Should We Be Making 2019 the Year of the No-Buy?
The sustainability of the fashion Industry is increasingly being scrutinised. Excessive use of depleting materials, unethical supply chains and the concept of fast fashion are all big problems to be solved ASAP for the sake of our planet.
The average UK consumer spends a shocking £1,000 a year on clothes and shoes, and we've been looking at the no buy movement. An initiative designed to encourage people to think about how many pointless purchases they make.
Why is the movement necessary?
With the rise of social media, consumers are arguably the most under pressure to buy, then they have ever been. Studies suggest that the average Instagram user is bombarded with 10,000 brand messages a day. In addition to this; 7 out of 10 hashtags are branded hashtags, according to online statistics.
The popularity of the ‘haul’ where an influencer will buy (or be gifted by brands) an excessive amount of clothing to show off, for the purpose of a short video is largely to blame.
Guardian Writer Leah Harper has noted the obvious effects of videos and posts entitled ‘$2000 clothing and makeup haul’ - encouraging consumers to buy beyond their means and adopting one off buying attitudes which the planet certainly can’t afford.
The idea behind the no buy movement is incredibly simple – individuals make a commitment (frequently done on their social media platforms for accountability) to make use of the stuff they already have, rather than giving in to social pressures to buy new items each month or alarmingly, each week (!) The rules of the ‘challenge’ are flexible, you can agree to do it for any amount of time and you decide how far you take the no buy idea.
But that sounds really extreme…
You might think its a bit far, to agree to not have any new clothes for a month, or a year and be wondering, what you would do if say, your favourite pair of jeans suddenly had a hole in them? The important thing to remember is that while the movement is about enjoying what you’ve got and being a bit creative, the main purpose is to take a stand against large fashion brands bringing out new ‘must have’ items every week and forcing consumers to play a game of catch up to be on trend.
So, with this said, taking part in swap-shops and nabbing a pre-loved bargain is completely not against the rules. Blogger Polly Sayer (@/pollyvsayer) Youtuber Hannah Louise Poston and many others have recorded their varying experiences of the challenge for their followings to hear. Sayer discussed her discovery of second hand purchasing for essential clothing items on apps such as Depop and in charity shops.
The bottom line is, if you can handle Veganuary then you can certainly give a no buy February a go. But if the thought of going cold turkey gives you the fear – you could at least think about putting ‘stop buying clothes I don’t need’ at the top of your resolutions list for 2019.
Useful links
Hannah Louise Proston – HOW TO DO A NO BUY YEAR
References
Words by Isabelle England
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