For years I’ve been on a personal journey towards more sustainable clothing in my wardrobe, and I’ve been writing about it here on this blog. Admittedly, writing about it feels a bit silly, but I do it because I know I’m not the only one on this journey. I believe all clothing wearing humans face similar issues as I do and we can benefit from sharing about it. Together we can learn how to make better choices and change the clothing industry – while feeling and looking fabulous!
So let’s have a quick look at what’s been happening for clothing & me and at what’s next.
What happened in my wardrobe in 2021?
You may remember that I was doing some sort of clothing challenge in 2021 (you know, the easiest year to not buy new clothes). Here’s a quick update of what’s been happening in my wardrobe land:
- I experimented with not buying clothes for the year of 2021;
- near the end of the year I bought: two basis black long-sleeves and a black tank top, two secondhand blazers for work and a long skirt from the same person, and two fair and sustainably made items: a formal blouse (on sale) and a cute top (that I’ve been wearing a lot);
- I also got quite some secondhand clothes from friends, mainly blouses and other semi-formal items, which I happily accepted.
So I didn’t stick with it for the whole year! However, it was never a strong intention to do so. My intention was to see how it would be and to try and extend the time of not buying towards a year. However, when I realized that some more formal-looking clothes would help me to present myself, I went with it and set out to get some of those. I also replaced some worn out basics with new ones (the black tank top and long-sleeves for layering). I wear those a lot in winter time
The point of such experiments or challenges is not to not buy clothes for a year per se. Instead the point is to become more conscious as a consumer (and person who wears clothes!) and ultimately to change the fashion industry.
So, how is my wardrobe doing post 2021?
Well, in February 2022 my wardrobe is still full to the brim. The reason is that I hardly throw stuff out, only when it’s completely worn out. Very seldomly I finally decide that I won’t wear an item anymore and throw it out, but that hardly happens (as I still don’t really believe in merely ‘throwing stuff away’).
Thus far in 2022 I have bought a few items that were both made fairly and from sustainable materials. I bought a pair of pants for spring/summer and a shawl, both made of dead stock fabric. Last week I got ‘chill pants’ for in the house. Now my googly eyes are pointed at leggings for sports and chilling and potentially a winter coat. But I’m not sure I’m ready to replace my coat after 10 years of loyal service.
In short, I still aim to only buy fair and sustainably made clothing and/or secondhand pieces. From the mentioned new fair and sustainable items that I got, three were on sale because of the end of the fashion/actual season. Of course I also aim to prevent buying clothes that I end up not wearing, but it can be hard to judge beforehand.
One fun recent finding is that I still regard clothing that got two years ago as ‘new’ or ‘recent’, even though I have worn them quite some times. For me this shows that I am used to thinking in long time spans; I assume that my clothes will last long. I love that. Also, I’m looking forward to warmer weather so that I can explore my spring/summer clothes again, including all the new-to-me blouses I’ve collected. Let’s see how that goes.
Wardrobe revelations series coming up
I’m considering writing up a re-branded series of wardrobe revelations. I have been writing about all this before here on the blog but it’s still an ongoing experiment, and an ongoing mess really. So I may as well attempt to create some structure!
Moreover, we still get to wear clothes everyday, right? And the clothing industry is still polluting homes, having people work under bad conditions and creating every growing heaps of clothing waste. So I am not done with my sustainable clothing journey and neither are you.
Of course my observations and revelations aren’t life-changing per se, but they may inspire just one person and that would be pretty cool. Also, sharing stories about seemingly silly things can make us realize more deeply that we are truly in this together. We all wear clothes and have to make decisions on what to wear and what not, on what to buy and what not. So why not share our stories and laugh and cry about it together?
We get to remember that fashion is not a competition, even though it may feel like it every now and then. Through my writings I will have you remember.
Bonus for Dutchies: sustainable clothing series
If you can read in Dutch, you may like to read my newly started sustainable clothing series at Sargasso. There are two articles right now, but there’s more to come. I’m really quite proud to have started this series because this way I can spread the word about the impact of clothing. The articles on Sargasso will be less about my personal wardrobe and more about the clothing industry and its impact; so they’ll likely be less personal than here on Munching on a Dream. But let’s see how it goes!
I’m looking forward to meeting you on my blog and on Sargasso again. Write to you soon!
Photo by Alex Green via Pexels.
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