From wearing strange outfits for my modeling and promo gigs to working at a clothing donation center, I’ve watched how important, or unimportant, the fabrics we put onto our bodies can be. I would observe the same human being wrapped up in different colors, shapes, fabrics, and textures – only to notice that even though other people’s perception of them might change, they are not necessarily any different inside. It all seemed like a big scam to me.
Unicorns, anyone?
Observing willing victims to be cajoled into emotional purchases at endless expos, street markets and malls made me cringe. It even got to the point I would refuse to accept a gig if I knew the money I’d earn would go towards acquiring more clothing, make up and accessories.
CLOTHING WASTE
My slow soul-destruction didn’t stop there. Bombarded by Media saying how much clothing the United States dwellers own (103 per average woman as of Spring 2016) and discard of (70 pounds, or 32 kilos of textiles per person a year) made me believe it’s my mission to deliver to those unhipster souls out there that these are the means to an end. Consumerism is extremely destructive to the soul and the planet. So I set up on a mission to drastically cut the amount of clothing I buy, use, and own by utilizing as many R’s of recycling as there are today.
“According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates, Americans only recycle 15 percent of discarded textiles. This leaves more than 13 million tons of tossed textiles in landfills, which makes up an estimated 9 percent of total landfill waste.”
Source
Throwing out clothes that are still in great condition and mendable – just because you don’t like them anymore – is a crime, in my opinion. Since most retail stores are going online and offer free shipping and returns, there are more and more consumers buying and returning products without thinking twice. About 8% of brick-and-mortar stores deal with returns, whilst 25-40% of online stores’s goods are being rejected (try to do it to a puppy). In 2018, $369 billion worth of products (10% of sales) were returned. Want to know what happens to all this ‘trash’ you don’t want?
And yes, here is what happens when packaging goes wrong:
WHAT? YOU ONLY HAVE ONE SET OF CLOTHES?
Before I used to be suspicious of people who would show up at a gym or at work wearing the same clothes day after day, thinking – as most of us probably would:
- They can’t afford more clothes.
- They don’t care about hygiene.
- They are antisocial.
- They don’t have a sense of style.
- They don’t care about public opinion, or
- …the myriad other negative things we might be biased towards.
Although any of the above can be true, foregoing the chore of choosing your clothes daily can be very liberating, save a lot of time, boost your productivity, reduce stress, and is budget-friendly.
These days I’m 100% on the side of people who wear the same clothes daily and don’t care much about public opinion (as long as the clothes are clean, neat and appropriate). I actually believe that’s a much smarter way to go about life. Especially now that shopping for clothes is becoming more cumbersome.
USEFUL TIP: When you really feel like shopping, go to your favorite retailer’s website, pick ALL the clothes you want, and add them to your shopping cart. Let yourself enjoy the feeling of how good all those clothes would look on you, feel, the pleasure you would get from wearing them, and how many compliments you would get. BUT don’t press the ‘buy’ button yet. Let them sit in your shopping cart for a week. I bet by then your craving for all or most of those items would be gone. Give it a try! ; )
CLOTHES? WHAT CLOTHES?
Struggling year after year with how different clothes make me feel and act, and the effects the clothes I put on would have on other people, I almost completely lost interest in garments. From being obsessed with new shirts, shoes, and dresses, I turned into a person who would feel fine wearing the same shirt for a month straight (changing it only when it needs to be washed). Also, dealing with constant relocation and heavy suitcases (filled with nothing but clothing I would barely use) changed my mind on whether I want to go to work I don’t necessarily like to earn money to buy items that would help me to have fractured vertebrae, sprains, and strains all over my body later down the road.
WHAT WOULD PEOPLE SAY?
Do you think Barack Obama, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg and Albert Einstein asked anyone whether to put on the same sweater two days in a row before heading outside?
Yes, women seem to be more in the spotlight when it comes to clothing choice. For some reason, women either get bored or are judged more. Even then, if having a wardrobe staple works for you, why follow the fashion that sucks life out of you? Experiment by Fast Company proved people might not even notice what you wear. Even if they do, they are more likely to agree this choice makes a lot of sense. Besides, these days fashion goes towards giving second life to clothes. And yes, you can make big bucks being in the industry! According to thredUP, secondhand apparel industry was worth $24 billion in 2018 and is projected to grow to $51 billion by 2023.
thredUP says 9 out of 10 retailers are hoping to get into resale by 2020
If you like to fish for compliments or just enjoy the extra attention, bear in mind, it gets old eventually. After all, how many times do you need to hear how pretty you nail polish design is before the gel would come off? And if you dress to impress and like to pick a new outfit every single day, that just makes me think you have nothing better to do with your time.
IN CONCLUSION
Clothes are a tool. Personally, I use them to achieve a goal (think: photo shoot, interview, special gear). Not to gain self-confidence. How you feel in your clothes is more important than what you put on. Clothing allows us to create a certain ambiance, protects us from weather’s mood swings, and helps us stand out in a crowd. Clothing, however, is definitely not something I would consider drowning in and creating a cult of. Objectively speaking, it’s still just a dead weight when we take away all the emotional and practical attachments.
If you liked this story, please share it on your social media, leave a comment and share your thoughts. I would love to hear from you! Subscribe below to be the first to know when the next fun post comes alive.
travelfunlearning 
Leave a comment