“Consumers are wanting more things... new things all the time, they're not really considering the whole life cycle of how those products came to them, what the end of life of those products will be.”

For 10 days, I challenged myself to only having 10 items of clothing in my wardrobe.

And you know what? I planned a cute article about the joys of having less - and found that I barely scratched the surface of what is a huge consumerism trap.

"Our addiction to possessions means we have little time to just be. We are too busy working, shopping, managing our finances and looking after the things we own, to even realise that we've stepped onto a treadmill that is virtually impossible to get off."
- Shelley Bridgeman: Help! I'm trapped by consumerism.

After limiting myself to only 10 items of clothing to choose from - one thing became clear: I don't need any of those extra things. I started to take note of all the clothing I owned, how much of it I actually wear - and how much of it is just, there.

Even though I had thrown out a lot of clothes over the year... I still had a few (more than a few) t-shirts.
Turns out, it takes a lot of effort to make that one simple tee.

“A T-shirt, before it lands in our cupboard, has travelled 14,000 kilometres and consumed about 10,000 litres of water to make that cotton T shirt. So, it's huge impact in terms of the carbon emissions, the travel, the people that are involved, the supply chain, the delivery."
- Catherine van der Muelen: "The human cost of 'greedy' fashion industry"

MY CLOTHING CHALLENGE:

Overall, I enjoyed this challenge. I had to find ways to be more creative with outfits, especially on the warmer/colder days. I wore items in ways that I had never worn them before, and I could've done a few more days without repeating a combination.

The thing is, I love fashion - I love being able to express myself through my clothing. 

And as a result, I was always thinking about the other clothes I owned. About how cool it would be if I only had the red skirt or the yellow jacket. It just got a little boring.

LET'S TALK ABOUT FAST FASHION

“We're consuming too much and organisations are producing too much. We don't need the amount of fashion that we have.” 
- Catherine van der Muelen

As convenient and cheap as it is, after some online research, I found that fast fashion is dangerous and in no way sustainable in our economy - there's just too much at risk:

"Overall, people are buying twice as much clothing and using it half as long" - FORTUNE

OK, SO WHAT CAN WE DO?

In fashion, there are some easy solutions to a wasteful habit that many of our country's population has:

1. Clean your closet!
It may seem contrived, and a waste of time. But, it's surprising how many clothes you haven't seen in YEARS, because they may have been hidden, deep in the back of your closet/wardrobe/drawers...

2. Rent/Borrow
Yes, I have "borrowed" kakahu from whānau a few times (I mean, haven't we all).
But, I remember renting outfits for formal/Ball season. After a quick google I've found a couple of NZ based websites that are dedicated to renting all kids of clothing:
- ohrentme.co.nz
- allthedresses.co.nz

3. Buy Second-Hand
We have some pretty awesome second-hand stores here in Ōtautahi, some of my favourites include:
- $2 Clothing Warehouse, Ferrymead.
- Mīhana on Tuam Street
And there's also a plus-sized, second-hand clothing store online:
- Curated curves.co.nz

4. Do the "30 Wear Test"
An article on Hercampus.com says,
"(It's) imagining if you'll actually wear said top 30 or more times before you retire it. Be honest with yourself. If the answer is yes, then you shouldn't feel guilty about buying it. If the answer is no, maybe try to find a fast fashion alternative of the top."

5. Donate Your Unused Clothing
Recycling unwanted clothing by donating to second-hand stores is the least we can do to to lessen our impact on the environment. 

CHALLENGE YOURSELF!

My challenge to you, the reader, is not to completely change your lifestyle. Remember, I love clothes - I Love to shop.
I challenge you to really look at your needs, your lifestyle and how that impacts on the future of our tamariki/mokopuna.

What are we teaching them? How much damage have we already done? There's so much to be considered.

But, just like food waste at supermarkets, corporate greed of the fast-fashion industry and the plastic issue; we can all do our part by being more mindful about how we consume.

In the meantime, I'll be over here; organising the rubbish, monitoring our food waste, curating my closet, the toys and our lives by practising mindfulness. One day at a time.