3 Sustainable Fashion Challenges: How We Overcame Them

If you’re finding it challenging to switch from fast fashion and overconsumption to ethical clothing brands and a more mindful approach, you’re not alone: it’s a big change!

Unfortunately, lots of websites, influencers, and content creators are minimising it or downright blaming you for struggling with it.

Instead, we’re not writing this from an ivory tower: even though we’re now running an ethical fashion platform, we still remember when we used to be in your (fast fashion) shoes. 

So, to give you both some motivation and inspiration, we thought we’d share our main sustainable fashion challenge and how we overcame them.

The Project Cece team’s biggest sustainable fashion challenges

Melissa Wijngaarden - Project Cece co-founder

As I studied Economics & Business Administration, I take care of the finance, legal, and HR side of our business.

Main sustainable fashion challenge

Ditching overconsumption.

“But how bad was it, Melissa?” you might be wondering. Well, let’s just say that the first time I took a train out of town on my own was to do a massive Primark haul when it opened a branch here in the Netherlands.

How I overcame it

Initially, I made the mistake of replacing my fast fashion hauls with the same quantities of second-hand clothes. Then, I realised it wasn’t a solution: unfortunately, thrifting isn't as ethical as we’d like to think, and overconsumption can never be sustainable.  

So, I decided to go a full year without buying any clothes. 

However, I’m not gonna lie: while it did the trick for me, it was a pretty drastic move, and I know full well it won’t work for everyone.

So, what I want to leave you with is the other thing I did, to overcome my sustainable fashion challenge: addressing my overall shopping behaviour and investigating where that urge to shop came from.

Yep, there’s a reason why it feels like you can’t stop buying fast fashion clothes, and that’s usually because that industry has trained you to see new purchases as a pick-me-up (or to fill a void) and to chase trends to belong. But it’s also worth thinking about your specific reasons.

Once I faced those? I stopped feeling the urge to pop into my high-street fast fashion stores or open their websites! 

Marcella Wijngaarden - Project Cece co-founder

I’m Melissa’s sister, with a background in Physics & Astronomy. Now, I take care of the tech, data & development side of our business. 

Main sustainable fashion challenge

Finding clothes that match my body type, size, and build. 

As you can see in that photo (I'm the one on the right), I’m pretty tall—a note from her sister, Melissa: with an emphasis on pretty, if you ask me!—and slim. So, I struggle to find clothes—especially trousers—that, as well as being ethical and matching my preferences and style, are a good fit for my long legs.

How I overcame it

Initially, I leaned into custom-made pieces, but luckily, more and more ethical brands have started to offer additional sizes and options.

So, as well as always checking their measurements, I ‘bookmark’ the brands that tend to include the right designs for me, like The Launch. 

I also take good care of my clothes and get creative with them so that I can rewear them for years without getting bored (for example, by styling the same pair of trousers with different tops and accessories, so that it looks like a brand new outfit).

Giada Nizzoli - Blog strategist

As a marketing strategist, I help the Project Cece team tell their stories and share their platform and knowledge with more eco-conscious consumers like you.

Main sustainable fashion challenge

Finding ethical clothes that match my vintage aesthetic.

Even though I’m a ‘90s baby, I’ve been dressing ‘80s for years. 

It definitely made it easier to stop falling for new designs and temporary trends. However, it can be tricky to scout for the right second-hand and/or vintage pieces, and on Google, you tend to find fast fashion garments (after all, since ultra fast fashion stores upload thousands of new ones every day, some are bound to look ‘80s’).

How I overcame it

The rare times I buy garments, I use more specific keywords to find ethical ones that might be new but can still give me an ‘80s vibe. For example, I describe what I’m after (like “high-waisted mum jeans”) and include something to focus on sustainable ones (keywords like “ethical” or specific materials like “recycled cotton”).

This is a great starting point to then narrow down my search and look into my favourite pieces and brands to check if they’re actually sustainable.

Other common sustainable fashion challenges (and how you can overcome them)

Maybe your ethical clothing challenges are similar to ours.

Or maybe you’re finding it challenging to:

• Afford higher-quality and more sustainable clothes – There’s a reason why ethical fashion is pricier (while cheap fast fashion items hide an expensive human and environmental cost). But you can actually save money in the long run by ditching overconsumption, focusing on cost per wear, and trying these simple swaps and tricks
• Break free from your current shopping habits – Here’s our guide to replace your fast fashion habits with more mindful ones, without making yourself miserable
• Fully understand what sustainable fashion is in the first place and why it matters – Start with our clear and jargon-free sustainable fashion guide
• Figure out if something is actually ethical and whether or not to buy it – Use these 6 questions as your guide to buy clothes more mindfully 
• Find ethical clothes that match your style and budget – Well, easy: at Project Cece, we brought hundreds of fair trade brands in one place, with filters to simplify your choice!

Start shopping (mindfully)

We loved sharing our biggest sustainable fashion challenges with you. We hope that, as well as showing you it’s normal if this transition isn’t as smooth as you expected (I promise it’s going to feel worth it, though!), this can help you overcome your stuckpoints.