{"id":1065,"date":"2020-12-14T10:28:59","date_gmt":"2020-12-13T23:28:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/?p=1065"},"modified":"2020-12-09T10:38:57","modified_gmt":"2020-12-08T23:38:57","slug":"could-you-join-the-no-new-clothes-movement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/could-you-join-the-no-new-clothes-movement","title":{"rendered":"Could you join the no new clothes movement?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you heard of the No New Clothes movement? The concept is simple: do not buy any new clothes for a year. Think you could pull it off? Why not start now, in the thick of COVID-19! There\u2019s nothing to do or nowhere to go so it should be relatively easy, right?<\/span><\/p>\n

Everyone who started No New Clothes in 2020 must be cheering. COVID has kept us all cooped up inside wearing soggy greys, stained trackie dacks, oversized tees and robes for almost six months. Ol\u2019 Rona quite literally threw away the keys \u2014 to the city, bars, nightclubs, restaurants, music festivals, events and anything else we\u2019d get dressed up for \u2014 along with our sense of style. The thought of wearing a little black dress, wobbly heels and \u201cfestival fashion\u201d seems a lifetime ago.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

COVID forever changed the world. Rapidly and without remorse, the year 2020 shined a bright AF spotlight on our collective darkness and unconsciousness. What we can do, however, is use the momentum of 2020 to change our habits, starting with our wardrobes and our incessant obsession to spend.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Say hello to No New Clothes.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Girl, you look so fly\u00a0<\/b><\/h1>\n

TV presenter and radio host, Jan Fran, has been doing No New Clothes for almost a year. For Jan, buying no new clothes has opened up a new avenue for creativity and style. \u201cI love it. I can wear whatever I want. I can wear this ridiculous \u201880s jacket that has massive shoulder pads that I found in an op shop because that\u2019s where I buy my clothes now,\u201d she reveals. \u201cI am licensed to be creative in a way that I wasn\u2019t before, which has been one of the most surprising and joyful things for me. Buying no new clothes is so fun and creative.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jan also lives near op shops and has the time to rummage through mountains of clothing, which means subscribing to this movement is quite accessible. Another reason why it\u2019s been easy for Jan to stick to No New Clothes is because she\u2019s a small size.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe truth is, if you\u2019re a bigger person, you\u2019re not going to find as many options in a second-hand store as you would in a new outlet,\u201d she shares. She also notes that finding corporate clothes can be tough. \u201cIf you\u2019re someone who has a corporate job, you might be really limited in the types of clothes you find in op shops that you can wear to work.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Find your why<\/b><\/h1>\n

If you\u2019re thinking of joining No New Clothes, it\u2019s important to find your why. Perhaps you want to save money? You despise shopping? Or, even better, you\u2019re horrified by the gross amount of textile waste going to landfill.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, one Australian buys an average of 27kg of new textiles each year and discards approximately 23kg into landfill. Of that, two thirds are man-made synthetic fibres that may never break down. Never. Break. Down. Which means your great, great, great, great, great (if humankind makes it that far) great grandkids could dig up that shitty polyester dress you bought from a fast fashion outlet way into the future.<\/span><\/p>\n

Need another \u201cwhy\u201d? Did you know that Australia throws away about 6000kg of clothing every 10 minutes, 85 per cent of which winds up in landfill? These facts were revealed by <\/span>War on Waste<\/span><\/i>, an <\/span>ABC<\/span><\/i> three-part documentary that aired in 2017. Explicitly branded sustainable or otherwise, clothes thrown away contribute to the extravagant amount of waste polluting the earth.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is something about the cheapness of and accessibility to clothes that makes us not value them very much,\u201d Jan says. \u201cWe don\u2019t really value where they come from, how they were made or what happens to them when we throw them away, which is a huge issue.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joining the No New Clothes movement has helped Jan to think of fashion as \u201ccircular rather than in and out. I buy my clothes from op shops and then they go back to op shops, or I swap items with friends for other garments. Either way, my clothes end up being circular rather than linear,\u201d she shares.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can still have exciting outfits and wear fashion that feels new and fresh; you just avoid contributing to the wastage,\u201d Jan says, going on to share her latest find: a bright red velvet vintage dress she\u2019s craving to wear out in the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

Go slow<\/b><\/h1>\n

When it comes to No New Clothes, you don\u2019t have to be an all or nothing person. \u201cStart by finding something in an op shop, renting a dress for a particular event or keeping an eye out at the markets for second-hand clothes. Give it a shot and see how you go rather than saying \u2018okay, I\u2019m not going to buy any new clothes for a whole year\u2019,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Create a capsule wardrobe\u00a0<\/b><\/h1>\n

A capsule wardrobe is a mini wardroom made up of versatile and good-quality pieces that you love and don\u2019t change season to season. Usually it contains basics like a black dress, a tailored blazer, a few classic t-shirts, casual shirts, a few tailored pants, your favourite pair of jeans, shorts, a few skirts, a knit and versatile jacket.<\/span><\/p>\n

Educator, speaker and capsule wardrobe lover, Alexx Stuart, says, \u201cCreating a capsule wardrobe has freed up time, funds and the comfort of not over-buying clothes anymore. A wonderful side-effect will be that you put a lot more care into what you replace things with.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

If you segment your wardrobe into occasion-based clothes, you eliminate the stress about \u201cnot having something to wear\u201d. Alexx says you not only avoid stressing and frantically trying things on and removing them to try something else, \u201cbut you also save money and the planet precious resources and micro plastic dust\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because the No New Clothes initiative is relatively new, there are still a number of barriers to it. \u201cI really hope that the more demand for it, the more supply there will be. It\u2019s not fair that because you\u2019re a smaller person you have more vintage clothing accessible to you, but that\u2019s the reality of vintage shopping,\u201d Jan says.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to buy No New Clothes<\/b><\/h1>\n
    \n
  • Visit op shops and second-hand shops<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Rummage through vintage shops<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Swap clothes with friends, online marketplaces or your local community\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Mend and repair your clothes<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Tailor clothes to breathe new life into them, such as taking up the hems on dresses or skirts<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Rent clothes through companies like GlamCorner, Your Closet or All the Dresses<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Buy pre-loved clothes from Worn for Good, a social enterprise that gives 100 per cent of its profits to charity\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Borrow clothes from friends and family<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Break the rules<\/b><\/h1>\n
      \n
    • It\u2019s okay to buy new delicate garments like underwear, bras, socks and stockings<\/span><\/li>\n
    • It\u2019s hard to find second-hand yoga tights or exercise pants so buying good-quality tights that will last for years is okay<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Basics like second-hand tees and singlets are hard to find<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Take a peek inside Alexx\u2019s capsule wardrobe<\/b><\/h1>\n

      The speaker dress<\/b><\/p>\n

      I wear the one dress, time after time, for every speaking gig until it dies. The current one is on 32 wears with no signs of wear and tear yet.<\/span><\/p>\n

      The casual coffee meet\/school drop-off\/working-from-home\/out-and-about clothes<\/b><\/p>\n

      Two pairs of jeans: 1 light, 1 dark<\/span><\/p>\n

      1 pair of cotton pants, easy-wear, mega-comfy<\/span><\/p>\n

      4 t-shirts and 4 long-sleeve shirts<\/span><\/p>\n

      2 pairs of socks<\/span><\/p>\n

      2 pairs of slip-on sneakers in different colours\/styles<\/span><\/p>\n

      The workout option<\/b><\/p>\n

      2 pairs of bottoms<\/span><\/p>\n

      2 t-shirts<\/span><\/p>\n

      1 singlet<\/span><\/p>\n

      1 hoodie<\/span><\/p>\n

      2 pairs of gym socks<\/span><\/p>\n

      1 pair of trainers<\/span><\/p>\n

      The posh do or smart meeting<\/b><\/p>\n

      1 short-sleeve knee-length dress with a matching cardie<\/span><\/p>\n

      1 long-sleeve silk dress<\/span><\/p>\n

      The casual summer situation<\/b><\/p>\n

      1 maxi dress<\/span><\/p>\n

      2 short dresses<\/span><\/p>\n

      2 light cardies<\/span><\/p>\n

      1 denim jacket<\/span><\/p>\n

      1 pair of sandals<\/span><\/p>\n

      The beach get-up<\/b><\/p>\n

      2 pairs of bathers<\/span><\/p>\n

      1 sarong<\/span><\/p>\n

      1 throw-over-bathers cotton beach dress<\/span><\/p>\n

      1 pair of rubber flip-flops<\/span><\/p>\n

      The winter outfit<\/b><\/p>\n

      1 black coat<\/span><\/p>\n

      3 wool-based jumpers<\/span><\/p>\n

      2 light cotton jumper\/sweatshirts<\/span><\/p>\n

      1 pair of tracksuit pants<\/span><\/p>\n

      1 pair of ankle boots<\/span><\/p>\n

      1 pair of knee-length boots<\/span><\/p>\n

      1 pair of Ugg\/indoor boots<\/span><\/p>\n

      Sleepwear<\/b><\/p>\n

      1 PJ pants<\/span><\/p>\n

      1 PJ top<\/span><\/p>\n

      1 nightie<\/span><\/p>\n

      I use the tracksuit pants from winter to double-up here on super-cold nights as well as a long-sleeve top from casual clothes if needed, rather than buying extra bed clothes.<\/span><\/p>\n

      Accessories<\/b><\/p>\n

      2 necklaces<\/span><\/p>\n

      2 winter scarves: 1 neutral, 1 bright<\/span><\/p>\n

      1 summer scarf, neutral<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Could you go a whole year without buying any new clothes? Those joining the No New Clothes movement experience big benefits \u2014 both to the planet and their pockets. But wouldn\u2019t it be boring? Surprisingly, their wardrobes have never been more fresh or more fly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1068,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[105,102],"tags":[259,261,262,260,258,263],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1065"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1065"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1065\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1069,"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1065\/revisions\/1069"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1065"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1065"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wellbeing.com.au\/curious\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1065"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}