off.

Again, you can find plenty of more options by searching “bucket hat” in a secondhand shopping app.

4. Zebra or Cow Pants

House of Sunny has made quite the scene in not only the sustainable, but emerging fashion industry as a whole amongst trendy millennials. A lot of its designs remind me of the 70s with its funky colors, shapes, and patterns. Again, it’s easy to find a bunch on Poshmark, Depop, and more!

House of Sunny uses e-flow technology to limit water waste, creates items in small batches and creates pre-orders for when it sells out, and uses a different method of printing patterns on clothing to reduce textile waste.

5. Mesh Tops

Sheer mesh tops that are tie-dye, cut & sewn, or patterned with lettuce sleeves are everywhere right now. I recently bought one with a cute cherub pattern on Depop for around $15, but there are other albeit pricier options on JJ Vintage and Conflict of Ego.

6. Cutout Knit Sweaters

There’s something so casually elevated about this trend that I’m obsessed with. Although I can’t find a lot of sustainable companies at the moment for this trend, the way I’m going to sustainably participate is by purchasing a cream knit sweater on a second-hand store app, cutting it in half, and re-working the lower piece into a tube top / tank top to use as the inner piece.

7. Cargo Pants

I bought this exact pair from Local European. Although it’s a bit pricier, these are such high-quality pieces, in my opinion, that are so beautifully designed and made

Items at Local European are made out of deadstock material, which limits waste, reduces carbon waste, and saves energy (although there is a lot of speculation and controversy over the use of deadstock — read here.) This means that items are made in small batches (lower impact) because of this and can’t be restocked.

8. Fur-Trim Coat

This reminds me so much of that one outfit Meygan the Bratz Doll has with her dark purple velvet fur-trim coat with a lavender fur edge and I love it. I just haven’t found the perfect one online yet with the correct details I love, but Etsy and Depop have beautiful handmade or vintage options.

The one pictured here is from Etsy.