Buying No New Clothes For One Year

It was early January and the promise of fresh starts and new beginnings swirled around me. I had high hopes for this year, but somehow I found myself in Target reaching for a very cute floral dress with whimsical puffed sleeves. I was giddy with excitement that I had just found a dress that looked just like an Oak Meadow dress for only $40. You see, Oak Meadow is one of my favourite small scale Australian fashion brands. They design timeless feminine dresses with intention.

The styles, prints and fit of these giant retail chains has come a long way. However a lot of the garments are copies of designs by small brands like this, that have gained a cult following and are now selling these copies for a fraction of what it would cost these brands to ethically produce these garments.

I put the dress back on the rack and turned to my partner, reminding him but mostly myself, that no piece of clothing is worth the environmental & human cost it takes to produce fast fashion. I was afraid that I would spend another year slipping in and out of my moral compass. Whenever something felt easier, faster or more convenient, I pretended, I ignored, but mostly… I regretted.

So I decided that this year, in 2023, I would challenge myself to be better. I have committed to a ‘NO NEW CLOTHES YEAR’.

For one whole year I will not buy any ‘new’ garments. I will be exploring pre-loved & regenerative fashion along with the true cost of our wardrobes. Products should be valued not only for the money we spend on them but for the human and environmental resources they require.

I have observed this challenge by inspiring women like Nina Karnikowski, Nat Kelley and Clare Press, who all share valuable resources on their pages. My goal is to extend this into all areas of my consumerism by focusing on buying only what’s needed, buying better, but mostly buying less.

Currently 60% of all clothing produced is disposed of within the same year it was purchased and 73% of the worlds clothing eventually ends up in landfill. This is why I will also be exploring regenerative fashion and looking at where things come from, down to the farming of raw materials, natural fibres, organic dyes, fair wages, small scale production & where a garment ends up at the end of its life.

So join me as I take a break from consumption and together we can drive change for a better tomorrow.