Last week I wrote a post talking about and defining the term "shop small", but knowing what exactly shopping small means is only the beginning. The important part comes when you're choosing what stores to shop at and what brands to buy. I know, I know. Forever 21 and H&M are sooo cheap and who doesn't want a well-priced, designer collab by Target? The stigma with shopping small, ethical, sustainable, and/or indie is that it's just too expensive. We all want to be better shoppers and support better brands, but we're not willing to put our money where our mouth is. But here's the truth: shopping small isn't always the more expensive option.
At face value many independent, ethical brands seem like they cost an arm and a leg when in reality there are many small shops that are much cheaper than fast fashion chains. You can get a great piece of clothing (or jewelry, or makeup, or stationery, or music, or whatever it is you're into) for a great price and know that your purchase represents a more honest and ethical way of living. A lot of the things major chain stores do behind closed doors is or should be illegal. Sweatshops, dangerous work conditions,and unequal distribution of pay are not just documentary plots of HBO specials; they are real, everyday occurrences that we are allowing to happen because we keep swarming to stores like Zara, Forever 21, and H&M for all of our shopping "needs". But when we choose to shop independently owned brands we are supporting companies that source their products from safe manufacturers and spend more time focused on customer care rather than tax loopholes and seven figure salaries. A lot of indie and ethical brands share behind the scenes moments on Instagram or Snapchat so you can see the hard work that goes into each product they sell. When you decide to shop small you are supporting the life of an entrepreneur who is working everyday to create unique and well-designed pieces so that she can go home at night to feed her family and wake back up the next morning to do it all over again. That's the kind of business you want to support.
Next week I'll be publishing a post about how to shop small plus giving you the lowdown on all the different (affordable!) ways you can shop small/indie/local/ethical/sustainable without breaking the bank. Stay tuned, bebs.
Photo by @ShopBando