#ShopLikeNana: Grandma's Hand-Me-Downs Are the Latest Trend in Sustainable Fashion

Aside from going thrifting or upcycling items, one of the best ways to keep your fashion eco-friendly is to shop in the closet of a friend or a parent. It's hard to top the sustainability of vintage clothing, but we're willing to share the ultimate sustainable fashion hack: shopping from your grandparent's closet!

Much like the satisfaction of thrifting, you never know what hidden gems are lurking in your favorite senior citizen's bureau. It could also be a valuable bonding experience asking your grandparent the history of their favorite closet staples. For our Not so Fast Fashion Week campaign, Green Matters highlights Black Public Media's social media campaign #ShopLikeNana, including how you can participate.

According to a press release about the project, Black Public Media, in partnership with Paramount Plus, presents #ShopLikeNana: the third iteration of BE HEARD, a social media campaign primarily focusing on issues facing Black communities.

The intention of #ShopLikeNana is to bring attention to dressing sustainably as not only a way of saving the environment, but to "celebrate time-honored culturally resonate sustainability practices."

#ShopLikeNana was conceived by Emmy-winning director Sophia Clark and Producer Inuka Bacote-Capiga. The video "UNRAVELED: An Unserious Serious Segment" stars comedian Katrina Davis as a news reporter delivering viewers the real scoop on fast fashion, including its enormous human and environmental costs.

While you might be aware that fast fashion produces 1.92 million tons of textile waste each year, per Earth.org, one of the biggest key points of "Unraveled" is that many Black communities are located near industrial areas, putting residents at the most risk of harmful side effects from textile waste, including respiratory infections, asthma, and lung cancer, per a 2019 study.

According to a 2007 study, landfills are 2.8 times more likely to be built in communities with a higher percentage of people of color.

You don't need to be an environmental expert to participate in #ShopLikeNana. While Black Public Media has chosen three "eco-stylers" to lead the charge in highlighting how they shop their favorite grandparents' closets, you can contribute by posting your own experience shopping in your grandparent's closet.

While initially launched during New York Fashion Week in September 2024, #ShopLikeNana will continue throughout September, per Black Public Media's weekly dispatch. Sean A. Watkins, owner of the consulting and cultural media firm Agency of Joy, is the #ShopLikeNana reporter, and you can catch Watkins in videos posted across Black Public Media's social media pages throughout the month.

So the next time you're feeling the urge to be creative with your clothes, try shopping in your grandparent's wardrobe instead. Don't forget to use the social media hashtag #ShopLikeNana to show off the ways you are reinventing your grandparent's fashion — or recreating their favorite look!