I can only afford fast fashion, what should i do?!

if possible learn to sew / alter clothing! u can use old clothes and alter them to be in ur size and combine pieces, or u can even start from scratch with scraps of old clothes or fabrics. nd trust its actually not as hard as it seems! u can find a tutorial for anythinggg

You can try used clothes on Ebay! Sometimes you can find cute stuff. 

my go-to is thrift stores, depop, mercari, poshmark, etc. (online thrifting) or making the most of what you already bought from fast-fashion websites, remember that it's not your fault you can't afford "high-end" things that more often than not use the exact same labor. Most times, there's no difference. most companies and brands partake in this labor environment. dont let anyone make you feel bad about it tho lol. h&M is the more expensive shein.

edit: soz didnt read all the way thru! but utilize online thrift stores instead if you can! and as someone previously mentioned learning to sew or alter existing clothes come in handy o7

look up easy sewing tutorials on youtube, shop and thrift with diy potential in mind. Also learn to fix your clothes as they will last you longer, but also try and buy good quality in the first place

I definitely recommend looking into online thrift like depop,Vinted or ebay! Depending on the area you can get items cheap. The only issue is a lot of second hand items may be older in style but you could always redesign them by cutting them or painting over !

Thrifting is a pretty good option to avoid buying fast fashion, though you have to get a bit lucky to find things you like, since if you look up terms like "Y2K" or "Vintage" etc, the clothes will be much more expensive since the sellers, or course, will try to sell trendy clothes for more money than it could actually cost

honestly ebay is kinda a hidden jem for finding cute affordably clothing online and not having to worry about it being fast fashion. 

Also look into trying diy and sewing ur own clothing, it's the most ethical way for cute fashion :3

(youtube and even pinterest has good tutorials)   

stencils can be made using paper and scissors for reusable designs that are painted over with fabric paint
(you can get just one color if even a small set of them are too expensive for you (normal acrylics arent recommended because they get stiff and crack when forced to bend in a way it doesnt like which is a lot of ways)) be careful about paper type and painting methods because some are very prone to bleeding

if its easier for you to visualize then if your pc can handle art programs theres free ones like gimp and krita (gimp is easier to learn in my opinion) and you can get it printed out at an office depot or whatever is where you live for super cheap
(when doing this keep in mind to do it in only one color and avoid making the majority of the image super heavy in color since that might make things more expensive)

for accessories some places might sell plain hair clips and other things like that that can have things glued on them (dont use school glues theyre not good for these types of things also hot glue guns can set things on fire if misused or used on the wrong materials so be careful if using that)

if youre interested in beaded jewelry pony beads come in a ton of colors and can be bought in bulk (doesnt have to be for scenemo type kandi either it can be in way more styles than that)
and elastic cord tends to be pretty good from what i hear (doing research on specific strings and cords is recommended because some types are very prone to breaking)

theres decent sewing kits on places like amazon that have a ton of stuff (even different thread colors) for around $6 and they dont take up too much space

your parents or other relatives might have hand me downs somewhere that they wouldnt mind you messing with too

also keep in mind you wont start out with a ton of stuff even if you start doing this and that it often takes years to have a decent amount of alternative stuff in your wardrobe
if you want you can even customize things you have lying around for things you want to do in the future but dont have everything for it yet

learn about repairing clothing! it's pretty easy, super fun and you can customise a lot! some of the problems with fast fashion (aside from its ethics and environmental impact) are changing trends and poorly made clothing. choose versatile pieces you love, take good care of them and keep them out of landfill! buying from fast fashion sites isn't great if you have alternatives, but the issues don't come from ordering a few pieces every now and again, it's huge hauls of trendy items that you won't wear that cause problems. learn about repairing and choose carefully! good luck bby!! xx

Thrift online on apps like vinted!!

There´s nothing wrong with buying fast fashion cuz sadly, that´s what living in a capitalist country give us, it´s the only kind of clothes that most ppl can afford, just don´t fall in consumism, obviously i´m not saying fast fashion is right, but at the end, it´s not our faul these brands have literally slaves. also i know that getting thrif clothes is super hard time on because of the "vintage" and all that stuff, at least in where i live it is super hard not to find overpriced clothes, the only alternative you can really get now it´s on online pages of old clothes like ebay, trendier (luckily), but what i do is basicly make my own clothes, if you have a sewing machine it´ll be amazing, but, again, not everyone has that privilege, diy your old clothes and asking known ppl, family or friends if they have some clothes that they don´t use anymore so you can get some more options, it may be uncomfy at first, but again, it´s not your fault, blame the system. If i get a new idea i´ll come back. Stay safee!!!!! <3

Based off of what I usually go for besides Hot Topic and Spencers since I don't online shop(sadly since I don't have a card yet), is go to thrift stores and sometimes places like Walmart or Spirit Halloween. If you think about it, yea it's usually the spooky halloween stuff but if you want some gothic accessories or decor or whatever, either alter them or not. 

Try thrift shopping my most tips I can give you through my experience go for tank tops and crop tops or anything you want to look through first then skirts and jackets plus go through the dresses 3rd because I found great finds there too

Mira existen soluciones, la mas sencilla creo yo es buscar en linea, y no me refiero en paginas grandes como EBay, sino en Instagram o incluso Facebook ya que te dan resultados cercanos a tu localidad y a precios mas accesibles, al principio hacia eso cuando no podía ir a la ropa americana de mi localidad.

Y aunque coser también es una buena idea, no te lo recomiendo si es algo que no sabes, también lo digo por experiencia, a veces los tutoriales de YouTube no son la mejor opción, y es preferible que te enseñe alguien en persona, pero si de verdad es algo que te interesa, puedes empezar de a poco, bordando en poleras o pintando pantalones con diseños.

De todo corazón es pero que te sirva mi comentario :)

Vinted is a good online store to get alt clothes from, cos most of the clothes are sold by people who can no longer wear them.

Get a job. No, seriously. Some places hire as low as 16 year olds unless if you mean "minor" as "I'm still learning what the hell y = mx+b is" and if you mean "live in the suburbs" as "my neighborhood is actually in buttfuck nowhere". It should getcha a decent trip to the thrift store.

Thrifting, sewing, upcycling, and saving up for nicer pieces is the best way, & the most worth it! Don't burn your money on clothes made with cheap labor just for looks, invest in your clothes and they'll last you longer AND look cooler. 

you can try some of the options the people in the forums have given, but if you occasionally fast shop that's really okay too <33 at the end of the day, that's really just how it works, and it IS the most accessible and convenient. you could try to reduce it you feel bad but i can guarantee that everyone owns at least one piece of clothing that has been processed through those systems. you'll be okay, don't be too strict on yourself !! :33 i hope you can get cool clothes

Personally i use vinted, theres a lot of cheap stuff on there thats cute

DIY clothes are an amazing alternative!

My mom used 2 make me dresses 4 my birthday and sometimes, competitions. There's no way 2 explain how kind it is 2 create a piece of clothing 4 some1. I just feel like, when wearing a work made by some1 I appreciate really adds a lot of love 2 the piece!! If I knew how 2 sew, I would do all my clothes. It just sounds so wonderful!

Trhifting it's also a very cool alternative. IDk how it is in the USA, but in my opinion, thrifting it's really exhausting, so I don't like doing it.

Id repurpose old clothing and try to style it in a newer way! I use a lot of my parents old clothing in my new outfits :3 its free, non wasteful, and pretty easy!! ^w^

Dw the problem with fast fashion isn't the people that buy out of necessity, its the people who spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars for hauls and clothing that they won't even wear, that most of the time land up in landfills.

Its best to not buy from if you can, but even if you do you shouldn't feel guilty if it's in moderation. 

The best you can do is thrift clothes, but second hand, learn how to sew(generally good life skill), borrowing clothes from family members, and advocating about the cause and effect of the fast fashion industry. 

Sorry if this was a whole yap session(lol), but its important for people to know that it's not the every day average joe's fault just because they bought one shirt, instead it's the wealthy who over consume and the company's who exploit the poor. 

Thrift and up-cycle!! A lot of clothes just need a little love!! Most fast fashion is poorly made anyways. 

Go to local thrift shops and alter clothing! You can look on YouTube for tutorials. You can dye clothing, sew, or add studs!!

its understandable to use fast fashion sometimes obviously and its good you r aware of its dangers <3

if ur allowed to online shop:

taobao, mercari, even yesstyle, ive seen people use it idk

depop ebay and vinted is good too and u should ask ur parents for their clothes or friends or whoever u stay with :D if u need sellers for depop and ebay and vinted that do super adorable clothes i can link some but also upcycling ur old clothes or whatever u find when ur out is a super good alternative 

like u could go to ur local store and find what seems to be an ugly jumper and with sewing you could make it pretty!

try to do DIYs on old clothes

for example:

★ paint bleach designs on old pants, shirts, hoodies, etc

★ make your own hardware onto clothes, like soda tab pins, safety pins, old chains, etc

★ cut up old clothes into cool shapes / designs and sew on for cool textures

★ fabric paint if possible (extra DIY is to use acrylic paint and add fabric softener)

★ embroider designs with thread if posssible

★ dye old clothes if possible

★ Pinterest has a lot of DIYs on how to cut up old clothes so that you can cut and sew them into        new designs

★ cut the collars off of shirts to give them a cooler look

You could also try using online thrift shops like depop, vinted, ebay, and many more

look for seconhand clothing on thrift sites on stores in  your area, if not please I ALWAYS STRESS THIS!!! if you buy fast fashion make sure its in moderation, like if you find a pair of jeans you ABSOLUTELY love and know you will wear all the time i think its ok as as your entire wardrobe isnt from gfast fashion brands

also #steal from big corperations 

hi love ! i really recommend to diy as much as u can with your clothes. you can find tutorials on how to sew and stuff on youtube or tiktok. also i really recommend online thrifting. like vinted, depop facebook marketplace and sellpy. you can find some really cute stuff on there.

try DIY, thrift stores,if u dont know how to sew there are lots of tutorials on tik tok,youtube etc.. :3

i totally recommend depop, vinted, poshmark, and websites like that they have all kinds of clothes and usually not too expensive (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)

I mean I don't know if thrift shops are considered fast fashion but those a great option, even better if you can sew, u can like modify clothes from the thrifts, you can also just save money, I don't know what's so hard about saving money, when ur parents give you money for the day or the week, try to use the smallest amount you can and the other goes in the piggy bank, when you eye something that you want, you ask if they can save it for you or you like hide it somewhere you think no one will look and when you save enough money for it you go an buy it, its that easy

I can't afford fast fashion, but when thrifting wasn't an option as a kid, I legit modified my grandma's clothes and my old clothes. Also keep an eye on flee market and pick up accessories. I think half of an alt style is about how you use certain things that are considered "Normal" and how you accesorize it UwU. To be fair, i even used pins in my ears to replace piercings (Don't do that) The key is creativity, you can do it

when i am not confident with diy and can't spend money with clothes, I get creative with my hair. 

thrift thrift thrift! Local or non-local, it will do you good in the long run! Depending on the thrift store, you can find great stuff on a budget. Or start buying anywhere that is cheap and go from there till you've got more money. I completely understand your plight because I'm the same tbh </3

Charity/second hand shops, ebay and vinted are good places to find cheap fashion!! You can even buy second hand fast fashion which does come with its cons of bad quality but its even cheaper and more sustainable than buying from the shop itself! But sewing your own stuff from old clothes is also a good alternative and it's one of a kind :3