With over 85% of garments ending up in landfill or burned, there’s never been a better or more important time to improve our relationship with clothes.
This – along with over 100 billion items of clothing being produced each year – is a result of an ever-growing throwaway culture when it comes to what we wear.
To help reverse this, leading luxury cashmere brand, Chinti & Parker shows us steps to improve our relationship with clothes to help shift our mindset when it comes to new wardrobe purchases.
Rachael Wood, Director at Chinti & Parker said, “As a society, we’ve become complacent when it comes to our views around clothes – with fast fashion adding to the throwaway culture by offering cheap, disposable outfit options, encouraging us to constantly change with the seasons. But what we aren’t thinking about is the wider impact this is having. Rather than simply adopting a ‘make do and mend’ mindset, we need to change our perspective on purchasing new clothes entirely, and instead, look towards items we already own whenever faced with a tempting new sale.”
To help with that, Chinti & Parker offers their advice to improve your relationship with clothes for the changing warmer seasons:
Consider why you shop
“There are many reasons why we shop: boredom, taking advantage of sales, and even stress – but having the mindset of only shopping when there is a real need is important. Replacing garments that are damaged beyond repair, or acquiring an essential piece are perhaps the only two occasions where new clothes are required. Once you identify other motivators, you can start to change your mindset, and find a new way of viewing the clothes you already have.”
Be mindful during sales
“The temptation for new clothes is always higher during sales periods. Boxing Day and January sales have always been a post-Christmas staple, but Black Friday has provided yet another excuse to shop. Fast fashion takes advantage of this by cutting their prices by 90% or even 100%, which perpetuates the throwaway culture that we currently have about our garments.
“If you like to take advantage of sales, ask yourself, “would I buy this at full price?” If the answer is “no”, then perhaps consider why you want to purchase it.”
Educate yourself on sustainable fashion
“Not many people understand the damaging effects that fast fashion can have on the environment, and it is only recently starting to come to light. There are a number of resources online dedicated to highlighting the truth around fashion production – Labour Behind the Label, Slow Fashion Movement, and Love Not Landfill are just three of many out there.”
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