In July of this year, I embarked on a three-month No New Clothes challenge (thanks, Remake) and opted—instead of allowing myself to buy secondhand clothing (since it is no new clothes)—to not buy any clothing at all.
I failed. I purchased a dress and cotton T-shirt in anticipation of high temps on my trip to New Mexico for a Creative Change retreat. But, beyond that, over the last three months, I found myself less and less enticed by the prospect of buying clothes and far more excited to spend my money on experiences and things that, turns out, I could easily afford when I when I folded in the savings from my former fashion budget.
Now, that’s not to say I really considered myself an avid shopper, and especially not an over-shopper. The average American now buys a piece of clothing every 5 days: I’d say I averaged out to twice that, every ten days, but that’s still roughly 36 pieces of clothing a year. And even taking into account how many pieces I needed to replace due to some recent weight changes, that’s a not-insignificant number of garments that I probably didn’t really need in the grand scheme of things. But when I think about my past as an undeniable overconsumer, I am happy for how far I’ve come from being simply fashion-conscious, to fully conscious of fashion and its effects on the planet, the people on it, and me. I am happy that there is no blouse unworn in my wardrobe, and that even if I give into my urges to shop more than I’d like, nothing goes to waste—a big departure from my old wardrobe that used to take up half my converted dining room bedroom. I am happy that I have managed to control my impulsive purchases, and resist the siren call of sales and trends. And now that I’ve decided to extend my No Buy to the end of the year, I am happy that I feel no sense of loss at all.
But, I’m unique. I’ve made it a point to think about these things. You’re unique, too. That’s why you read this newsletter. So, let’s say I challenged you to not shop for three months, or maybe six months, or maybe an entire year: would you be able to and still feel fulfilled?
Today, I’m making the case for a deliberate, long-term, focused No Buy specifically for clothing. I am not including things like underwear, jewelry, or other wearables like shoes, and I’ll get into why in just a second. But first: