Sophie Benson’s *Sustainable Wardrobe* is a refreshing guide for anyone looking to transform their closet into an eco-friendly haven without compromising on style or budget. Benson, a seasoned journalist in sustainable fashion, offers practical advice that demystifies the often overwhelming concept of a sustainable wardrobe. Benson outlines the environmental and ethical impacts of our current clothing habits and provides simple, actionable steps to mitigate them. From understanding clothing labels to mastering the art of upcycling, her advice is accessible and empowering.

One standout feature is the variety of tutorials, such as how to care for your favorite jeans or transform a padded jacket into a laptop case. These projects are not only fun but also serve as a tangible reminder that small changes can have a significant impact. Perfect for anyone interested in reducing their fashion footprint, this book is a must-read for those wanting to make more conscious choices without sacrificing style.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is a good informational book for those who don't know why sustainability matters in fashion, but it lacks more information on how to darn, repurpose, etc. Also, I'm not sure why a book like this would not be printed on recycled paper. That was a big miss.

Not necessarily applicable to me, but this was a great book to get an intro into sustainable wardrobe and re-use. Publishing wise, I enjoyed the images and text. Often for books regarding sustainability we are introduces to the theory and importance of the concept, rather than practical ways to apply skills to daily life. I found that this book helped to show me that achieving a more sustainable practice for my clothing was achievable with a little time and effort.

Though I don't think I would use the specific project done throughout this book, it sparked ideas on how accessible environmental shopping/mending/and re using is.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this arc.

Sustainable Wardrobe is a volume in a green living series; this volume written by Sophie Benson. Released 12th Sept 2023 by Quarto on their White Lion imprint, it's 160 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats.

Dwindling resources and an ever increasing climate catastrophe has caused pretty much everyone on the planet to re-evaluate their consumption. This book is part of a series aimed at helping readers to make more informed and responsible decisions.

The book has an accessible and logical layout. Information is gathered thematically: background/waste and fashion, assessing the reader's wardrobe, shopping habits & consumption, clothing maintenance, and repair. The tutorials are streamlined, sensible, accessible, and well photographed.

There are a number of good exercises included for helping readers track their current wardrobe, find out what changes are practical for them, and make a plan to implement changes in a reasonable way.

Four stars. Well written and useful. This would be a good choice for public or school library acquisition, home use, and potentially for classroom use.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I would like to thank netgalley and Quarto Publishing for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Pretty and full of lots of useful information.

A good overview reference title for general fashion advice, laundering and clothing storage, and some practical sewing projects and mending guides. The sewing projects do assume a fair amount of sewing knowledge or access to specialized tools and might not be suitable for the beginner.

The writing is similar to many home design titles with text broken up by headers and large inspirational pictures, so it is an easy read in doses or looking up a specific topic or interview vs one that needs to be read cover to cover.

Each and every one of us has a relationship with fashion. Whether we’re fashionable or not, following a trend or creating our own; or simply wearing our favourite t-shirts and jeans on a loop. Unfortunately, a lot of the clothing we come into contact with on a daily basis is highly unsustainable. Both for the environment, and the people who made our clothes. So, if you are interested in sustainable fashion, keep reading.

Be The Change

In the book Sustainable Wardrobe, Sophie Benson explains how if we want to change the industry, we have to fully understand what needs to be changed. She begins by introducing us to the facts and fiction behind fast fashion. Myths such as, “Fast Fashion Creates Jobs”, and “Sustainable Fashion is Boring”. We look inside the factories and the lives of those who work for low wages and under poor conditions. Making garments such as t-shirts that we may only wear a few times.

Styling & Repurposing

One of my favourite parts about Sophie Benson’s book is the sections on up-cycling, repairing, re-purposing what you already have, and creating your own natural dyes. It’s a “make-do-and-mend” kind of manual and it’s super simple.

It’s not all about turning an item of clothing into a different garment either -Sophie includes directions to turn a padded jacket into a laptop case. With some simple directions and a little imagination, ensuring that your worn out/no longer used garments are saved from landfill is easy – and fun.

Out of sight – Out of mind

A very important point to take from Sustainable Fashion is being mindful about what you do with your cast offs. It’s very easy for us to think “away” is good – when the reality is just that we’ve put it out of our minds and told ourselves what we want to hear. In many cases, clothing we give to charity (with all the best will in the world) end up exported to Africa (where much of what is received is unsuitable) or straight into landfill. There’s just too much fast fashion to cope with. So we have to be more thoughtful of how we discard. In fact, selling on a second-hand marketplace online is often better than donating, because you are sending it to someone who actually wants it.

Slow Fashion

Ultimately, shopping can never be truly sustainable. We need to re-use, re-purpose and truly use what we have. Second-hand and vintage shopping must come first. Ethically produced fashion second.

We have to learn how to maintain our clothes with careful washing methods, to share clothes and attend swapping parties. To make simple alterations. This book can help with every aspect and guide you with some truly useful information.

I really enjoyed reading this book and would encourage anyone on the path to have a sustainable wardrobe to buy it. It’s due for publication on the 12th September and available to pre-order.

I love this book, I’m really into making clothes last, so this is a really useful book for anyone wanting to do the same.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

This book teaches you how to give a second life to your clothes in a fashionable and easy way. Also how to gives us advice in how to keep the state of our clothes and how to repair them in unique ways.
The photos add so much to the tips an helps to inspire readers even more.

I received an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, thank you to NetGalley and the author for this book

A quick read that is a great intro into what you need to know about the impact of the clothing industry and steps you yourself can take to live more sustainably. Of course there is so much more to tell, but this really is a good start. It covers many different areas from producing and purchasing clothes to caring for you clothes and what happens to the clothes you discard. Definitely something more people need to know about! And since the chapters are short and information is presented in small chunks, this is an unintimidating read, even though some statistics are mentioned and some terminology and certification marks are explained.

I appreciated that the author acknowledged her own mistakes and ignorances of the past, showing that everyone who is willing can learn and do better. The book is also pretty balanced between mentioning things that are going wrong in the fashion industry and steps that are already being taken to do better, without losing sight of the fact that we all collectively need to consume less and use the items we own longer. The projects that are included in the book, such as reassessing your wardrobe and recycling and repairing your clothes definitely made this goal seem not only important, but exciting. I already had a few mending project lined up, but after reading this book I'm very excited to try out dyeing stained clothes with natural dyes.

A really interesting read. It didn’t come across as preachy but made me consider some of my own shopping habits. Even though I’m already a fan of second hand,there’s more I can do, definitely recommend.

Sustainable Wardrobe is a book that outlines what is wrong with the fashion industry and how you can be more conscious when engaging in it. It goes into depth about ways that you can prologue or change up garments that you already own through many helpful tutorials. There is a fair amount of information about how the current model of clothes making in the fashion industry is bad environmentally and labor wise. My only issue is that the books formatting is can make actually reading the passages a little difficult because of font size. Overall this is a solid 4 star read.

Sustainable Wardrobe is an interesting look at reusing and repurposing clothing and accessories. It is aimed at a young demographic which might not appeal to everyone but the book includes darning socks and other helpful subjects. I did get some ideas to repurpose clothes that would work for me. There are a lot of pictures and instructions. It is a fun book with a lot of possibilities! #SustainableWardrobe #NerGalley. #QuartoPublishingGroup.

This book is a must for people trying to change buying habits when it comes to clothes. The author really dives into the behind scenes of clothing manufacturers and it's affect on global conditions. An excellent book and must read for those interested in the effects of consumerism.

A really interesting read that provides all the details, facts, and know how to encourage readers to take a more sustainable approach to fashion. I learnt a lot from this book and would definitely recommend to other readers interested in this topic. The book goes into the fact vs fiction and gives insightful information including the lifecycle of a T-shirt, the reality of making clothes, and a helpful glossary of terms. It also has lot of useful how to's including how to make your own dyes for fabric and how to repair your clothes among others. I loved learning how to reassess my wardrobe to work with what I have, and the clever styling tips provided in the book.

I will definitely add Sustainable Wardrobe by Sophie Benson to my high school library collection when the book comes out in September 2023. It is a thorough and easy to read overview of what is fast fashion and how to be a more eco-conscious consumer. The author also provides ideas and clear tutorials on how to repurpose clothing and mend used clothes. I enjoyed this book tremendously and came out with a better understanding of the life cycle of clothes, a renewed enthusiasm for clearing my closet, mending my well-loved clothes, and buying less!

A very beginner guide to creating a sustainability mindset for your wardrobe. I appreciate Benson's set-by-set walk-through of the journey clothing takes before leading the reader through what we can do to lessen our impact in this industry. I did find a lot of this book to be very basic concepts but the patterns and how-to's made it enjoyable and framed the theme in a fun way. I would also have liked to see some brands which the author supported used more or at least as footnotes for folks who don't have the time to do as much research.

Overall a very quick read and informative!

Thanks to Sophie Benson and NetGalley for the advanced readers' copy in return for a review

In Benson's book, the author explains about fabric, its types, dyes and various other things related to fashion industry. With the help of the reference images provided at the end chapter helped me understand better. But I was looking forward to new information about sustainable wardrobe and ways to repurpose it.

Overall, a good read for people who is looking for sustainable fashion.

Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC.

This is an excellent source on sustainable fashion. It covers the lifecycle from purchasing choices/habits, alterations, washing, repair, and options for removal from your closet. There were lots of actionable pieces and simple tutorials on maintenance and repair that were easy enough to use as someone who hasn’t sewn since childhood. You learn about the problems with the fashion industry, but I never felt shamed or guilted. It also has beautiful photos and an engaging writing style.

It’s a great reference that I expect to refer back to again in the future.

I learned a lot about clothing production and the waste and affects of mass produced cheap clothing. The author does a great job providing alternatives to what feels readily available as far as dressing options.