Clothes-Shopping Free Year 2017
Why am I doing this? Ok firstly, let me put it out there, I NEED to save money! Like, really need to. I will not going into why I need to save money because you know there are a million reasons why someone needs more money.
But what I really want to talk about is why do I need to stop shopping for clothes for one year. Clothes shopping for me has been about many things over the years. Well, perhaps just the idea of shopping. It was about retail therapy, the high after a big purchase, or after many small purchases, or just purchases. I had the immediate feeling of having done something, then I managed to get a really nice red top that I was going to wear for the weekend. It felt like an accomplishment or achievement. That made me feel good instantly. If I had a bad day at work or wherever, I would shop as a release. Scour the shops. Browse. Use the plastic. But we all know, it does not actually make the problem go away..well, at least, in my head, now the problem had a really nice red top on it. Problem gets all dressed up but never really gets solved by shopping.
Shopping was also about power. It was about purchasing power, the idea that I now had sufficient money to ‘spend’ on a luxury item. Money is power. And what better way to show that you had power than use it to purchase something that required a lot of money. A proxy for showing large wads of cash. Enter Gucci. Or Louis Vuitton. Or Dior. Or…you get the drift. They are all ways in which we showed the world (a very small world in Singapore) that we had the money to afford such luxury items. While I thought I had bought power, I had in fact bought into the ideology of materialism. Capitalism gets dressed up with its favourite bedfellows, Prada and Chanel, never to be questioned.
I want to go on a clothes-shopping free year. There are various ethical, environmental and economic reasons that one can think of to stop clothes shopping for a year. Ethical reasons include the poor working conditions and exploitative nature of garment factories in developing countries. No. The counter argument that “developed countries are driving the demand for cheap clothes and therefore people in developing countries have a job” does not apply. Unequivocally does not apply. Do not even think that that is remotely appropriate as a counter point.
Ethically, there is something not correct with the mindless buying and consumptive nature of clothes shopping. Shopping has become cheaper and cheaper. Clothing stores and labels have gone through Mcdonaldization. H&M is now as ubiquitous as the golden arch. A developed city is now only developed if it houses one of many fast fashion labels like H&M, Uniqlo, ZARA, Cotton On, Forever 21. They are all fast fashion brands that have made buying that much easier for us. Of course, it applies to other aspects of our life too but I would like to address this part this year. The part of me that wants to buy and consume fashion because it is cheap, because I can and because I want that new piece of clothing.
I do not want this piece of writing to be preachy or ‘I-am-taking-the-higher-moral-ground’ type of writing.
I want to know how it would feel if I went without shopping for clothes for the year. I want to know what I would learn from this experience. I want to know how my awareness would be impacted. Perhaps, I would not be changed from the experience. But I want to do it and find out. Plus I get to save money too! If that is not motivation for me, then I am not sure what will be!
First step: Unsubscribe. Unsubscribe. Unsubscribe.
I have unsubscribed from 100s of clothes, shoes and accessories retailers hawking the latest sales and releases on my email, Instagram and Facebook.
Second step: Clear up the mess.
I spent an entire day clearing my wardrobe and my “secret” space of clothes. I placed them in three piles of Sell/Swap; Save; Donate. I am happy to report that I have sent a luggage full of clothes to be donated to my mum (she has long arms in India to donate these clothes to). I have also placed items that I can potentially sell on Carousell. Also have successfully made at least $50 from my clothes on Carousell (lunch money!!). I have also saved some clothes that had life in them and seems potentially savvy for the current trend too! Long forgotten dresses and tees have gotten a new lease of life in my current wardrobe!
Third step: Get support.
I have roped in my brother (christensenravee.com) and my husband to stop clothes shopping for as long as they can. My husband has also done his own Sell/Save/Donate wardrobe clearance too. I have told my friends and my colleagues that I am committed to doing this for a year. The more people I communicate my commitment to, the stronger the commitment becomes for me. It solidifies. And now I have to legitimately keep to my words. Cos. You Know. Lose Face.
I am sure there other steps to making this year a successful year being clothes-shopping free but I don’t know what they are now. As I go through this year, I will have more steps. I am sure of that.
Wish me luck!