Hello everybody! I have been thinking about the size of my wardrobe for quite some time. It has always been different and generally a bit out of proportion. When I was younger, and waaay into (fast) fashion I owned over 100 pairs of shoes, an endless amount of accessories and too many dresses to wear. I knew that I had way more clothes than the average person, and I knew that I had way more clothes than I actually needed, but oddly enough, I was actually quite proud of that. Possibly, because I had no idea that my shopping had a negative effect on our planet.
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4,5 years into zero waste, my wardrobe looks very different. But oddly enough, I still feel weird about the number of clothes I own. I do not own 100 pairs of shoes anymore, nor do I own even a fracture of the dresses I used to, but I still feel like the size of my wardrobe is too excessive. Through my zero waste journey, I have started to find inspiration in minimalism, and minimalist blogs and platforms. I’ve seen how some people make do with only a fraction of what I own; so even though all my clothes are either second hand or ethically and sustainably made, I feel like I am over-consuming.
To be fair, I think most people feel this way every once in a while, especially if they are interested in sustainability. We are too focused on our own inadequacy to effective see the big picture. I still have to remain myself that sustainability does not have a finish line and neither does it have one specific look.
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I have also loved to express myself through fashion, and therefore I have not restrained myself from buying the occasional second-hand item. And there is nothing wrong with that. I think the over-consumption of things, anything really, because a real issue when these products define us. It does not matter that I own 15 bottoms rather than 10, but it is what I do with these items that matter, it is how I buy them and how I treat them. That’s what really counts.
I hope that this view into my wardrobe will not only inspire you to choose second hand over fast fashion, but I also hope that it will show how sustainable fashion has many looks and appearances. Some people may find that much less is perfect for them, while others may need more pieces to make the world go around. Both are completely okay, as long as the consumption of these items does not come at the cost of people or the planet.
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