How to Find Alternatives to Fast Fashion with @heyheyhotdog

by Carley Lake | Last Updated:   July 21, 2020

She’s a former whitewater river-guiding, vintage and handmade clothes selling, rural Appalachia-living, thrift store style-loving woman who wants to show people that shopping for and wearing vintage can be fun for a modern lifestyle. Get to know October of @heyheyhotdog and learn how she puts together her retro yet modern looks with alternatives to fast fashion (+ the shoes that work on those Tennessee gravel roads!).

Who are you? 🙂

I’m October!  I’m a mom who lives in the mountains.  I love vintage clothes and home decor, and @heyheyhotdog is my outlet for showcasing how to find and express personal style through thrifted finds rather than fast-fashion trends.  I sell vintage and handmade clothes, accessories, and decorative objects as a way to channel treasure-hunting into an activity with purpose.  I want to show people that shopping for and wearing vintage can be fun for a modern lifestyle.  

I’ve lived in many states but now I live in Tennessee; and I’ve had many jobs including fashion merchandising and whitewater river-guiding.  Though we no longer do whitewater as a job, it was definitely the coolest job ever, and it’s what led my husband and me to choose a home in rural Appalachia. It’s a beautiful place to reflect and slow down, and the outdoor activities are unbeatable.  But all the gravel roads have definitely influenced my footwear choices! 

How do you describe your style? 

I think style is about how you feel in your clothes (same goes for your home or personal space), and I’m always looking for pieces that make me feel creative and comfortable.  I focus on vintage because it helps me to refine my style in a dynamic way–what I like to wear evolves based on pieces I find that feel special to me.  I tend to choose pieces with retro western-wear influences, but ultimately I love to be creative with fashion and dress for whatever mood I’m in each day.

What is your favorite way to embrace sustainable fashion? 

Wearing vintage is by far my favorite sustainable choice, knowing that I’m using clothes already in existence.  I don’t have to worry about doing a lot of research on how they were produced, and no new resources were used to create them.  It’s also my favorite way to score pieces that are on-trend and affordable without turning to fast fashion.  

I have some sewing skills and definitely encourage everyone to get comfortable with basic mending so you can keep the things you love for longer.  It also helps when buying vintage to not be deterred by small flaws.  I try to stick to secondhand as much as possible, but I do enjoy supporting sustainable and ethical brands too, when I can.    

What are your favorite brands, stores, apps, tools, or others that you love/help you support your sustainable fashion lifestyle? 

I do most of my shopping at local community thrift stores because I think those are the ones doing the most good.  When I donate to a church or community center thrift, I know the items are going directly back to the local economy.  And shopping there supports missions where I live.  

Next to thrifting, I love shopping from small businesses and individuals. I shop online through Instagram, Poshmark and Depop, which can be great places to find on-trend vintage and ethical brands for less.  When looking for vintage I usually just browse for things that catch my eye but shopping online also allows you to search by keyword or brand which is useful.  Try looking for a specific color, natural material, or classic brand.  I use the Vintage Fashion Guild Label Resource when I want to verify vintage.

When I’m looking for something new (whether to buy or just get inspiration) I like to browse Lisa Says Gah, Garmentory, Bona Drag, and Garb & Go, which carry ethical and sustainable labels.  I will also use the Good On You app as a starting point for researching a brand I’ve found, or if I’m looking for something specific and need brand recommendations.

What is your go-to look? 

I love wearing pleated trousers and a relaxed blouse or sweater when I need an easy look.  My current favorite pants are my vintage Liz Claiborne pleated khakis.  I also reach for my vintage jeans a lot!  

I wear so much vintage, but I have a few modern ethical brands in my closet that are definite staples, like my canvas jacket by Lykke Wullf that goes with everything.  My most easily styled shoes are the Gia heel by About Arianne, and my Veja V-10s.   

What’s a piece in your closet you wear to make more of a statement? 

So tough to choose, since I really like statement clothes!  I have a killer vintage lime-green linen blazer that I thrifted.  Somehow it goes with everything and the color is just so happy.  I like to wear it with an otherwise neutral outfit for added interested, or paired with other bold colors for balance.  But I probably have to give the favorite-statement-piece award to my House of Sunny cow print jeans.  They are graphic and bold, but I find them really easy to style so I always feel comfortable wearing them (which I think is important if you’re going to wear something that you know is going to attract attention!)

What’s your advice on building a wardrobe you love (that is conscious and ethical!), especially for those just dipping their toes in sustainable fashion? 

The key word is “love”!  One thing that perpetuates the cycle of fast fashion is that we feel so rushed to make the next purchase that we lose the opportunity to really love the clothes we have.  We’re not making new choices based on a deep connection to personal style.  And low prices make it too easy to continue the endless search for something new to wear without giving ourselves time or space to reflect on what we really enjoy wearing.

When you look at ethically-made clothes, they are more expensive (for good reason), and it can be a slow transition to accepting that shopping sustainably may mean you can’t buy as many things as you like.  I try to view this as a good thing, in the way that it makes me think harder about my purchases, and if they’re going to add value to my style rather than just taking up space in my closet.  A problem emerges when sustainable brands drive trends at prohibitive price points, leaving a gap where fast fashion can flourish.  If you’re like me and you love having a lot of choices for expression through fashion, remember that many modern designers draw inspiration from vintage styles!  Before you go looking to fast-fashion for a cheap equivalent, trying to find a vintage version first can be a great way to get something unique and sustainable.

Finally, there is a lot to learn, and so many different ways to be sustainable.  I think it’s really important to be flexible, and give yourself time to grow.

And how do you think you (and others!) can do more to be sustainable, especially as we slow down during this time? What other ways can we be sustainable and create change in the sustainable fashion space?

This is an especially interesting time to be involved in fashion.  So many people have been isolated to their homes due to a pandemic, and not practicing their usual dressing habits.  My hope is that during this time, we’ve been able to learn what we really need and makes us feel good to wear, and have been less enticed to participate in fast fashion.  Perhaps while things have slowed down, we will take more time to reflect before making purchases—think about how they impact human and environmental health, and how it really makes us feel to wear these clothes.  I’ve learned that it feels good to wear and share about vintage and ethically-made pieces. 

I also believe that right now we can learn a lot about positive human interaction in virtual spaces. The more I connect with like-minded people on Instagram, the more excited and committed I feel about sustainability.  Celebrating the impact of small changes, and seeing how other real people practice sustainable lifestyles is really inspiring. 

There is so much systemic change needed to break the paradigm, but as individuals, we can share our own efforts and encourage others to choose a path that works for them. There are many factors that challenge access to sustainable lifestyle practices. Acknowledging that everyone’s journey toward sustainability doesn’t look the same—and welcoming all contributions to the cause—is the best way that we can grow the movement.  It would be so cool for sustainable fashion to feel accessible to more people, and inclusiveness and diversity are areas where we can continue to improve.  I know that wearing vintage clothing doesn’t work for everyone, but I hope by sharing something that I love doing, I can spark interest in others to find their own alternatives to fast fashion.  

Thanks, October!

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