If anyone knows how to shop the festive sales sustainably it’s Amanda Fullerton.
From self confessed shopaholic to swap shop pioneer, the determined mum-of-two from Aberdeen is fighting fast fashion one swish at a time with her monthly pop-up pre-loved venture Swish Swish Bish based within The Gym on Huntly Street.
Taking time out of her relentlessly busy schedule to speak to Society, Amanda has shared some of her top tips on how to shop the sales in a kinder way to the environment.
“First and foremost, people should ask themselves, do you really need it,” says Amanda.
“Are you buying it because you need it or are you buying it because it’s cheap.
“The amount of items I used to get coming back into the shop that people had bought in the sales and they still had the labels on was amazing.
“They had bought it because it was cheap with plans to wear it one day and then they never do.”
The 30+ wear rule
A great guide in helping people to decide whether they need an item of clothing is to think about the 30 wear rule, says Amanda.
“If you think you’ll wear the item more than 30 times then that’s a sustainable purchase,” says the 42-year-old.
Another of Amanda’s top tips is to look and feel the quality of the material.
“Polyester is plastic so if you can try and move away from the man made fibres if possible, that’s a more sustainable way to shop,” says Amanda.
“Also there’s shops like LouSells in Stonehaven and she sells high end second hand clothes so if you have good brands she will sell them for you and make commission.
“It’s about being a bit more mindful of the shops you’re buying from.”
Want to buy something? Think one in, one out
Before hitting the sales, Amanda also suggests that people should check what’s in their wardrobes first.
“Look at what you’ve got and if there’s gaps in your wardrobe then yes try and fill them in a pocket friendly way,” says Amanda.
“We’re in a cost of living crisis so if there’s something you need and it’s in the sale, we still need to treat ourselves as that dopamine hit is amazing but it’s just about approaching it in a more mindful fashion.”
The one in one out approach is also a good way to approach a wardrobe clear out.
“A lot of people do the one in, one out, like if you’ve got your favourite black dress but you see another black dress do you really need two,” says Amanda.
“If you really want the new one why not give the old one to a friend or give it to a charity shop.
“And before you even go shopping look through your friend’s wardrobe to see if you can borrow one.
“Just keep thinking, ‘do I really need it?’, because the chances are you don’t.”
Unsubscribe from mass production mindset
And like many of us, Amanda also notices that a lot of the clothes in the sales look like they’ve just been rolled out of a factory floor.
“It’s all the stuff they’ve overproduced over the years and they can’t get rid of it,” says Amanda.
“That’s something that feeds into the overproduction of stuff in the sales world as well.”
As someone who loves to shop, Amanda has found a great way not to give into temptation.
“Your email inbox will be full of sale offers so unsubscribing to those emails is a major thing, that really helps,” says Amanda.
“Years ago when I first started on this journey it was one of the first things I did.
“I just didn’t need to know that certain shops had 50% off everything, goodbye.”
Buy clothes to last
One of the shops Amanda is a fan of is Sirene Boutique on Union Street
“It’s a higher-end shop, but instead of buying five cheaper items you could think about buying one better quality item,” says Amanda.
“A lot of these cheaper shops, obsolescence is built into their business model as they don’t make their clothes to last. So you think you’re getting a great deal, but then you’re having to buy another one so you’re spending more again.
“I get that price points are an element but if you can then maybe just be a bit more mindful.”
To sum up her thoughts on sustainable shopping, Amanda shares her favourite quote from the late British writer Terry Pratchett.
Shop sustainably – with help from Terry Pratchett
“There’s a great quote that Terry Pratchett wrote in one of his books,” says Amanda.
“He says ‘A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that’d still be keeping his feet dry in ten years’ time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet’.
“It’s a really good quote.”
Amanda has been running pop-up swap shops since September 2019 in various locations around the city and shire for charity.
It was such a success that Amanda found a permanent residence at The Gym, based on Huntly Street in Aberdeen, and opened in 2020.
Although the swap shop is no longer there permanently, Amanda will be holding monthly pop-up swap shops there in the New Year.
For more information about Swish Swish Bish, check out her Facebook and Instagram.
Conversation