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 the dark and unsustainable sides), but still beautiful products.

For myself, I have been buying less clothing for years — 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, for example, Vestiaire Collective. I prefer to spend my money on holidays and trips, good food, interiors and books.

However, I have 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 the bamboo rompers from Hema.

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

Sustainable consumption and fashionable dressing: can it be combined?

In my work, I regularly speak with sustainability experts: if you want to build a greener wardrobe, you should mainly 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 impact on the environment).

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

His wardrobe

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

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

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

I shop mostly online: I choose consciously and opt for quality. At 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 at Omoda, Weidewinkel Van Tilburg and Zalando — mainly because of their wide range.

I like trying on clothes at home. Not least because the sizing of children's clothing, unfortunately — just like regular fashion — differs per brand and sometimes even per model 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 is almost two sizes smaller than the Dutch size. Adidas, Scotch & Soda, Zara, Bobo Choses and Ralph Lauren are usually (almost) one size smaller, children's fashion from H&M and Hema is true to size or slightly larger. One label uses conventional sizes such as 122 and 128, the other counts by age in years, such as five years and seven years or six years and eight years.

Vinted: fun, affordable and a little 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. Especially in France and Italy, they love these brands, 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 of 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 — also 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 can also just put it in your bank account.'

On the homepage, I am constantly given new recommendations, tailored to my taste and previous purchases. And who wants to find the real gems/bargains? They have to log in regularly to see the latest ads 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.

Vinted earns a small amount on every transaction and that is very profitable for the company. In 2024, Vinted's parent company generated 813.4 million euros in revenue and a profit of 76.7 million euros.

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

You need quite a bit for a child: think of 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. Moreover, you also need to have some spare outfits for their backpack to school, after-school care and grandma's.

But honestly, our son could certainly do 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 no longer fits into them, passing items on to friends or 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 heading towards 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 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 nice 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, so you can 'shop' sustainably from your own wardrobe later," says Admiraal.

Philippine Kaiser, founder of the Eindhoven-based shoe and bag brand 5PM, said: "Since the birth of Alix (almost three), I have been consciously buying most of her clothes. 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 am 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 that brands address one of these points and then call 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 have bought things from large chains in the past, but 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 does not 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 physical shops. For myself, I like to search on Vinted for that one unique fashion item, but I never actually buy children's clothes there."

This article was translated to English using an AI tool.

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