by Betsy Westcott of Ladies Finance Club
How to save the environment and your bank balance whilst looking fabulous!
Hands up if you love getting your fashion fix? I know I sure do. For me, my clothes are an extension of my personality. If I’m feeling particularly feminine it’s florals and dresses, if I’m feeling like a boss it’s structured jackets and killer heels, and if I’m in cruise mode then it’s jeans, t-shirts and a pair of kicks. I’m not ashamed to say that when I think I look good, it adds a spring to my step because I feel good. Fashion is fun and who doesn’t like a bit of fun?
I am, however, concerned for our environment. Today we have 4 times the amount of clothes that we did 20 years ago but there’s a price to this prosperity and it’s one the environment is paying. Worldwide we consume about 80 billion items of clothing in a year and much of it ends up in landfill - yikes.
So this got me thinking, how do I become a more conscious consumer when it comes to fashion? I can’t simply stop wearing clothes because that is 100% not socially acceptable, legal or desirable but I can make a few small tweaks to reduce my impact on the environment. I knew I needed to reduce the number of clothes I was buying, to buy items that were produced more consciously and ethically but I still wanted to look fabulous… so what to do and where to begin?
I started googling things like ‘capsule wardrobe’, reading the Baptist World Aid Ethical Fashion report, consuming articles reviewing sustainable fashion brands and then I found it…..the GlamCorner Premium Subscription (Praise be!).
Hiring designer dresses for your special occasions is oh so #hotrightnow. Why wouldn’t it be? You get to wear a gorgeous dress for a fraction of the cost of buying it and then send it back where it will be cleaned. It’s all the fashion fun without financial hit or fuss of cleaning! There’s a plethora of dress hire services out there - GlamCorner, DressHire AU, Dress For a Night, All the Dresses and more. They are a step in the right direction but it doesn’t solve my day to day fashion needs.
The team at GlamCorner (GC), however, have taken dress hire to a new level with a wardrobe subscription. That’s right, an endless wardrobe. And it makes sense right? We subscribe to so much these days - our entertainment (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Stan), or groceries (HelloFresh, MarleySpoon) and even our loo paper (Who Gives a Crap). Why not subscribe to a wardrobe? Do you really need to own everything your wear? If you’re like me, you probably hate to admit that there’s a number of items hanging in your wardrobe that you’ve only worn once, or not at all. What a waste!
So how does this endless wardrobe thing work? First of all you sign up as a member. There’s two membership levels and the good news is there is no lock in contracts. So you can pause or cancel your membership at anytime. The difference between the two memberships is how often you can swap your box of clothes. If you’re on the started pack ($99/month) you can get a new box every month. Personally, I love the unlimited membership ($149/month) because I can swap boxes as much as I like. The added bonus - there’s no shipping fees, no dry cleaning and the GC team are on hand to help you style and select your items. Talk about service!
So once you’ve signed up you then build you box by choosing three items and away you go! A beautiful (recyclable) box of clothes will be on your doorstep in no time.
Why do I love it? So many reasons! First of all, I’m consuming less fashion and improving my impact on the environment. GlamCorner is also Certified B Corp, that’s a company that believes in protecting people and the planet is good business (high five!). Second, I’m saving a stack of cash! No dry cleaning bills and I’m not spending as much on fashion. I’ve reduced my wardrobe (I donated my excess clothes to charity) down to the essentials (aka a capsule wardrobe). Just quietly, my husband is also enjoying the extra space in the wardrobe. Finally, there’s room for his stuff (ha!). And thirdly, I am enjoying wearing some fabulous AF fashion. The range on GlamCorner is phenomenal. All your favourite designers plus the opportunity to try out designers you would have never have normally discovered.
So that’s it, ladies. That’s my secret to looking fabulous whilst saving the planet and my bank balance.
If you’re wondering if this is a paid partnership or sponsored article - It’s not! Although, Glamcorner, if you’re reading this, I am SO open to it. Jokes aside, this is just a very happy customer who wants to spread the good word along with a great money and environmentally-friendly hack! Enjoy.
