fashion

Glastonbury fashion: To live sustainably, festival goers buy used clothing.

Festival season is well underway with Glastonbury 2023 set to begin.

Although the festival takes pride in being environmentally friendly, how can attendees choose sustainable clothing?

Fashion for festivals and concerts has grown to be a significant aspect of event planning; a short search through TikTok will reveal that cowboy hats and feather boas that are have become the go-to accessories for Beyoncé and Harry Styles gigs.

Jess Potter, a 36-year-old Cardiff resident who runs an online second-hand clothing store, will attend Glastonbury with her company.

She will be presenting the second-hand style awards at the festival, where festival goers are being evaluated on their best weekend-long sustainable looks.

Jess acknowledges that she hasn’t always been dependable. She was a “retail addict” who bought everything new during her first Glastonbury in 2014. She met Davey there, and the two are currently “on an adventure to sustainability together” as his wife and business partner.

UsedandLoved.com, a search engine tool that gathers second-hand things under one roof, was inspired by a wake-up call, according to Jess.

She claimed that thrifting was “all about creating your own style” and that changing people’s perceptions of buying used clothing required them to see how content makers styled the items.

Jess spends her free time walking about Cardiff and collecting bags of clothing that have been discarded by the side of the road.

With the concept that “they are free again and their destiny has altered because they are leaving to get another life, and that clothes may remain on for so long if you let them,” she intends to place the clothes recovered on the streets of Cardiff to be displayed at Glastonbury.

Bethany Lewis

In order to attend the In It Together event last month, Bethany Lewis didn’t purchase any new items.

“However, if I needed something special, like a mesh top to wear underneath a garment, I went on Vinted and searched for that particular item.

Tent, boots, and alcohol

I was aware that I might have purchased it used for less money. By purchasing it, I was also lessening my environmental impact.

Additionally, the cost is a factor because festival tickets are expensive.This year’s Glastonbury tickets cost £335, and that doesn’t include the cost of camping necessities like a tent, wellies, and alcohol (if that’s your thing). Because of this, many festivalgoers attempt to get their attire from second-hand shops.

According to Church Village, Rhondda Cynon Taf native and London-based fashion blogger Caitlin Smith, “I don’t usually buy anything which fails to coordinate with at least five pieces in my wardrobe.” Therefore, if I want to look festival-ready, I’ll only purchase clothing that I know i will wear again.

Caitlin Smith

 

“I also like to look for add-ons or foundational elements that I can layer over existing clothing. Layering and accessorizing are such fun and simple ways to alter your appearance without having to purchase an entirely “new” outfit.

Shopping secondhand, according to Oxfam’s head of retail operations Rachel Cosgrove-Pearce, is a wonderful opportunity to show individuality.

“During festival season, many (Oxfam) stores will put together festival-style displays to aid consumers in selecting their attire. The joy of purchasing secondhand with Oxfam is that you can be yourself, and they’ll have festival displays inside.

You can really go in, purchase from a variety of brands, avoid being affected by the newest trends, and put together your personal appearance that is exclusively yours.

Everyone is now more concerned than ever about sustainability, and by shopping with Oxfam, you can be sure that you’ll feel as good as you look.

That concludes the fashion advice. But how should we handle the weather?

It’s advised to try and pack for the heat since Glastonbury is expected to be a scorcher; if it does rain, dependable wellies and waterproof clothing will always be in style.