I asked a sustainable stylist how to build an eco-friendly wardrobe. She said the best place to shop is your own closet.

• Wardrobe stylist Alyssa Beltempo advocates for slowing down clothing consumption.
• She told Insider that "shopping your closet" can lead to more confidence and creativity.

Alyssa Beltempo loves clothes. The 37-year-old Ottawa native left her job in finance to work in fashion eight years ago, and she hasn't turned back since.

But when Beltempo wants to purchase a new piece, she doesn't immediately drive to her local mall or browse virtually. First, she heads over to her closet to shop.

Two years into her career as a freelance wardrobe stylist and luxury boutique manager, she was asked to do a presentation on "shopping your closet" — which means wearing clothes you own before purchasing new items — and something shifted.

"I realized, wait a minute. This is what I do. I shop my closet now. My consumption has reduced. It was through that presentation that I did a bit of research," she told Insider.

For the last six years, Beltempo has worked as a sustainable fashion stylist and "slow fashion" expert. She hosts interactive live events where viewers watch her tour a guest's wardrobe and create new looks. She also offers one-on-one virtual styling and promises clients that she'll "change the way you see your closet" on her website. When she's not working with clients, she's posting YouTube videos about fashion tips she learned while traveling.

Beltempo spoke to Insider about her journey to becoming a stylist, the challenges she faces, and how to build a sustainable wardrobe without breaking the bank.

What inspired you to become a fashion stylist?

I was working at [a] boutique, and we had a lot of one-on-one interactions with clients, and I realized that people aren't always satisfied with what they have. I don't know, it appealed to me at the time dressing other people. I think the psychology too around why people dress the way they do and that kind of thing really interested me.

When in your career did you decide that you had an interest in sustainable fashion?

It was probably after I had been working as the style director for a local shopping center. I was doing individual styling and I noticed there was an inverse relationship between the size of people's closets and their actual satisfaction with their own personal style and their clothes. At the same time in my life, we made some lifestyle changes and I had to really reevaluate what was coming into my own closet in terms of just space that I had and also financial income, because I had left my finance job.

Then that's when I realized the narrative around slow fashion and sustainability put a lot of guilt onto the consumer, but also there was a lot of focus on what few sustainable brands were out there. I just thought that's not really accessible to people in the plus-size community, depending on people's financial position, etc. I realized that there was a lot missing from the conversation in terms of why can't people just use what they have.

Beltempo believes that wearing clothes you already own helps boost your confidence and creativity

What challenges do you face when you try to style someone sustainably? I can't imagine it's always easy.

The biggest challenge is to reframe the question from being, "Where do I shop sustainably?" to "How do I shop? How do I change my shopping behavior and how do I shop less?" I think getting over that mindset hump is probably the biggest challenge. The mindset shift is tough. It's not our fault. It's literally all the messaging that we receive and the way our world is currently designed to make us consume as our first option.

On the other side of that, what do you think are the biggest benefits of hiring a sustainable stylist besides the way it helps the environment?

The other benefits are that people seem so much more confident in their personal style because as soon as you start using your closet and your own creativity as your jumping-off point, you just gain more confidence and develop a better understanding of who you are. You become more confident in your ability to put things together that you already have. It's almost like an assertion of your own self-expression, which is pretty powerful.

Fast fashion is often frowned upon by members of the sustainability community, but with the current status of the economy and inflation, a lot of people are struggling to find affordable clothes that are also good for the environment. How do you find a balance between buying cheap clothes that can be bad for the planet and paying a higher price for a more sustainable outfit?

You have to do what's best for you and your financial position. Where I think the issue is the biggest is when it's people who have the means to wait and save up for a secondhand piece. Secondhand is probably the first way to go if you want something that is good quality at a lower price. People who do have the means to afford a responsibly made piece, but still choose to shop fast fashion — I think that's the biggest issue.

I don't want to exclude people in the community for whom the offerings of fast fashion are just wider, like the plus-size community or people who use mobility aids. A lot of times fast fashion is what works best in terms of functionality and sizing. I really think it's about being mindful and asking yourself, "Can I wait for this piece? Can I wait for it to come onto the secondhand market? Can I wait and save to purchase it from my local boutique instead of running to the closest fast fashion chain?"

Beltempo says there are ways to shop sustainably without buying from sustainable brands

So what qualities should a consumer look for in a brand when they are shopping to find out if the brand actually produces sustainably made clothes? What are the things that you look for in a brand?

Before even looking at whether they're produced sustainably, I would look first at the volume of inventory that they are offering and the rate that they are dropping that inventory. Even if a brand is offering vegetable-dyed, recycled hemp pants, but they have hundreds of products and they're dropping these things twice, three times a week, it's a fast fashion business model. To me, your first red flag is rate and volume.

Then if you dig deeper, oftentimes you can look at the product page and check to see if they're even giving you what the materials are. If all they're saying is "made out of sustainable fabric" or "made out of recycled fabric," then usually that's not really enough information. You want to see if they have a page that is dedicated to the materials. Check to see if they are disclosing where the fabric is coming from or where the fabric has been milled.

Do you think an individual can make an impact on slowing down the cycle of fast fashion and overconsumption? I think, in the last couple of years, there's been a shift of people saying, "What can one person do when there's so much of an issue?" Do you believe that one person can make a difference?

Absolutely. If it's not from shopping your closet or if it's not from shopping slow fashion, it's just from tweeting your favorite brand and being like, "Hey, why are your clothes still made in a place where garment workers aren't treated right?" If that's all you can do, great. There are so many ways to participate in slow fashion. Even if you tell a friend you bought something secondhand and now that friend wants to go explore their closest charity shop or whatever, then great. Especially with the virality of social media these days? Totally.

For those who want to build their wardrobe, either from scratch or add a few pieces to their closet, what are your best tips for shopping sustainably? What are your best practices?

Best practice is number one, look at your closet first and let it give you clues as to what you love to wear all the time. I have a little closet audit system. It's really about taking stock of, what are the silhouettes? What are the textures? What are the colors? What are the pieces that you wear the most and what are those elements?

Then look at the true gaps in your closet based on your lifestyle needs. Be realistic, not your fantasy self. Combine those elements with your lifestyle needs and then build a proper wish list — don't shop without it because it really helps you feel focused. But give yourself some leeway. Part of being human is novelty and newness and all. Be kind to yourself. Go with your list, and if you can, if it's accessible to you, shop secondhand first. Best thing.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.