Clothes are fun (aren't they?!)

Clothes are fun. Aren't they? Yes. And yet, as a fashion professional and consumer, I sometimes struggle with this.

I love fashion. Less so the industry (specifically its dark and unsustainable sides), but I still appreciate beautiful products.

For years, I've been buying less clothing for myself — partly consciously, partly unconsciously. I try to build a more timeless wardrobe and follow trends less.

I don't "need" much anymore. As one of my best friends always chuckles, it's all or nothing. I go to the office in a minimalist chic outfit with my hair curled, but at least half the week you can picture me in sportswear, which I equally wear for grocery shopping, housework, and working from home.

And the items I do buy: I prefer a more expensive, quality fashion item or luxury clothing second-hand via Vestiaire Collective, for example. I prefer to spend my money on holidays and outings, good food, interior design, and books.

I have, however, started spending more money on clothes for someone else: our son, now four and a half years old. It started with beautiful baby clothes: from Dilling (a favourite), Konges Sløjd, +1 in the family, Play Up, Lil' Atelier, Hvid slippers, a wool jacket from Engel Natur, and bamboo rompers from Hema.

As he grew, it became a bit more difficult because, at one and a half, he suddenly had a very strong opinion about what he wanted to wear — the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Fortunately, we're more on the same page these days, and I can be a bit more relaxed with fashionable looks.

Sustainable consumption and fashionable dressing: can they coexist?

In my work, I regularly speak with sustainability experts: if you want to build a greener wardrobe, you should primarily wear and care for what you have. Consider renting or buying second-hand; don't buy too much new (because making new clothes has the biggest environmental impact).

At the same time, as a fashion professional, I'm passionate about independent retailers who earn their living selling (children's) clothing. And a number of producers as well. They don't always have it easy amidst the dominance of fast fashion players and large retailers.

His wardrobe

What exactly does our son's wardrobe consist of now?

I buy shoes from expert shoe shops in the neighbourhood: such as Bremmer in Waddinxveen and Van Keeken in Alphen aan den Rijn. Underwear and socks from Zeeman and Hema.

There are fewer nice brick and mortar children's clothing shops in the immediate vicinity (Boskoop village). In Gouda, a city 15 minutes away, Onze Nieuwe Winkel has a nice selection of new clothes from well-known children's labels, and Studio Kiewie is a second-hand children's clothing shop that does resale — a nice address, although I haven't bought anything there yet.

I do most of my shopping online: I choose consciously and opt for quality. From the beautiful fashion brand American Vintage, for example, or well-known children's webshops such as Labels for Little Ones, Smallable, Spruit Kids Conceptstore, and Wonder for Kids. I also occasionally buy something from Omoda, Weidewinkel Van Tilburg, and Zalando — mainly because of their wide assortment.

I like trying things on at home. Not least because, unfortunately, children's clothing sizes — just like regular fashion — vary by brand and sometimes even by style within a collection. Trousers are the most difficult here.

I've learned from experience. For example, I now know that the French brand Petit Bateau sizes are almost two sizes smaller than Dutch sizes. Adidas, Scotch & Soda, Zara, Bobo Choses, and Ralph Lauren are usually (almost) one size smaller; children's clothing from H&M and Hema is true to size or slightly larger. One label uses conventional sizes like 122 and 128, while another counts by age in years, such as five years and seven years, or six years and eight years.

Vinted: fun, affordable, and a bit addictive

Buying second-hand children's clothing is also a favourite.

Via Vinted, you can find a huge amount of children's clothing from designer brands such as Ralph Lauren and Lacoste. They are particularly fond of these in France and Italy, which makes the selection larger than in Dutch shops. And the best part? They often sell those items for a small price. The range of well-known names is also large on the "fashion marketplace": think Donsje, Bobo Choses, Maed for Mini, Sproet & Sprout, Mini Rodini, Nixnut, Gray Label, and Emile et Ida.

I've recently started selling on Vinted too. But I've hardly transferred the money I've earned to my bank account. More often, I buy nice, new things there — even in the next sizes up. By paying with the "Vinted credit" earned within the platform with a click of a button, it hardly seems to cost anything — classic girl math, as my boyfriend recently pointed out: "You could also just put it in your bank account."

On the homepage, I'm constantly given new recommendations, tailored to my taste and previous purchases. And who wants to find the real gems/good bargains? They have to log in regularly to see the latest advertisements that match their saved searches — which you can set for your favourite brands, in the required size — I have about 15.

Before you know it, if you're not careful, you'll fall victim to the so-called rebound effect. That is, buying second-hand can be more sustainable, but sometimes it leads to more consumption. De Volkskrant already wrote about this in 2021 in 'Buying and selling on Vinted: 'The other day, 12 parcels arrived for us in one day. It's unboxing day here every day'' (Evelien van Veen, 10 March 2021).

Vinted earns a small amount on every transaction, and that's proving to be quite lucrative. In 2024, Vinted's parent company generated 813.4 million euros in revenue and a profit of 76.7 million euros, it was announced last week.

Despite conscious choices, the bottom line is: more than necessary

You need quite a bit for a child: think a summer and winter coat, sandals, trainers, wellington boots, and maybe a raincoat, ski suit, and snow boots. Swimwear, jeans, jumpers, T-shirts, and cardigans.

Clothes get dirty every day, and trousers wear out quickly from playing. You also need to have some spare outfits for their backpack to school, after-school care, and grandma's.

But honestly, our son could definitely manage with less clothing.

I reassure myself with the thought that the branded clothing retains its value, and I give most of the clothes a second life by selling them when he's grown out of them, passing items on to friends, or to my sister for our brand-new nephew.

The search for balance continues

The search for balance continues. I want to buy more consciously for my child. Especially not too much (because we're aiming for a more sustainable future).

But dressing up and creating outfits is also fun — above all, I think it's important that he feels good in what he wears.

This morning, when he put on his white shoes to go to grandma's, he said: "This looks nice, doesn't it, Mum?"

"Do you recognise the dilemma between wanting to dress your child fashionably and still wanting to make conscious choices for sustainability?"

I asked other fashion professionals and mothers about their buying behaviour and motivations regarding children's clothing:

"I recognise your dilemma to a certain extent, but I think I've found a good balance," said fashion journalist and writer Natasja Admiraal from Haarlem. "I'm not that sensitive to brands or the latest trends, and I consciously buy clothes that my daughters (aged five and seven) actually wear to prevent half of the clothes from remaining unworn in the wardrobe. Their wardrobe consists largely of second-hand clothes and hand-me-downs, supplemented with basics from Hema and occasionally something from Zara or Zalando. I hardly ever use Vinted. I much prefer going to nice vintage shops in the neighbourhood, such as Opa Drop (where I recently bought some lovely summer dresses from sustainable brands like Lil'Atelier, Marlot Paris, and Brotes) or Terre des Hommes."

Her practical tip for mothers who want to buy more sustainably: "Buy second-hand in larger sizes already, so you can 'shop' sustainably from your own wardrobe later," says Admiraal.

Philippine Kaiser, founder of the shoe and bag brand 5PM from Eindhoven, said: "Since the birth of Alix (almost three), I've been buying most of her clothes consciously. Her first outfits were hand-knitted and I found them via Vinted. Because I also know the production side of the fashion industry well, I'm critical of brands that present themselves as sustainable. It's such a complex issue. Where is something made? Under what conditions? From what materials? Treated with what chemicals? How does it ultimately get here? I often see brands addressing one of these points and then calling themselves sustainable, while the whole picture is missing."

"For me, sustainability is mainly about quality. Clothes that last a long time, that you can pass on or resell. I don't buy excessively on Vinted, but I specifically choose items from brands that I know will stay beautiful, even after many washes. I prefer to buy Alix's clothes from Dutch brands like Sproet&Sprout. I get underwear and pyjamas from Hema. I've bought things from large chains in the past, but I noticed that the colours fade quickly. I'm done with that now," says Kaiser.

Colleague and senior editor of FashionUnited France, Julia Garel from Utrecht, said when asked that she doesn't feel any tension between style and sustainability. "I'm actually not tempted to buy branded clothes for my one-year-old daughter. I estimate that I've only bought about five percent of her wardrobe new — only things that were really necessary. The rest, about 95 percent, consists of given pieces or second-hand finds from brick and mortar shops. I like to browse Vinted for that one unique fashion item for myself, but I never actually buy children's clothes there."

Read also:

• 'Most consumers know that cheap trendy clothing is not sustainable: why do they keep buying it?
• Where is the systemic change in the fashion industry?
• The future of fashion: is less more?

This article was translated to English using an AI tool.

FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@fashionunited.com