I have taken the pledge, #NoNewClothes , put on by Remake, to stop buying new from June 1st - September 1st this year. Its a 90 day detox from the toxicity of overconsumption, which I have fallen victim to time and time again.
In the past I have challenged myself to months without buying as well as a year with only buying sustainable fashion. These have had huge impacts on my life, especially cutting out fast fashion from my buying habits altogether during my first year of University. Even though I have made huge progress, I have yet to kick the bad habit of buying what I don't need.
This is something I have struggled with from a young age, getting my first paycheque and walking over to the closest fast fashion outlet to immediately spend it. It's a huge problem, not just for me but for a lot of people around the world who are caught in the cycle of thinking material goods can buy our happiness. It's a constant chase for the new with no real end in site.
Slowing down and changing our buying habits are at the centre of the sustainable fashion movement. It's not glamorous, or flashy, or fun but it has the ability to make the LARGEST positive impact out of any sustainable fashion choice out there.
We see few real representations of conscious consumption habits in our daily lives. Through media and advertising all around us in the real and virtual worlds we are bombarded with the idea we need to buy more to achieve happiness. It's as if by choosing to not buy anymore you are missing out on something that everyone else is doing or getting. In my mind this thinking is in no way conscious, but is reflected in our innate understanding of the world around us as social beings.
Companies have learned how to tap into our internal motivations, manipulate them, and convince us to act in a preferred way to help them make money. They have it down to a science and are continuing to build on that knowledge through as many online platforms as possible to get our dollar.
I think stopping altogether is the first step to shacking this habit once and for all. If you feel you can relate to anything I'm saying, take the pledge yourself and join me in the fight against overconsumption! Lets live our values!