Its been a while.. but i am still going!

So I realise its been a long time between posts and for this I apologise. London life has a way of getting hectic and getting in the way of things! I continue with my challenge, and remain as focused as ever on the task.. only buying second hand clothing for an entire year!

The start of Autumn and the cold chill coming into London suggests that we are in for a very cold winter, and I have been searching the charity shops for a new (second hand) winter coat with a hood. It actually only took me two shop visits before I found the one I wanted, a khaki padded coat with a hood and nice and toasty warm! It cost me a grand total of £4.

I never said anything about accessories or shoes when I started this challenge, and I must admit I did recently buy a chunky knitted snood and a new pair of trainers, which despite not being included in my challenge – did make me feel somewhat guilty. As March approaches, the one year mark for my challenge, I have been thinking about what I will do when that date comes around. Despite being a long time fan of charity shops, I have been very very surprised to find that it has been actually very easy to only buy second hand clothing, and that when I walk past shops on the High Street selling shiny leggings, and other ridiculous current ‘trends’ I have not been tempted to wander in – even for a look!

The clothes that I have bought over the last year have a few things in common which set them apart from purchases over past years from high street retailers…

• They are all second hand/preloved
• Because of this fact, they have all stood the test of time/wash and have proven their resilience 🙂
• They are not items that I see every second person walking down the street wearing
• None have shrunk/gone out of shape/fallen apart when I wash them
• I wear every single item! Not one of my purchases have sat in the wardrobe unworn since I bought them
• They were exceptionally affordable
• They give me a warm fuzzy feeling because I know I have not supported the rampant use of sweatshops, have reduced my carbon footprint, and prevented a few more items becoming unnecessary landfill.

So.. I am thinking about it… and as March draws nearer.. I will consider carefully whether there is any way I could go back to my former life… or whether this one year challenge has been a permanent change in lifestyle. In the meantime, I will resume my researching activities about the fashion industry, textile waste and climate change. Stay with me, you might learn something too 🙂

5 Days to Go – Have I been brainwashed?

I have five days until I start this challenge… an entire year of buying only second-hand clothing.. it’s a great challenge, will make me feel good about my impact and interaction with this planet and will also have a positive impact on charities I will be supporting every time I spend in one of their shops…

…..so why am I having an overwhelming urge to go to a shopping precinct and spend-spend-spend as though I will have nothing to wear for the next year? I have long loved buying vintage clothing and yet this self-imposed ban has me realising exactly how brainwashed I have become by living in this consumer society which places importance on fashion and image over many other very important issues (like… say…i don’t know…. health. substance. wellbeing. the future of the planet….).

I am resisting these urges to go out on a spending spree to rival Katie Holmes’ reported recent 6-month $10m spree (its okay – it wasn’t on herself, it was on her six-year-old daughter!). After all –  it is not like I am also throwing out all of the perfectly acceptable and useful items of clothing sitting in my closet*… so why does it feel like it?

 

*okay… some are on the floor…