Do I Need New Clothes?
A few weeks ago, I couldn’t find anything to wear to brunch. Nothing in my closet sparked that ‘joy’ Marie Kondo talks about. In an effort to find something, I riffled through a few pieces, tried on some tops and realized, it’s not exciting because there’s nothing new.
In the past few months, I’ve adopted a sustainable approach to shopping. Thrift for lightly worn items, wear what I have, donate what I’m not wearing and don’t shop for things I want, but things I need.
Now, since it feels like the world is opening back up again, I’ve been reaching into my closet more for things to wear, but I FEEL like I don’t have many options. I think it’s a mindset shift so I’m asking myself questions like:
- Why do I need new clothes in my closet?
- What feelings do new clothes bring?
- Will shopping sustainably offer the same high I get when I buy new clothes?
- Where does this high even come from?
Building a wardrobe that’s more sustainable is a choice that I believe benefits the environment now and in the long run. It’s really sitting down and understanding the impacts of fast fashion like workers being paid low wages in hazardous factories to make, for example, a $5 shirt and non-biodegradable clothes living in landfills, resulting in synthetic fabrics to pile up and give off harmful chemicals people have to breathe in.
And don’t get me wrong, I’ve shopped at the fast fashion stores so you’ll see these brands in my posts, but going forward, I’m working on being comfortable with wearing what I currently own, thrifting for second hand pieces, buying quality items, instituting cost per wear and upcycling clothes (I started sewing so more on that soon!).
On this Earth Day, I encourage you to think about the clothes you buy and say to yourself, will I wear this $5 shirt for years to come or will it probably end up in a landfill next spring?
