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Imperfect Idealist – Lily Fang’s Journey Into Sustainable Style
Lily Fang aka Imperfect Idealist discovered a more sustainable lifestyle after living in Europe.
Lily Fang, aka Imperfect Idealist, discovered a more sustainable lifestyle and fashion after living in Europe. She started sharing her sustainable tips on her blog in 2020, and soon gained a lot of followers.
We reached out to Lily to learn more about her sustainability journey and to share some of her practical tips on how to shop and live more sustainably.
How did you discover sustainability and sustainable style?
I actually used to be very much into fast fashion before I discovered sustainability. Growing up, I’d go shopping with my mom and friends and buy cheap clothing just “for fun". I loved finding deals and having a wide range of pieces to make loud, bright outfits with. While I did go thrifting, it was mainly for the “bargain” aspect rather than for sustainability.
When I went to college, I naturally slowed down my consumption since I had just gotten very busy with academics. I also realized that I didn’t need a ton of clothes to still stay creative with fashion.
My sustainability journey began when I lived in Dijon, France, for a year after graduating from college. Europe is just years ahead of the US in terms of sustainable habits and legislation. People bring their own bags to the store, there are zero waste stores, reusable cups at events, laws against the destruction of unsold goods, and more. I started paying more attention to my everyday lifestyle. Because I was traveling a lot and living abroad (and also making a low teaching salary), I was also again naturally limited in the amount of clothing I could buy.
I started getting into the actual world and community of sustainable fashion in 2020. I wrote a blog post about sustainable fashion myths, which got a lot of traffic, and that made me realize that I had more to say about the topic and that people were connecting with my thoughts. I think the biggest point I like to make with sustainable fashion is that it’s often painted as classist or inaccessible, when in reality, poor people and immigrants have been participating in sustainable fashion all this time out of necessity. The movement often overemphasizes buying from expensive sustainable brands, but the most sustainable thing is to wear what you have, mend, upcycle, and give and get hand-me-downs.
After that post, I ended up creating some content on TikTok as well, and the rest is history! Since this isn’t my full-time job, I’ve slowed down content creation a bit over the last couple years, but I always enjoy sharing sustainable tips from my life and plan to continue to do so.
What does sustainability mean to you, especially when we talk about fashion and clothes?
Sustainable fashion means looking at your clothing as long-term investments. Whether you buy from a fast fashion brand or an ethical one (or secondhand), the most important thing is that you’re planning to use and love that clothing for as long as possible. Sustainability also means taking the focus off of purchasing and caring for your clothing as best as possible.
What are some things anyone can do to live more sustainably?
1. Reduce overall clothing consumption.
Most of us in the Global North have a consumption problem due to societal pressure to have the latest trends. It can be very overwhelming to dive into sustainable fashion, especially with all the greenwashing and information overload, so I would always recommend just first buying less before starting to worry where you’re buying from. Less can mean one new piece per month, or it can even mean a no new clothes pledge for a few months (which is a great time to analyze your closet and dressing habits). Figure out what works for you and your needs.
2. Shop secondhand as much as possible.
We make obscene amounts of clothing, and so much of it gets dumped in the Global South, in places like Ghana’s Kantamanto Market or Chile’s Atacama Desert. Buying secondhand helps save clothing from landfills, and there’s so much more personality in secondhand pieces.
3. When buying from ethical brands, consider cost per wear.
It’s important to also support small, sustainable brands since they’re doing the work to make fashion more responsible. Sadly, many brands I admired have gone out of business in the last year.
Since the cost of clothing has gone down over time, we have stopped valuing it as much as previous generations used to. People used to save up for a piece and keep it for generations. It causes huge sticker shock to see prices over $100 or $200.
Cost per wear allows you to understand the true value of that clothing to you. If you buy a $100 dress but you plan to wear it 100 times, then the cost per wear is $1. That may actually be a better deal than a $20 dress you wear twice (with the cost per wear being $10).
4. Find community.
A big part of sustainability is community—whether that means doing clothing swaps, hosting a clothes mending party, posting clothes you no longer need in Buy Nothing groups, or advocating for fair fashion legislation. Community can make the journey more easier (sustainability is nuanced and hard sometimes!) and meaningful.
How to start thrifting and shopping secondhand if you are new to it?
My biggest tip would be to use secondhand apps and sites to find specific pieces you’ve seen that you want. It can be overwhelming and even discouraging sometimes to go into a thrift store, so I think it’s a nice introduction to shopping secondhand to search for a specific piece online.
It can also help to decide that you are committing to buying a certain type of clothing used, such as clothing you don’t truly need but want. I tend to be a little more lax with buying used when it comes to fitness gear (I’m a marathoner), for example, but I always try to buy my “regular people” clothing secondhand, or from an ethical brand.
What are some common misconceptions about sustainable style and sustainability?
The biggest misconception is that you have to buy from expensive ethical brands to participate in sustainable fashion. As I mentioned earlier, how you approach fashion and care for your clothing matters more than where your clothes are from. Someone can buy fast fashion out of necessity and still participate in sustainable fashion. They might actually be more sustainable than someone who overconsumes ethical brands.
Greenwashing is so pervasive in the industry, which also makes sustainable fashion overwhelming. And unfortunately, people take brands’ claims at face value. It’s not just SHEIN, H&M, ZARA, and the fast fashion giants that are unsustainable. Even “nicer” brands like Nike, Lululemon, Free People, Aritizia, and more are fast fashion because of their disregard for people and the planet. So, while doing intense research on brands isn’t necessary to start participating in sustainable style, you unfortunately do have to do some digging to really understand if brands are actually ethical if you want to support brands making a difference.
How do you see the future of sustainable fashion?
I want to see more legislation protecting workers’ rights and reducing waste in the industry. When the Garment Worker Protection Act was passed in California in 2022, that was a big win since it put an end to the piece rate system, which paid workers per garment sewn instead of hourly. You had people making subminimum wage as a result of that system, but after the act was passed, manufacturers are now required to pay at least minimum wage. It’s sad that getting paid minimum wage is a “win", but it’s good to see progress being made.
The Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act in New York is another bill I’m excited about, as it would regulate any fashion company doing business in the state with global revenue over $100 million. It would require them to disclose their supply chains, pay fair wages, set climate reductions, and reduce chemical use.
Can you share some tips for people who would like to buy less?
I would first recommend tracking all your purchases, including the date and dollar amount. That helps you visually see how much you’re buying, which motivates you to be more mindful.
If the purchase is a want and not a need, I also recommend waiting a certain amount of time to see if you truly want it. It can be anywhere from weeks to months to even years. I’ve waited a couple years before to finally get specific pieces I’ve wanted. This is especially important if what you want is currently trending, as it can be hard to tell if you like it because it’s popular, or because you actually like it.
I also think it’s important not to settle for “good enough” pieces. I’ve bought pieces that reminded me of what I actually wanted before but were cheaper, but then I didn’t love them as much, and ended up investing in what I actually wanted, which ultimately led to more consumption.
How to donate and get rid of old clothes responsibly?
This is another huge misconception in sustainable fashion - people think the clothes they donate actually end up getting resold, but the truth is that only around 20% of clothes donated to thrift stores end up resold domestically. The rest ends up trashed or dumped abroad, particularly in Ghana’s Kantamanto Market, where they call these used clothing shipments “Dead White Man’s Clothes". This hurts the local textile economy, and the unsold clothing ends up polluting the land and waterways.
As a result, I always encourage people to give clothing away directly when possible, particularly through Buy Nothing groups, which are hyper-local online communities where you can give away and get things for free. After that, I like to give away clothing to local orgs that give away the clothing for free, particularly niche organizations like those that give away professional clothing or prom dresses (since they’re more likely to be used when people are going to them for a specific use case). Homeless shelters, refugee orgs, foster care programs, and LGBTQ+ centers can also be great options. I have a ton more suggestions in my article on places to donate clothes besides Goodwill, including recycling programs for ratty clothes. It’s always important to donate clothes in good condition unless you know the organization explicitly has a recycling program, otherwise, you may end up causing them more trouble since they have to spend resources getting rid of the ratty stuff.
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