Gentle reminder: the shame of fast fashion does not belong with you - the consumer - but the brands who produce it. Every scandal and deep dive horror into a brands production/trading/treatment of staff reflects the brand, not you the individual.

If you do need to buy fast fashion though, here’s some positive things you can do to minimise how much you line greedy CEO pockets:

Buy only what you need - no, you don’t need to keep up with the latest trends. You don’t need 20 pairs of blue wash jeans. You don’t need to buy anything for a “wear it once” occasion.

Buying less doesn’t mean you have to compromise. Just try to buy better! It’s hard to save money but if you put aside that £3 you’d spend on Primark leggings every couple of months because they fall apart, you could buy some that are slightly better made from a diff brand

Borrow items from friends or rent clothes online when you do have a special event or occasion which you don’t have the appropriate wardrobe for

Although so many fast fashion brands are at fault, do your research about which brands in particular go against your ethics. Something one brand may have done or overlooked might resonate with you on a greater level. Don’t buy from them. Vote with your dollar.

Hold them accountable even if you still need to shop there! We all know the drama that has unfolded with Boohoo over the past few weeks especially but, nothing changes if the general public and in particular, customers don’t ask for answers

LOOK AFTER YOUR CLOTHES. If that knitwear says “cool wash only” on the tag, don’t put it on a regular wash! If it says “hand wash only” you best be hand washing only. Stop throwing your clothes on the floor. Don’t hang up knitwear as it will stretch. Clean and polish your shoes

If you have things in your wardrobe you don’t want that are from the high street, absolutely sell them on apps like Depop, vinted, and ebay. Those fashion garments have already been produced - lets stop them ending up in landfill.

Use the high street like a “try before you buy”. If you know you want that pair of Topshop jeans and could potentially get them secondhand but you’re unsure of sizing, go try them on in store. See what fits. Then you know what to look for on Depop and you’ll know it’ll fit.

If you see something new you like, especially if it’s a “trend” item of clothing, plan at least 5 completely different outfits in your head using that item and what you already have in your wardrobe. If you can’t plan 5, you probably won’t wear it and definitely don’t need it.

Don’t have the “I’ll just order one of everything!” approach to online shopping. Yeah, you might like all 7 of those dresses for your pals wedding but even if you return 6 of them, not all of them will go on to be resold. Some items which are returned are destroyed/go landfill.

If you’ve got a sibling, friend, parent etc who shares the same size and style as you - share clothes! If you both liked that too - you both don’t need that top. I lucked out and my best pal is also a size 3 shoe so you best believe that means I have double the amount of shoes

If you’ve fell in love with an item, take a step back - esp if you’re having a day out shopping with friends. You can get caught up in the spend spend spend endorphins and regret purchases down the line. If you’re still thinking about that item a few weeks later, go for it.

Do positive shopping bans/challenges where you restrict your spending. “No spend November”. Pledge to slow fashion season (currently going on rn!). Make a “must-buy list of a set of number of items you wanna buy and you’re not allowed to buy anything other than those items.