The current fashion scene can best be described as a minefield, where fast fashion brands loom over broke students, using cheap price tags as temptresses, the secrets of their exploitation and environmental destruction hiding in the shadows. But there’s an obvious solution to this, right? Second hand or vintage clothing: at least that tends to be the consensus. As students on tight budgets but with strong consciences, we often find ourselves in a viscous cycle of rooting through racks and rails of “preloved” garments as we aimlessly wander in and out of Nicholson Street’s charity shops. This doesn’t sound like retail therapy to me.
In a bid to romanticise your life, I’m offering a more chick-flick approach: I’m talking trying different outfits, finding your perfect style and size, with an iconic 2010s playlist in the background. However, it’s 2025 so how can we have this fashion fun without costing the planet? Edinburgh’s speciality of course: cute, affordable and independent brands.
With a plethora of high street chains as well as exclusive designer brands, it can be difficult to find sustainable pieces that won’t break the bank, but trust me, they are just waiting to be discovered. To combat the steep prices of colourful stores in Edinburgh, pop-up shops are making a comeback, offering access to small brands often only retailing online. Ironically, it is the large high-street chains creating a home for these newborn Independent brands, with John Lewis and Urban Outfitters playing a significant role. Unfortunately, there isn’t a straightforward path to receiving updates on these pop-ups but keeping an eye out for posters and socials can do no wrong. In fact, my greatest recommendation for sustainable jewellery was found just this way: by pure chance at a pop-up in Edinburgh’s Urban Outfitters. Recreation Jewels in an ethical but affordable company offering tarnish free jewellery that’s proven to complete any outfit, all available at a range of pop-ups throughout the city (keep an eye on their Instagram for more).
The basic principle of the pop-up, however, is its temporality, meaning the spontaneity of retail therapy desires cannot always be met. For more stable sustainable shops, I personally turn to a list of classics. Firstly, on charming Cockburn Street lies Pie In The Sky, a vibrant, independent store offering unique clothing, accessories and gifts from small, slow fashion companies. In addition to this is a collection of boutique shops composed of jewellery, accessories and home wear. My suggestions are: Godiva, One World Store, Flux and the collation of companies at The Leith Collective.
Photo by Hannah Morgan on Unsplash