When it comes to student fashion, we all know Urban Outfitters is a top choice. It's one of my favourites too! The vintage styles, constant new arrivals and its undeniable “cool factor” it’s very hard to overlook. But maybe there's something we’re missing... 

The reality is, fast fashion isn't only straining your budget, it's also harming out planet. The fashion sector accounts for approximately 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, that surpasses both aviation and shipping combined! (UNFCCC). Brands like Urban Outfitters, unfortunately significantly contribute to this issue. While they have taken steps—including as using 100% recycled packaging, launching a "Renewal" line that has recycled 6 million garments, and committing to sourcing 60% of their materials responsibly by 2027. Which all sounds great, right? Well, the catch is that their entire business model is based on the continuous release of new collections. This encourages us to buy more, wear less, and dispose of items quickly. Independent assessments still label them as "Not Good Enough" in terms of sustainability (Good On You). 

So, what can we do as students? Well, we don’t have to sacrifice style, we just need to shop wisely. Apps like Vinted have made it simple to keep up with trends through second-hand fashion. With over 100 million users, thrifting has become mainstream. You can find better quality, unique items at significantly lower prices. Or maybe you can support smaller sustainable brands like Named Collective, who create durable clothing using eco-friendly materials and fair supply chains.  

 

Brand sustainability is so important because every purchase is a vote. Opting for fast fashion contributes to waste. Choosing resale or slow fashion can help foster a future where clothing looks good, feels good, and does good.  

In this blog I hope to show you how to shop cleaner and look cooler! So, follow along for some top styling hacks and favourite fashion tips and do your part to reduce, reuse reSTYLE.