It’s time to get ready for school again, and I’ll be honest, I may not be completely up to date on what kids like if they don’t have exactly the same taste as my nieces - Lululemon, unicorns, and TikTok rule supreme.

What I can tell you, is here’s how I would prep a sustainable back to school wardrobe:

1. Pull out all the clothes that no longer fit, have worn out beyond repair, are covered in paint, etc.

2. Swap with family friends or coworkers if possible.

3. Estimate how many outfits your peanut needs in a 2 week laundry cycle & make a list of what they need.

4. Check secondhand options - ThredUP (USA) and Poshmark are my go-tos.

5. Shop on sustainable clothing brands - see below!

All of the brands I recommend utilize natural, recycled, deadstock, or upcycled fabrics (making them sustainable), and pay their workers a fair wage or produce in a low risk region like the USA or EU (ethical), to the best of my knowledge. For more info on what I look for, check out Sustainability 101.

** Indicates a company that produces ethically, but may use regular cotton or polyester (I will asterisk even if the polyester or nylon is recycled) in some of their garments. Check the tag for fabric content & decide for yourself!

I cannot recommend ThredUP highly enough if you are in the US - it’s an online secondhand store and has all the familiar brands kids love at major, major discounts. They also have a 14 day return policy on most items. If your kids are that age where they want brand-name stuff all the time, ThredUP can be amazing! Here’s a link for $10 off your first order (I also get $10 for referring you, yay!). You can search by type of item, and then filter by size and even fabric. When I shop for myself, I typically filter to show natural fibers like cotton, linen, hemp, silk, and wool.