Love: The Key to Sustainable Fashion
There are a lot of technical discussions around the topic of clothes and sustainability.
We talk about the circular economy, recycling, and upcycling. Or using processes that are not so dependent on chemicals.
People are also looking to vintage and resale as a solution to the sustainability crisis.
There’s nothing wrong with this. But I don’t think it really goes to the heart of the matter (so to speak).
There’s one thing that’s missing from the current discussion and it’s love. That’s right: LOVE. Specifically buying clothes, whether new or vintage, that we fall head over heels, madly in love with. What we’re talking about is a feeling, an emotional connection that makes you come alive when you see it and try something on.
This is the secret weapon against waste and disposability.
Because when you fall in love with a dress or a coat or whatever, you will most likely never want to part with it. No chance that dress is ending up in landfill. No way are you going to drop it off at Goodwill--what if it gets into the wrong hands?
No, this is something that you will carefully place in your closet and wear it as often as you can. This could be a blazer that you wear anywhere and everywhere. Or a fancy dress that’s more for special occasions.
Love makes you want to take care of it because you want it to be with you for a very, very long time. You clean it properly, replace buttons when needed, and bring it to your trusted tailor for alterations.
Like real-life romance, falling in love requires a face-to-face encounter. A three-dimensionality to it. You need to see it in person, try it on--make sure it fits you in the figurative, not the literal sense. You can also try it at home. You can buy several options online and then see how they feel at home before you commit.
The opposite of this is buying something you could easily live without. Or buying from a very rational place: because it’s on sale or a great deal. Or the salesperson says you look great in, but you know in your heart it’s not you...and never will be.
Sometimes I think about the pieces that got away. You know the ones. The dress or handbag or sweater that you loved, but seemed too impractical or expensive to buy. I have a few of these and they haunt me.
Like the pumpkin-colored knit poncho that I saw at Barneys so many years ago. Every fall I curse the day that I let it go because I truly loved it. I passed on it because a pumpkin-colored knit poncho doesn’t exactly scream “practical”. (It’s kind of like when Sophia Loren fell in love with Cary Grant but decided to marry the director Carlo Ponte instead).
Each time I’ve bought something when I had a love at first sight moment, I gingerly placed it into my closet and would never, ever think of parting with it. And every time I’ve rationalized a purchase, it is usually something that I have ended up regretting.
Because love cannot be explained, it just is. Settling for clothing you don’t love is like settling in matters of the heart. It might look great on paper, but it’s missing something you can’t quite put your finger on.
And settling is diametrically opposed to being sustainable. It means you will not be satisfied with your purchase, you may well get rid of it, and you will have to keep looking for “the one”.