Category Archives: My Outfits

My ethical outfits

Fashion Revolution – Who Made My Clothes?

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Fashion revolution week 2020

Next week is Fashion Revolution week. It first started back in 2013 when the Rana Plaza building, which housed a number of clothing factories in Bangladesh, collapsed killing 1100 people, most of them young women, and injuring many more. The people in this building were manufacturing clothing for many of the biggest global fashion brands. Ever since this day, many people around the world have joined the Fashion Revolution calling for change, trying to hold fashion brands to account and persisting with the important question of ‘Who made my clothes?’. Fashion Revolution week has also become a time to celebrate the ethical fashion brands that are working so hard to ensure transparency in their supply chains and ensure a sustainable livelihood and the fair treatment of their workers.

This year Fashion Revolution has particular meaning with so many people around the world suffering hardship and many of those working in the fashion industry being impacted by the global pandemic of Covid 19. With many retailers closing their doors due to lockdown and most recently, UK brands Warehouse and Oasis going into administration, Bangledesh factories are experiencing cancelled orders worth billions of dollars. This has forced factories to shut, often without paying their workers. Despite the gloom and misery caused by this dreadful pandemic and financial crisis, the lockdown has provided plenty of time for thought and reflection about the kind of society we have become. We can only remain hopeful that the world will emerge from this crisis soon with a new focus on sustainbility and the rights of workers in the fashion industry (and beyond).

So this year for Fashion Revolution week I wanted to share an outfit featuring some of my favourite brands that are already really making a difference…

Ninety Percent (dress)

Ninety Percent have an industry-leading garment manufacturing facility, Echotex in Bangladesh that puts planet and people before profit. This factory offers opportunities to workers including free lunch, free medical services for every staff member, [the subsidized store] Echo-mart and a childcare facility. You can find out about the team making their clothes here. Ninety Percent’s model is based on sharing and 360-degree empowerment with 90% of their distributed profits being shared between charitable causes and those who make the collection happen. A unique code in the garment’s care label can be used to vote for your chosen cause with options including women living in poverty, two children-focused charities and two environmental causes. Ninety Percent is all about clothes that are built to last, and love from  well-cut organic cotton sweats to detail-driven jersey staples and beautifully crafted knits from organic merino.

Hat – Pachacuti

Founded by Carry Somers, one of the founders of Fashion Revolution, Pachacuti has been calling for change in the industry and pioneering ethical fashion way before the start of Fashion Revolution. Pachacuti hats are made according to Fair Trade principles and the company was the first in the world to be certified under the sustainable fair trade management system by the World Fair Trade Organisation. This guarantees that they have a proven set of practices,procedures and processes which demonstrate social, economic and environemental responsibility through-out the supply chain.

Pacahacuti Who made your clothes

Shoes – Veja

Veja is a Brazilain brand that has built an name for itself for its fresh designs aswell as its transparenc, sustainability and ethical sourcing. This trainers were gifted to me by a retailer, a year or so ago. The cotton and rubber in Veja trainers are obtained  directly from producers in Brazil and Peru under Fair trade principles working in a transparent way with 1-year contracts with an agreed a market-decorrelated price.Veja trainers are made in the the state of Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil with a close partnership between the brand and factory. Workers are well-compensated and live in normal conditions in contrast to the workers creating trainers for many brands in south east asian countries.VEJA countinues to push its factories for greater transparency by requiring them to perform recurring social audits and chemical tests.

I am also wearing a mesh top from ‘Made in the UK’ brand One Boutique and a necklace which was a present from the Bath Christmas market a few years back.

There are lots of ways that you can get involved with Fashion Revolution and also use your time in lockdown to review your wardrobe, fall in love with items of clothing that you have forgotton or don’t wear so often, find out some more about the brands that you buy  from and who makes their clothes and spend some time researching the most ethical alternatives for when you do next need something new.

Stay safe!

With warmest wishes

Ethical Fashion and Life in Lock Down

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biker style

Denim waistcoat – Oxfam fashion
Organic cotton t shirt – A question of
Organic cotton jeans – Weekday
Necklace – Made UK

Patagonia hat

Cap – Patagonia
Vintage jacket – Married to the Sea (Newquay)
Trousers – Nomads

It has only been a little while since I last posted, but so much has changed since then. The corona virus crisis has being a game changer for so many different people in so many different ways. With so many people now in lockdown, we are having to adapt to a completely different lifestyle.

For me things are not too bad. I have my closest family around me and plenty to keep me occupied. I am making good use of the extra time that I have by trying to so some of the things that I usually don’t have time for.

Here are some of the things that I am doing to stay happy and healthy:

  • Healthy eating – with plenty of time on my hands, I am trying to cook from scratch with plenty of fruit and veg.
  • Exercise – I usually go to 8-10 fitness classes a week which I really miss. Instead I am doing online versions of Les Mills body pump, combat,balance and grit.
  • Fresh air and sunshine – I am very lucky to have a  garden to sit in when the sun is out.
  • Living in the moment – I am trying not to think too far ahead or worry about what the future holds. I am just taking each day as it comes.
  • Getting creative– I don’t usually have time to be creative so I am making the most of the opportunity to do some art and painting.
  • Sticking to routines – I am trying to to bed at my usual time and wake up at near my usual time. This stops me getting tired and sad.
  • Limiting alcohol – I have decided to limit my alcohol intake at the moment as otherwise I could easily fall into bad habits. I definitely don’t need hangzeity at the moment. This doesn’t include a glass or two on Easter weekend and my birthday to celebrate.
  • Ticking off my ‘to do list’ – As a full time working mum, I spend a lot of time thinking about all the things that need doing and I never have time to do. I am making the most of my time on furlough from work to tick off at least one thing a day. This not only gives me a sense of achievement but also means once lockdown is over, I can live life to the full without feeling guilty about chores that need doing.
  • Enjoying time with my family – usually we are all so busy, we are like ships passing in the night. I am really enjoying cooking, watching films and playing games together.
  • Connecting with friends and family on Skype – I miss seeing my friends and family but I am making the most of technology to keep in touch as much as possible.
  • Helping others – I’m not doing as much as some people to help but trying to get shopping and prescriptions for neighbours and family to make sure they don’t need to leave their houses.
  • Making some ‘me time’ – all being in the house together can get exhausting at times and so I am also making quiet time for myself, usually reading my book in bed or the garden.
  • Feeling grateful – after being very ill about 3 weeks ago and now being recovered, I feel very grateful for my health and also to have my immediate family safe and close.
  • Finding time to do some blogging and finally getting time to post these outfits! You can check out my Instagram here for more outfits and food posts.

I am hoping that over the next few weeks I will find time to do some updates to my ethical fashion directory, something that I have been meaning to do for ages. So watch this space!

How are you spending your time in lockdown?  What are you doing to stay happy and healthy?

Stay home and stay safe!

With warmest wishes

Goodbye 2019, Hello 2020!

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vintage poncho

Vintage poncho – Etsy
Jeans – Cheap Monday
Shoes – Po-Zu

charity shop jacket

Top and Jacket – charity shop
Trousers – M&S
Shoes – Toms

oxfam dress

Dress – Oxfam
Denim jacket – swapped many years ago
Trainers – Veja

Lucy and Yak dungarees

Dungarees – Lucy and Yak (a Christmas present)
Vest top – charity shop

Top – swapped many years ago
Trousers – Nomads clothing
Boots – Timberland (A Christmas present)

2019 had had its ups and downs but overall it has been a good year for me. Here are a few outfit pictures from the later half of 2019 that I haven’t had the chance to post yet.

No New Clothes for a Year

I have completed another no new clothes for a year challenge and whilst I may have caved in and bought something new at least once and have had some dungarees and boots as Chriistnas presents, it has been really useful in reminding me that I really don’t need anything new and I already have plenty in my wardrobe to wear. I can also find lots of lovely items second hand clothes in charity shops and vintage shops and websites. Whilst I am not going to be doing the challenge again this year, I am confident that I have overcome the habit of shopping for the sake of it for now at least and will be continuing to buy as little as possible and look for second hand first in 2020. Of course I will occasionally need to buy something new and for that I will be sticking with ethical and sustainable brands (as always).

Reduction of Single Use Plastics

As far as my no single use plastics pledge is going, I am not so sure ho things are going! I am still buying my fruit and veg plastic free from the market but I have had to abandon the milk bottle delivery due to the expense and have really struggled to make as many positive changes as I had hoped. I couldn’t get on with the conditioner bars for my hair as it became so dry and knotted, unfortunatley and have reverted back to bottles. Generally I do try and buy products with less packaging but I am a very long way from going single use plastic free. I am ready to start again in 2020 but I am going to need a bit of a rethink about the areas where I can make the most difference to our plastic usage. I also hope that supermarkets and companies are goig to start to offer more options to help and encourage consumers to go plastic free.

For 2020, I am not making new years resolutions as such, but want to try and find ways to make more time for doing what I enjoy. I want to surf more and improve lots. I already have some trips and weekends planned and I am sure there will be lots more as the year progresses.

I also got a skateboard/ longboard for Christmas and I love it. I want to take up yoga in additon to the 10 other exercise classes I do each week. This may seem like a lot but it makes sense to do what makes me happy, which is being active.

What are your favourite memories of 2019 and plans for 2020?

With warmest wishes

Shopping My Wardrobe

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30 plus wears

Vintage poncho – Etsy
Organic cotton dress – Annie Greenabelle
Organic cotton leggings – Thought clothing

I often post about new pieces of ethical or sustaianble clothing that I have bought but the most important part of my drive to be more sustainable with what I wear is shopping my wardrobe. Ok ‘shopping my wardrobe’ is just another way of saying not buying anything at all or just wearing what I already have in my wardrobe! But I thought it might be a bit more an attention grabbing title for the post and of course a hastag on instagram.

We are facing unprecendented threats to our environment and possibly life as we know it brought about by environmental degradaation which are largely driven by consumerism.Climate change and plastic oceans are just two of the big issues that we need to address as a worldwide and as individuals. Just last week, Lucy Siegle reported in the Guardian on how, if unchecked,the fashion industry could account for 25% of carbon production globally by 2050. UK consumers sent 300,000 tonnes of textiles to be burned or dumped in landfill in 2018.

And yet, governement minsters have recently decided to reject propsals by a cross party environmental audit committee which included a1p levy on fast fashion and mandatory environmental targets for fashion retailers with a turnover of 36m.

We can still take hope from countries such as Denmark, which has recently cancelled Stockholm fashion week to investigate more sustainable options. And as individuals we can continue to do everything in our power (no matter how small) to limit our consumption.

Our greatest weapon against fast fashion is to shop your wardobe which is summed up so perfectly with Vivienne Westwoods phrase:

  • Buy less
  • Choose well
  • Make it last

Whilst I do very occasionally make a mistake and buy the wrong thing that doesn’t get worn very much, almost all of my clothes have been in my wardrobe for a number of years and have been worn multiple times. I have found the ‘no new clothes’ challenge that I am taking part in again this year is a great way of focussing my mind on not buying new clothes and enjoying what I already have.

The dress and leggings picture above for example have been worn at least 30 times, probably much more. I don’t feel this should be a big deal and something that needs talking about. It should just be the way it is. But whilst there is still a culture of fast fashion and clothes just bought for a few wears before being discarded, we need to keep talking about it.

In other news I am taking part in Plastic free July. I won’t lie it is not going to well so far. I am trying to find more plastic free alternatives to my usual products but there often just isn’t the choice. I am also tweet my ideas and suggestions to brands and supermarkets. Not so sure that they will take notice but its got to be worth a try. Where there are other options like the local fruit and veg stall in the market, I am taking my custom there.

How is your July going? are you taking any steps to reduce your plastic use or buy less clothes?

With warmest wishes

Finisterre and Cornwall Style

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Finnisterre clothing

Jumper – Finisterre
Short – upcycled

It’s been a long time since I last posted. Life is so busy and lately we have been spending more and more time by the sea in particular Fistral beach in Newquay, Cornwall. I have found that balancing out work with fitness, walking on the beach and surfing is the best way to stay happy and relaxed. Unfortunately that means I don’t have quite as much time for blogging although I have found Instagram great for capturing the stuff I love and discovering new inspiration and it is also great when I am out and about and on the move.

You can check out my Instagram here.

The above picture was taken a few weeks back when we were having a BBQ on the cliffs over Fistral. There is nothing more relaxing than watching the waves roll in.

Clothes and fashion wise, my new more active and super relaxed life has meant a bit of a change in style. After gym or surfing sessions, I just want to wear warm and cosy clothes and I have found myself gravitating towards jeans, cut-offs vest tops, jumpers and trainers. Whilst I have been committed to sustainable and ethical fashion for a number of years, I now rarely buy new clothes. Instead I try my best to make use of what I already have or find something second hand or vintage. The more time I spend outdoors,the more I feel committed to limiting my impact on the environment.

This jumper was for my birthday but carefully chosen from a lovely Cornish based brand Finnisterre that describe their clothing as functional and sustainable, born for the needs of hard British surfers and made for those that share their love of the sea. It is the perfect cover up to keep cosy!

I have noticed that there are a few sustainable brands based in Cornwall.I I hope to blog about some more of them soon!

What are your favorite things to do and how how does your lifestyle affect your style?

With warmest wishes

Sustainable and Ethical Swimwear

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With a surf holiday coming up soon and my old swimwear pretty much worn out from repeated wear and exposure to chlorine, saltwater and lots of sunshine, I have decided to invest in some new sustainable and ethical swimwear.

In the past I have found it quite difficult to find sustainable and ethical swimwear but lately I have been quite surprised by the number of sustaianble and ethical swimwear options particularly those which upcycle plastic nets that have been found in the oceans. Econyl in particular seems to be growing in popularity for swimwear. If you would like to find out more about this innovative and sustainable fabric, you can do so here.

Fourth Element

Fourth element is my latest discovery and I liked the brand so much that I have invested in 2 new bikinis from Fourth Element for my holiday. Apart from their swimwear being made from 78% recycled materials including post consumer waste like plastic bottles and fishing nets recovered from the oceans, it has also been designed with scuba divers in mind making it comfortable and practical fro wearing under a wetsuit. Perfect for surfing! The packaging is also compostable.

Ruby Moon ethical swimwear

Ruby Moon

Ruby Moon are a Brighton based Eco swimwear brand with a small but lovely collection of multi tasking pieces as part of their GymToSwim® collection. I love this idea for getting the most out of your clothing. The sports fit is also comfy and practical. Sustainability wise, their swimwear is again made from fabric created using reclaimed fishing nets and plastic waste.

Finnesterre eco swimwear

Finnesterre

I have posted about Finnesterre in a previous post about ethical surfwear. They have a small but well designed collection of swimwear and wetsuits. Again created from sustainable fabric made from plastic waste. They also donate 10% of profits from their True North swimwear collection to Surfers Against Sewage.

Colieco bikini

Colie eco

Colie Eco are predominantly a lingerie brand but also make beautiful handmade swimwear. I already have a bikini by Colie eco and can definitely vouch for the quality of their product. Each piece is handmade to order in a homebased studio in Portugal and each style is available in a choice of fabrics for a bright and individual style on the beach.

Zoggs

Just today, I also noticed a display of Zoggs Ecolast swimwear which is also made from  from recycled plastics that is made to last a lifetime.This swimwear looks particularly good for those that swim in a swimming pool regularly.

 

Have you seen any other sustainable or ethical swimwear brands that you love? If so i’d love to hear about them!

With warmest wishes

p.s this post contains some affiliate links

Goodbye 2018, Hello 2019

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nye charity shop outfit

New Years Eve Oufit

Dress – Oxfam
Necklace – Sourced by Oxfam
Shoes – Veja
Bag – Reclaim

It has been lovely to have a whole 10 days off work over the Christmas break allowing time to recharge the batteries, reflect on 2018 and make plans for 2019. We spent Christmas in Cornwall walking, surfing, eating and drinking way too much and spending time with family. For New Years Eve this year, we are opting for a quiet night with a few drinks in town.

Looking back at 2018

2018 has been another super busy year. I am slowly learning that, that is the way I like it and that list of stuff that just never gets done because I don’t have time, probably just isn’t that important. I think I am perfecting the skill of juggling and prioritising the important stuff so who cares about the rest.

2018 was the year that I learned to surf and swapped foreign holidays for Cornwall, that I took the plunge and left a job that I loved to try something else with full time job, instead of waiting it out for the almost certain prospect of redundancy (so glad that I did!)

Plastic free

2018 was also very much about the environment for me. David Attenborough has helped to bring the issue of plastic pollution into the mainstream and at the beginning of 2018 with publicity around his Blue Planet 2 series I started to work towards becoming single use plastic free. I am not sure I realised how difficult it would be. Looking back over the year, I have made some really positive changes to our life (you can read my latest update here) but we still have a long way to go. Looking at the large amount of waste created over Christmas (albeit much less than previous years) has renewed my motivation to keep making small changes which all add up to a big difference. I will be sharing more of these soon.

No new clothes for a year

Another big environmental issue that has also been highlighted in 2018 was fast fashion with Stacey Dooley’s documentary Fashion’s Dirty Secrets presneting the issue in a fresh and compelling way. Whilst I have not bought fast fashion for many years now, in 2018 I took part in the ‘no new clothes for a year’ challenge to further reduce my consumption and help to show that it is possible to live quite happily without buying new clothes. In complete honesty, I didn’t quite manage the challenge this time. I did invest in a few new clothes by ethical and sustainable brands including shoes and fitness clothing that whilst not completely essential will be worn continually. Despite this I think the challenge has really helped me to carefully consider and reduce my consumption of clothes this year. For 2019, I have decided to keep a clothes log of any new clothes bought including the reasons and ethical credentials. I hope that this will help me to be more mindful of my purchases.

Plans for 2019

My big focuses for 2019 will be quality time with family and friends, living in the moment, improving my surfing, continuing to reduce the impact of my clothing on the environment and reduce our single use plastic consumption, whilst hopefully inspiring others to the same with this blog and social media.

Happy new year! What are your highlights of 2018 and plans for 2019?

With warmest wishes

Sustainable Fitness Clothing

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ethical fitness wear

Top and leggings – Teeki
Trainers – Veja

This post is a collaboration with The Sports Edit.

The search for sustainable fitness clothing

I have been wanting to write a post about sustainable fitness clothing for quite a while! The truth is I have put it off because I have struggled to find any fitness clothes that really work for me and tick the ethical an sustainable boxes. Fitness and workouts are a really important part of my life. On an average week I do between 8 and 10 classes including a combination of Body combat, my favourite along with Grit, Body Pump and body balance. If I had time to do more I definitely would!

I spend a lot of time in fitness wear and I really need high peformance clothing that washes and dries quickly, is flattering, comfortable and easy to wear leaving me confident to get on with my routine. Typically lycra and polyester are perfect for fitness clothing but not so great for the environment.

recycled plastic yoga wear

An exciting collaboration

So I was really excited to be asked by The Sports Edit to collaborate with them to share my thoughts on some of the ethical and sustainable brands that they stock. Teeki is just what I have been looking for as it combines high performance and a flattering style with sustainability and ethics. Teeki yoga wear is handmade from recycled plastic bottles in the US. Whilst Teeki is described as a yoga brand, I am pretty sure that I won’t just be keeping this top and trousers just for yoga, I think they could work well for other classes too. I love that Teeki has helped to get me out of a style rut with my fitness clothing which has resulted in me wearing black all of the time. They have a fantastic selection of fun pattered leggings and shorts.

Plastic in the ocean

Plastic in the environment and the ocean is a big thing. Plasticoceans.org have some pretty shocking facts. Over 500 million plastic bottles are used every year. Many of which will end up in our oceans. But its not just bottles and plastic bags that are an issue, its clothing too. With fast disposable fashion made from synthetic materials such as polyester, there is a growing amount of clothing waste containing particles which can also be washed into waterways, rivers and eventually the sea.  Sir David Attenborough told us during Blue Planet 2 that “we dump eight million tonnes of plastic into the sea every year”. It’s choking our seas, killing and harming marine life.

As you will know if you regularly visit my blog, I am attempting to drastically reduce my use of single use plastics if not completely stop using them. It makes sense that if I really have to buy clothing that is made from synthetic fabrics, that I choose an option not made from virgin fabrics. This helps to find a use for old single use plastics such as plastic bottles helping to prevent it finding its way into landfil and oceans. Whilst I am well aware that buying nothing is usually the most ecofriendly choice, there are times when this isn’t always an option or at least would be very impractical.

ethical fitness clothing

Ethical Sports Shoes

Veja are most defintely one of my favourite brands of trainer. The styles are practical and comfortable but also super stylish. The two pairs that I already own are by far the most worn shoes in my wardrobe. I was excited to be able to try out this amazing gold pair which are not only great for the journey to and from yoga classes but also for a night (I really can’t do heels very often these days!). Veja are an environmentally responsible and transparent brand that use a variety of ecologically friendly materials  in their trainers including wild fairtrade rubber from the Amazonian Rain Forest and organic cotton and leather tanned with non toxic methods. The great thing about getting your Veja trainers from The Sports Edit is that they are UK based you can avoid the hassle and difficult of international shipping that you would get with buying direct.

Reusable water bottles

A final but very important accessoryfor every single work out that I do is my reusable water bottle. I keep this in my kitbag permanently and refill as needed to avoid buying plastic bottles of water. Keeping hydrated is really important for workouts and I prefer to use a water bottle that is free of nasty plastic chemicals and keeps my water cool helping me to keep cool. S’Well are a great brand (also stocked at The Sports Edit). They are light weight and made of stainless steel, available in some very stylish designs and also BPA free. You can check out the full range here.

Reasons to train

Finally I just wanted share with you some of the reasons I love fitness and excercise classes so much.

  • Happiness – I can’t explain it but I always feel happy after a class
  • Energy – if I have to miss out on classes, I don’t feel as energised
  • Confidence – I feel much stronger and more confident when I have been training
  • Friends – I have made so many friends through my fitness classes

Losing weight or becoming thinner has never been one of my exercise goals. I definitely take part for enjoyment and don’t see it as a chore in anyway.

I would definitely recommend giving them a go! Do you do any fitness classes? Have you ever considered planet friendly fitness wear instead of the obvious big name fitness brands? I ‘d love to know your thoughts!

With warmest wishes

Green Friday and Sustainable, Ethical Christmas Shopping

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green friday Oxfam dress

Workwear outfit
Dress – Oxfam Online
Boots – Toms
Bag – What Daisy did (upcycled leather)

This year as in previous years I ignored Black Friday in favour of Green Friday which is basically no different to any other Friday.

I have started to think about Christmas shopping but I already know what I want to get so have no interest in tempting myself to buy any more with discounts.

I am trying to scale back Christmas this year buying a lot less. With the presents that I do buy, I am trying to buy ethical, sustainable, minimal packaging and from local small businesses. I want Christmas to be about the experiences more than the presents so I am hoping we can have lots of fun times with family and friends instead of accumalating more stuff that we don’t really need. That said, I couldn’t not buy a little something for my family.

Here are some of the places that I have shopped online for Christmas presents.

  • Seasalt Cornwall – some lovely accessories including scarves and socks
  • Rapanui – organic cotton t shirts and hoodies as well as lots of other surf inspired clothing
  • Ethical Superstore – a fantastic range of home wear, clothing, accessories, food, you name it!
  • Luva Huva – beautiful lingerie and night wear
  • Etsy – so many beautifully handmade items!

I am also venturing out to the Christmas market in Bath in the hope of finding some nice handmade and unique gifts and locally made foods if I can cope with the hoards of people. I will let you know how I get on!

The picture above is my work outfit on Friday. I used to think dressing ethically and sustainably for work was difficult but I have now completely changed my mind. Oxfam online shop is my first port of call for amazing shift dresses. Which means I have been able to top up my work dresses even though I am on the non new clothes for a year challenge.

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? where will you be shopping?


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Patagonia – Buying Less and Living More

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Patagonia shirt

No new clothes for a year

Shirt – Patagonia
Hat – Ricefield Collective
Vest top – Fairtrade cotton (M&S)
Jeans – Oxfam 
Shoes –  Po-zu (Star Wars™ collection)

I am just back from a lovely week in Cornwall surfing, walking, spending time with the people that  matter most to me and eating and drinking a bit too much. This outfit is super comfy and warm, which just what I needed for the cold but sunny days. The shirt by Patagonia is quite a few years old and I believe was an item that I picked out to review back in 2012 (wow does time fly by!). Patagonia is a brand that I love for being poles apart from so many of the fast fashion brands. Why? because instead of encouraging their customers to buy more clothes, they encourage them to buy less and make them last. Patagonia’s mission: Build the best product, do no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis. You can read more about it here. With their practical focus on  an outdoor lifestyle, Patagonia clothes are definitely about buying less and living more, something I am trying really hard to stick to.

Taking part in the no new clothes for  a year challenge has been a great way to appreciate the many clothes that I have already got in my wardrobe. Recent news stories have highlighted some major environmental issues of which fast fashion is a contributor. It is a big problem! British shoppers are buying twice as many clothes as they did ten years  ago. Not only is the fashion industry a major source of greenhouse gases that are contributing to climate change, landfill sites are filled with unwanted clothes and synthetic fibres from our clothing is washing into the oceans. Buying clothes that are only worn once or twice or even worse never at all seems like craziness especially when these clothes are made from synthetic fibres that will not biodegrade.

But it is so easy to get persuaded that you really need to buy something. In fact, I will have to admit, I haven’t managed to completely stick to the no new clothes challenge this year. I have bought a few new items over the summer. Proof of just how difficult it can be to change old habits. I will be ensuring that these clothes get plenty of wear and I have now renewed my focus again on buying less and living more with a big benefit that I spending less on clothes means I have more money to spend on enjoying myself.

Have the recent news stories about climate change and ocean plastics changed the way you shop?


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