My 2020 Challenge: One Year, No New Clothes

Our closets impact the environment more than we might realise it. The fashion industry produces 10% of all humanity’ s carbon emissions, making it the second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply. A report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation states that if the  fashion sector continues on its current trajectory, that share of the carbon budget could jump to 26% by 2050!* These figures are simply petrifying! And the worst thing is, the list goes on and on.

This year, I am supporting the fight against fast-fashion by challenging myself to break free from buying new clothes. Here are my terms and conditions on this challenge:
 

  • Shop my own closet

I don’t own that many clothes, as I have been mindful with my shopping habits in the past few years, or at least, I think I have been… However, I do still own lots of clothes that I have rarely been worn. My goal is to wear everything I own this year.

  • Care and repair

This one is self-explanatory. Care for my clothes like the good friends they are and repair when possible instead of buying new.

  • Refashion

My sewing machine has been patiently waiting for me to take this resolution. I challenge myself to refashion certain clothing items into something new. Fingers crossed I still remember how to use my sewing machine.

  • Second-hand shopping and clothes swaps are allowed

In case of work events, weddings or whatever occasion that might need an outfit or accessory I don’ t own, I will allow myself to borrow clothes from friends, buy second-hand clothes or find outfits at clothing swaps.

  • Socks, shoes, underwear, sports and swimwear

These items are my exception from the not buying new rule. If absolutely needed throughout the year, I pledge to buy these items from ethical and sustainable brands.

*facts source: https://www.businessinsider.com

Cover Photo by Evie Shaffer from Pexels

Pin this article:


One thought on “My 2020 Challenge: One Year, No New Clothes

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.