Holly Rebecca White is a blogger and Instagram personality with a following of over 85k. She is known for her lifestyle and fashion blogs and incredible minimalistic style, which focuses on the basics within your wardrobe. We caught up with Holly to ask how she is being sustainable this September.
How does building a platform affect your knowledge and relationship with sustainability?
- I can’t say my platform is fully sustainable – I’m someone who shops at high-street stores still and can’t resist treating herself sometimes - but overall, I try to shop more consciously. I think about my impact on the environment every time a new piece enters my collection or I decide to declutter. I’ve noticed this a lot more since building my platform. In this industry, it can be so easy to purchase piece after piece and receive all the ‘gifted’ products. Still, the reality is, you’re never going to wear/use it all, so I shifted my focus to re-wearable classic pieces, trying to discover smaller brands that I loved as well as the well-known ones. I’m also constantly aware of how much product I’m consuming and whether the amount is necessary. This platform has definitely had a huge impact on the way I go about shopping responsibly.
What are your favorite tips and tricks to be more sustainable?
- I always try to make sure I make well-thought-out and conscious purchases. I don’t buy anything for the sake of it, and I always think about how I might style a piece, whether I already have something similar, and if the purchase is necessary before buying things. I also visit second-hand shops as much as possible – many of my all-time favourite pieces are second-hand finds!
What is your favorite way to style second-hand clothes?
- I love styling second-hand pieces with the more classic tailored pieces in my wardrobe. I always love to grab oversized men’s shirts or blazers whenever I’m shopping second-hand, and they’re always so fun to style with things like COS trousers, for example. I also love pairing them with other second-hand finds – it’s really cool when you find two second-hand pieces that work perfectly together.
What are your best tips when shopping secondhand?
- You have to commit to the ‘search.’ Sometimes, it takes a good 10 minutes of rooting through a charity shop until you find that hidden gem that will become your new favourite piece! And, if you’re using second-hand shopping apps, the same applies. It might take endless minutes, hours, or days of scrolling, but when you find that piece you were looking for, it’s so worth it.
What would you say are your biggest challenges around being sustainable?
- Probably, keeping up with current ‘trends.’ I try not to get too involved with that many ‘trends’ these days, but every now and again, there’s something that just seems irresistible at the time, and then a year later, I’ve completely forgotten I even owned that piece!
Favorite sustainable places to shop?
- Charity Shops – I’ve loved charity shopping since I was a teenager. I just love finding hidden gems in those shops!
What are you doing differently this September to try and shop and live sustainably?
- I’m cutting back on shopping online and trying not to be too drawn in by the September A/W collections. I want to try reigniting my love for the pieces I bought in previous years and re-imagine how I can wear them this year.
How do you feel having a platform has influenced others to be more sustainable within their own lives?
- With my platform, a lot of people want to find investment pieces. They want pieces of higher quality that can be re-worn with different things and stand the test of time, rather than finding the cheapest, trending piece that they’ll only wear once.
How do you feel the relationship and representation of second-hand clothing with the public has changed in recent years? How has this affected you personally?
- I think many people have shifted their perspective, and I see many people nowadays looking to shop second-hand before they even head to high-street stores. I think for me, it means that not only is it easier for me to find clothes I love by shopping secondhand, but I can also pass my pieces on, sell them on secondhand platforms, and give my old pieces a new home.
Do you have any tips about how to make second-hand clothing look more on-trend and in fashion?
- If you’re lost for where to begin, I think finding a cool, oversized blazer is always a good place to start. They’re in abundance in charity shops and on apps like Vinted. Style one up with a basic white tee and jeans for a really simple, chic, day-to-day look!
What swaps are you thinking about making this September to be more sustainable yourself?
- I’m spending less online and not buying any new A/W pieces until the season has truly begun, and I’ve tested out styling my old pieces from last season first.
