15 Years Since My Fashion Wake-Up Call

Wearing 10 years 10-year-old skirt from a responsible brand, vegan shoes from a responsible brand and second hand top.

By Sophie Gripenberg, Founder of A Sustainable Closet

It’s been 15 years since I had my fashion industry wake-up call.

Back then, I was just like so many others in their late teens and early twenties: searching for nice, cheap items from fast fashion brands. I was a loyal H&M member, and every Friday, right around the time when the student subsidy would come in, stores hosted sales and breakfast shopping events. I’d come home with bags full of clothes to decorate my walk-in closet in the 3.5-room apartment I shared with friends in a small university town.

Social media had just arrived, and I loved taking mirror selfies in all my different outfits. On the surface, it was fun. But beneath it, something started to nag at me. While studying Peace and Development, I learned about concepts like the minimum and living wage, fair trade standards, gender violence, and global supply chains. At the same time, the climate crisis and ecological breakdown became more and more visible: images of polluted rivers, disappearing lakes from cotton farming, and entire communities exploited in the name of cheap fashion.

Wearing a second-hand blazer and an organic cotton top.

Even though my degree wasn’t about fashion, it was suddenly impossible to ignore that people’s chances for a decent life, and the health of our planet, were being sacrificed by industries like fashion.

I became a Fairtrade Ambassador, started a Fair Trade student group under the Red Cross Youth umbrella, and we even hosted a sustainable fashion show featuring responsible brands and second-hand stores. Quitting my H&M membership felt like the only right thing to do. But it wasn’t easy.

The longing for clothes and self-expression didn’t go away. I spent hours scrolling for better brands, searching for resale platforms, reading books, and watching documentaries, not only to learn, but to find replacements for what I once bought so easily. Second-hand shops in my small town didn’t offer much, so I relied on Facebook groups and clothing swap events.

Things got easier when I moved to Stockholm, where second-hand shops were plentiful, but also pricier. As a student, affording responsible brands was a challenge. Of course, it made sense that a coat would cost €200 or a T-shirt at least €30. But when you’re living on a tight budget, it felt out of reach.

Wearing second-hand dresses and vegan shoes and bag.

Wearing second hand shoes and a second hand dress.

It wasn’t until I started working full-time, as better online platforms emerged, and as more responsible brands began to offer diverse options, that I finally felt free and joyful as a fully sustainable fashion shopper, having abandoned fast fashion years earlier. That doesn’t mean I’ve been perfect. Socks bought in desperation while travelling, trousers purchased abroad where no alternatives existed, it happens. I know firsthand the struggles and the compromises.

And through all these years, my body and style have changed multiple times. I’m not the same person I was in my 20s, or even the beginning of my 30s. My values have shifted too: from primarily worrying about climate and environmental impact, to also focusing on empowering workers, supporting businesses that do the right thing, and embracing vegan materials.

I won’t claim that my own closet is fully sustainable, even though I created a platform to support others in building theirs. But I can say I’ve gotten better at finding my own sweet spot, balancing time, money, values, lifestyle, and style.

Wearing an organic cotton dress from a responsible brand with a second-hand sweater.

And here’s the surprising thing: I actually enjoy fashion now more than ever. There are so many good options today. But it’s bittersweet, because 15 years on, fast fashion is still expanding, and pressure on people and the planet has only intensified.

That’s why it’s important to remember: yes, our individual choices matter. But we are not just consumers, we are citizens. Awareness, policy-making, and pressuring businesses are still key to achieving real change. At the same time, don’t underestimate your own journey. Each choice helps set new norms for fashion, responsible, circular, and slow, while respecting the rights of nature, animals, and humans.

Thank you for being here, and for supporting A Sustainable Closet. Together, we’re shaping the future of fashion.

Wearing organic cotton pants from responsible brand, and old organic cotton sweather and a vintage coat.