What I Learnt from Not Buying New Clothes for 4 Years
This post is about what I learnt from not buying new clothes for 4 years.
For the past 4 years, I have been on a journey to curate a sustainable wardrobe. I can’t sit here and say I have been perfect because I haven’t. Disclaimer: I failed to ‘never buy new again’ but have learnt so much.
A little backstory to set the scene.
In 2020, I was on maternity leave from Nursing, and everyone I worked with was thrown into one of the hardest jobs during COVID. I felt lucky that I didn’t have to work and dreaded maternity leave being over. I had so many ideas about how to avoid my nursing career forever; there was candle-making, becoming a personal trainer, being a masseuse, and selling secondhand children’s clothing. Until I went down a YouTube rabbit hole and found out about blogging, I started getting excited and felt like this could be my ticket out of nursing.
Now, I am so grateful I get to do this every day, and nursing is a thing of the past!
When I started The Style Cycle, I extensively researched sustainable fashion. I then committed to never buying fast fashion again, which turned into a no-new clothes challenge.
My shopping ban was eye-opening, especially in a world where fashion trends, social media, and high street stores tempt us to buy new pieces for every occasion!
Here is what I found out:
What I Learnt from Not Buying New Clothes for 4 Years
Shopping for new clothes is addictive
Buying new clothes can be addictive! I realised this when I had to stop buying them, and I felt like I was missing out. I read that this is largely due to the dopamine hit we get when purchasing. The rush gives us an instant sense of gratification; however, that feeling is often short-lived. It leaves us wanting more! Argh! It’s no wonder some people develop a toxic relationship with shopping.
Online shopping made things more difficult, with constant temptation on social media and easy access to new items I didn’t need. I had to make a choice. Did I really need new clothes? Or was I chasing that dopamine hit that came with buying something new?
I decided to try to boycott fast fashion forever.
Marketing is everywhere & we don’t realise it
When I started making this solid effort to never buy new clothes again, the desire to buy things didn’t go away.
After a while, it dawned on me that marketing is so ingrained in our daily lives that we don’t even recognise it’s happening. With all the social media ads and influencers subtly promoting new items, we’re constantly being marketed in ways that feel natural and unintrusive.
But this is exactly how effective marketing works! It blends seamlessly into our days, making us feel like we have discovered something independently. Whether it’s the placement of products in stores or the way an outfit is styled in an Instagram post, it’s all designed to influence our choices without us being fully aware!
It’s scary! The more we understand how often we’re being marketed to, the better equipped we are to make mindful decisions rather than impulse purchases.
Me at a Kilo Sale in Chester!
Secondhand fashion is a dumping ground for fast fashion
While I avoided new purchases, I didn’t avoid all spending. I thought thrifting would be a great way to refresh my wardrobe. It wasn’t something I had ever done, but it seemed a great way to dress more sustainably.
After four years of shopping secondhand, I can safely say I love finding vintage pieces and good-quality secondhand clothes. I love vintage shops, consignment stores, and local charity shops.
Although shopping secondhand has many pros, I have found a few things frustrating when purchasing online. I have bought clothes on Vinted and other similar platforms, and sometimes they are perfect, and other times they just don’t fit properly. As you can’t send them back, I either have to resell them or get them tailored, which isn’t cheap.
I have also started noticing something unsettling. In thrift stores, there are a lot of new clothes from ultra-fast fashion brands like Shein, Boohoo, etc. Fast fashion has infiltrated every corner of the industry, making it more challenging to find good-quality second-hand clothes. Even worse, second-hand clothing prices have increased dramatically, making it less of a good deal than it used to be.
So, although I love shopping secondhand and would recommend it to everyone, I am convinced there are other ways to create my sustainable wardrobe!
You don’t have to be ‘trendy’ to love fashion
Loving fashion doesn’t mean you should follow all the latest fashion trends. Fashion is about self-expression and creativity, not just wearing what’s ‘in’ now. The best thing about developing your style is that it’s timeless and authentic to you.
Instead of chasing what’s ‘trendy’, I now try to focus on building a wardrobe of pieces that suit my body shape, personality, and lifestyle. Loving fashion is about understanding what works for you, not just what’s popular in the high street or on social media.
People always wear the same few items
After not buying new clothes for a while, I realised that my wardrobe had plenty of clothes and more than enough for my lifestyle. I wore similar pieces repeatedly, which made me question why I was spending money on clothes I didn’t need.
When I spoke to other people about their wardrobes, they also tended to stick to the same few items. I love wearing the same pieces repeatedly, and I work from home five days a week, so comfort is a must.
Once you find clothing that feels right, you realise you don’t need many different items to feel stylish. The idea of a capsule wardrobe comes to mind!
I have found that having fewer high-quality items helps me avoid feeling overwhelmed and allows me to be more intentional about what I wear.
Wearing my jeans from Vinted and my puffer jacket on repeat! Plus, jewellery from Monica Vinader
Rewearing your outfits is cool
Rewearing my clothes means I get a lot of wear out of each item, which is cost-effective and more sustainable. I see it as a celebration of personal style and sustainability.
When you wear something you love multiple times, you are choosing quality over quantity, and that feels powerful.
Fashion shouldn’t be about constantly chasing trends or buying new items for every occasion. It’s about finding versatile pieces that work for you, fit well, and make you feel great whenever you wear them.
Sustainable brands aren’t always sustainable
Over the past few years, I have bought a few items from sustainable, slow-fashion brands. These brands produce clothing from recycled or natural materials, but even that has its challenges.
Items from these brands are often small and handmade, which means they are understandably more expensive.
Sustainable brands are becoming very popular as people wake up to the effects of fast fashion. Some of the ‘sustainable’ fashion brands aren’t sustainable at all. There is a lot of greenwashing going on, and it is really hard to know when a brand is truly sustainable or not.
Many sustainable brands are new to the market, and so are online, and trying clothes on before you buy isn’t an option.
Over the past few years, I have realised that I like trying things on to ensure they fit perfectly. If I am going to part with my hard-earned cash, I want it to be perfect!
Attending the British Fashion Awards ‘2023 in my rented Cult Gaia dress
Renting clothes for a special occasion is a no-brainer (if you know your dress size and body shape)
I love renting clothes; it’s a great way to try out new styles without committing to buying new pieces or contributing to the environmental impact of fast fashion brands. It’s perfect for special occasions when you want a new outfit without the guilt of owning something you’ll only wear once. However, there are some downsides to renting.
One of the biggest challenges I have found is fit. Even if you think you know your measurements, sizing can vary so much between brands, and for a woman with any shape, it can be tricky to get the perfect fit.
What looks great online or on social media might not suit your body shape or skin tone in real life, and then you’re left with something that doesn’t feel right. Renting requires a leap of faith that the clothing will work for you—and sometimes, it doesn’t and hasn’t for me.
Sewing is my favourite type of slow-fashion
The main thing I learned during this no-new-clothes challenge is that I want to develop a stronger connection to my clothes. I don’t want to wear something that isn’t ethically produced, nor do I want to spend time filtering through rental sites, resale platforms, or swap shops to find that perfect fit.
I want clothing that suits my style, body shape, and even skin tone and that will last a long time.
After much reflection, I’ve literally taken matters into my own hands. I’m now sewing my clothes. It’s the best way to create an authentic and sustainable wardrobe. I create pieces that I slowly make, and I know they’ll be of good quality and perfectly suited to my body and lifestyle.
I will express who I truly am through my clothes. Watch this space.
We collectively need to boycott fast fashion
The last 4 years have made me question how much we value the environmental impact of our wardrobes. Fast fashion may offer last-minute solutions for a black tie event or a great deal on summer clothes, but the toxic relationship we have with new purchases is something I’ve had to work hard to break. I’ve understood that fashion should be about longevity and creativity, not just filling a closet with stuff.
So, as I continue this journey, I encourage other fashion lovers to rethink how they approach their clothes. Whether it’s taking on a no-new clothes challenge for a couple of months or simply spending more time considering reasonable alternatives like sewing your wardrobe or supporting small, slow fashion brands, there are so many different ways we can all make better fashion choices.
Creating your slow-fashion wardrobe is about balance. It involves taking the time to think deeply about each clothing item in your closet and ensuring every piece has a purpose, whether it’s a statement piece or a simple dress or shirt. When you mindfully select pieces, buy from truly sustainable brands, or, in my case, sew your wardrobe, you can be confident you’re doing the right thing for yourself, your personal style, and the planet.
