Style April 7, 2020
She'll show you how to buck fast fashion waste using slow fashion styling tips.
Cramped quarters and a knack for style. That’s all freelance stylist and Instagram influencer Alyssa Beltempo needed to jump headfirst into a minimalist lifestyle.
Beltempo focuses on infusing personal style with creativity and confidence. She instructs her followers on where to shop, what to buy and how to use just a few quality items in a variety of ways. While Beltempo is not the first to advocate for sustainability in clothing, she is revolutionizing the way in which women think about their wardrobes.
On her Instagram as well as through her popular Youtube channel, Beltempo promotes the art of slow fashion.
You may have heard of slow fashion’s opposition – fast fashion – but here’s why it’s time to join Beltempo on the slow fashion train.
Before sustainability became a hot topic in clothing production, large manufacturers attempted to fill society’s appetite for runway looks by producing cheap replicas that could be worn once and tossed out (i.e. “fast fashion”). In recent years, however, environmentalists, humanitarians, fashion designers, and influencers like Alyssa Beltempo have begun pushing back.
The slow fashion movement relies on quality over quantity. It’s no longer about how many varieties of jackets, jeans, and blouses you have. Instead, the question is, how creative can you be with just 10-15 well-made items?
Don’t worry, no one is going to tell you to stop shopping. The motive behind slow fashion is simply to shop better. And that’s what Beltempo’s content is all about.
It’s pretty simple, fast fashion is bad for the environment. The pollution from textile manufacturing plants as well as the waste involved in the overproduction of cheap clothing is what inspired Alyssa Beltempo to pursue ethically-sourced and higher-quality clothing items.
According to Beltempo’s website, sustainability in fashion “has everything to do with being creative with what we’ve got and smart in our purchasing decisions.”
In light of that, Beltempo’s Instagram, blog, and Youtube channel advocate a slower and more thoughtful approach to style. This involves renting and repurposing items rather than merely accumulating lots of options.
Alyssa Beltempo’s approach to encouraging sustainability does not rely on guilt tactics. Instead, Beltempo inspires women to be more creative with their existing clothing.
One of the hidden dangers for fashion influencers lies in accumulating new items in order to produce fresh material. Beltempo does the opposite. She works to reinvent her existing items in order to produce a refreshed and inspirational wardrobe.
According to Beltempo’s website, “Embracing slow fashion yields a smaller closet full of pieces you actually wear all of the time, a powerful boost of confidence when getting dressed, and a solid dose of love for the planet.”
Everyone’s seen that movie where a girl finds the perfect dress at a 70’s thrift store with the $14 she scrounged out of the couch cushions. But, how many of us have actually gone thrifting before a wedding or a formal event? Most likely, you’re scrambling the week before, and you end up dropping hundreds of dollars on a fancy gown you’ll never wear again.
As part of her efforts to prevent waste in all things fashion, Alyssa Beltempo rents gowns rather than buying them.
She not only tells you where to find them, but she models these beautiful dresses so that you know what you’re getting. And, what you’re getting is a better dress for less money and less waste.
So, if you’ve just Marie Kondo’d your entire apartment and are looking for inspiration, follow Alyssa Beltempo. You’ll be surprised what you can do with what you already have.
