How to dress sustainably this Christmas

Christmas shopping has begun in earnest, which means ’tis the season for panic buys and adding to the planet’s crippling landfill problem.

Or is it? A host of super-stylish crusaders are on a mission to improve our Chrimbo carbon footprints, with initiatives that give back.

From the department store which urges you to think before you buy to the digital innovation offering experience in exchange for unwanted clothes, here’s a guide to the best green spaces.

1. Throwaway: Hot:Second

In exchange for an item of clothing that no longer floats your boat, fashion innovator Hot:Second wants to take you on an immersive journey at the world’s first digital clothing store. On the instruction of a human “digital tailor”, guests are led into pods equipped with a camera, projector and a “magic mirror” to sample looks from British designer Christopher Raeburn and digital clothing pioneers The Fabricant​ and Carlings. The installation, which is at Protein Studios until Thursday evening, promises to be an unforgettable experience. The aim is to encourage us to think of the image created as a luxury commodity, as well as offer the opportunity to responsibly dispose of the clothes that would otherwise contribute to the world’s waste. This one must be seen to be believed.

Protein Studios, 31 New Inn Yard, Hackney, EC2A 3EY

2. Learn: Rêve En Vert

There’s never been a better time to acquaint yourself with the capital’s most stylish sustainable retailer, as Rêve En Vert hosts a pop-up in Dalston venue The Factory, spanning food, fashion and beauty. Open until Friday, it hopes to encourage festive consumers to slow down their approach to Christmas shopping, with talks and introductions to sustainable labels that are worthy of long-term love. The aim is to offset some of the waste generated by unwanted gifts.

The Factory, 21-31 Shacklewell Lane, Dalston, E8 2DA

reve-en-vert.com

3. Shop: The Maiyet Collective, Bicester Village

The notions of designer outlet shopping and a sustainable mindset don’t go hand in hand — Bicester Village’s collaboration with The Maiyet Collective looks set to improve that. Running from now until Christmas, the pop-up brings together some of the fashion world’s most environmentally astute designers, as well as offering a series of talks. Highlights include a workshop on how to create a future-proof wardrobe.

Bicester Village, OX26 6WD

maiyet.com

4. Give: Choose Love

The ultimate antidote to the Black Friday spending frenzy is Choose Love, a pop-up store which invites customers to buy a gift for a refugee. Back for a third year, it is funded and run by the Help Refugees charity and stocks items including warm clothes and baby sleep suits. The London store, opening from next Friday until Christmas, will take over two floors in Neal Street in Seven Dials, with a DJ booth, stage, seating area and space for Choose Love merch.

47-49 Neal Street, Seven Dials, WC2H 9PJ

choose.love