Maybe you haven’t thought of it this way, but we’d consider hand-me-downs a luxury item. As a parent, you probably already know how helpful it is to have a friend or family member who can pass styles your way when their kid outgrows them. Because yes – kids grow out of their clothes quickly, and it always seems like their pants are suddenly reaching that *cropped stage* yet again.
Making styles that can last is something that’s always been central to our designs at City Threads. We’ve always been really specific about our fabrics, selecting options that don’t easily pill, and paying attention to the details throughout the sewing process, to ensure that our clothes are built for longevity.
One way we think about responsibility at City Threads is by making clothes that naturally transition into hand-me-downs. We encourage you to hand your styles over to the younger sibling in your family or over to a friend’s family, because that means those garments are truly living a full life. Given the amount of waste that continues to pile up across the fashion industry, it’s key to think about how often garments are actually worn throughout their lifetime.
Cost Per Wear (CPW) is a common formula used in the sustainability space, to help us understand the value (over time) of our garments. Basically, you take the price of your garment and divide it by the number of times it’s been worn, or you think it will be worn. In the end, styles that are worn more end up being a lot cheaper than styles that hang around in the closet.
With that in mind, kids can also be pretty messy. So, for those garments that are being worn on repeat, we can expect them to collect stains. But that shouldn't be a reason for us to toss them out – it should be an opportunity to get creative!
We love sharing ideas on ways to extend the life of your styles. Here’s a couple fun activities to do with your kids, to help ditch the stains:
- use your food waste to create natural dyes (link to blog)
- have a tie dye party to brighten up any stained clothes (link to blog)
Have ideas? We always love learning about how you’re extending the life of your City Threads!
Written by: Kestrel Jenkins, responsibility consultant & host of the Conscious Chatter podcast.