wear more, wash less.
We believe the first step to buying less is buying better.
OUR ADVICE? BUY QUALITY.
Get familiar with what constitutes a high-quality garment in terms of stitching, fabric quality, and fiber – this is the number one way to make your clothes last longer. When you purchase something, consider the life cycle of the garment. This requires more than just shopping from a sustainable clothing company. It’s important to go a step further and consider how often you’ll wear it, wash it, store it, and finally, dispose of it.
However, creating an environmentally friendly wardrobe is not only about how and where you buy your clothes. You can purchase all the sustainable dresses and ethical t-shirts available and still not have a sustainable wardrobe. It’s equally about how you care for what you have. When you properly care for your clothes, they last longer. When they last longer, they don’t end up in landfills…
WASH MINDFULLY
When washing items that are machine safe, avoid overloading your washing machine. The extra weight causes knit garments to stretch which can distort the shape or rip the garment. Wash your clothing separate from abrasive items like denim, towels, or items with hardware (like zippers and metal buttons) as it causes unnecessary wear and tear. Always put delicate items in a lingerie bag and use cold water whenever possible. Washing in cold water is not only better for the environment, it’s also better for your garments because it can help prevent color fading. We highly recommend choosing a non-toxic, less abrasive detergent.
PAY ATTENTION TO FABRIC CARE LABELS. ALWAYS.
Keep in mind that it isn’t always necessary to wash an item after each wear. Consider saving water, money, and the environment by using an eco-friendly fabric refresher spray between washes. And when it does come time to wash, here’s a detailed look at the care instructions for our most popular fabrics. Whether you're washing your organic cotton tops or eco-friendly sweaters, technique matters.
Our Reverse Slub, Heavy Slub, Stonewashed Cotton Poplin, Organic Pima Cotton, and Cotton Voile are all machine washable. All of our cotton garments have been pre-washed and dyed, so the maximum shrinkage of the natural fibers has already been reduced. To prevent any slight shrinking, air dry or dry on a low setting.
*A note on deodorant: deodorants containing aluminum and/or baking soda can discolor and build up in clothing even after washing. Switching to a natural deodorant will extend the life of your t-shirts.
Wash by hand. We don’t recommend machine washing this fabric, but if you must, use the delicate cycle with cold water and place it inside out in a lingerie bag. (But really, hand washing is the way to go.) Air dry. Stylist tip: to remove wrinkles, a steamer is much gentler on fabric than an iron (just be sure to use distilled water in your steamer, as tap water contains minerals that can leave water spots on your garments).
Hand washing is the best (and safest) method for washing double gauze clothes. Add a small amount of delicate detergent to a wash basin or sink filled with cool water. Soak. Rinse well by running cool water through the item until the water is no longer soapy. Do not wring. Instead, press the water out of the item. Air dry. Always.
We recommend using an eco-friendly dry cleaner to handle your alpaca clothing once a season. (Just remember to ask them to skip the plastic cover when you pick it up.) You can also wash them by hand (but never submerge in water, unless you want a shrunken sweater). Add a small amount of delicate detergent into a water basin with cold water. Gently wash your sweater and quickly rinse with cold water, until no longer soapy. Allow to air dry on a flat surface.
Fold heavy sweaters rather than hanging them, as hanging will cause your sweaters to lose shape and give you those unsightly hanger bumps at your shoulders.
The best way to keep this fabric in shape is to wash it inside out. Keep in mind all sweaters pill, no matter what. The easiest way to keep them looking fresh is to use a sweater stone or shaver to remove the pills. Rather than washing/dry cleaning your sweaters, consider using a non-toxic sweater spray to freshen and deodorize between wears.
Our Lyocell pieces are machine washable. To prevent any slight shrinking, machine wash cold with like colors and lay flat to dry. Alternatively, you can bring them to an eco-friendly dry cleaner.
Stylist Tip: to remove wrinkles, Lyocell can handle ironing on a low heat setting - but a steamer is much gentler on fabric. Just be sure to use distilled water in your steamer, as tap water contains minerals that can leave water spots on your garments.
PASS IT ON.
The goal is to keep your clothes for as long as possible. It’s easy to do when you shop mindfully, that way you’ll have a closet full of timeless items that you truly love. Sometimes, however, it’s time to let something go. If it's still wearable, give it to a friend, consign it, donate it, or repurpose it. We’ve partnered with thredUP in order to make it easy for you to turn the clothes you no longer love into NATION LTD credit.
NATION LTD x thredUP
*NATION LTD credit is based on the selling price of items sold per kit within a 30-day listing window. Read more about what thredUp accepts HERE. As a thank you, NATION LTD will add an additional 15% to all payouts to be used as credit to shop at nationltd.com. Your NATION LTD credit will be sent in the form of an e-gift card to the email address associated with your thredUP kit. Please allow up to 3 weeks after your kit is processed for credit to be sent.
In the US alone, 21 billion pounds of textile waste ends up in landfills.
If it is no longer wearable, find a business or service in your area that recycles textiles. While cotton garments will biodegrade in about 3 months, rayon/viscose, on the other hand, will take anywhere from 6 weeks to 20 years to biodegrade depending on soil conditions in the landfill.