On the first of January, I made myself a promise: no new clothes for an entire year. If I truly needed something, I’d buy second hand. Except for underwear.
On the first of January, I made myself a promise: no new clothes for an entire year. If I truly needed something, I’d buy second hand. Except for underwear.
Barely a month in and I’ve already failed. I bought a pair of linen pants to protect myself from mosquitoes when I visit my father-in-law in a malaria-prone region soon. You might think: ah well, don’t be too hard on yourself. One pair of pants isn’t that bad. Especially if you bought it from a sustainable brand.
But that’s the thing. I didn’t buy it from a sustainable brand, even though I easily could’ve. I bought them from a fast fashion brand with a red logo. And if you’d ask me why, I wouldn’t even be able to give you a good answer. I don’t know why I did it.
It was almost like it just… happened. As if Remy – that cute little rat from Ratatouille – took control, yanked at my hair, navigated me to this fast fashion webshop, plopped a random pair of linen pants into my cart, and quickly checked out.
God knows why Remy would do such a thing… Bad Remy!
In this, Remy is of course a metaphor. Big brands are very good at persuading people to purchase things, by speaking directly to our craving for dopamine. Or, as we wrote in another article: “Our brain is wired to want new things, and marketers know exactly how to tap into this.”
So now here I am, sitting with my questionable purchase, asking myself: why did I break my promise so easily?
Maybe it was convenience, maybe it was a moment of carelessness or – even worse – indifference. Maybe it was the deeply ingrained, almost automatic pull of fast fashion. The way it lures you in with its ease, affordability and its promise of an instant solution. I don’t know.
But here’s what I do know: living sustainably isn’t about perfection. It’s about intention, awareness, and doing better when you know better. And I do know better. This misstep doesn’t mean my mission failed entirely and that I should give up on my pledge. It means I should pay closer attention next time.
So, lesson learned. Next time Remy tries to take the reins, I’ll yank them right back.
Love, Nina
In a former life Nina was circular economy advisor. She was missing a creative touch in her life, so she turned to copywriting instead. Then she was missing a sustainability touch in her life, so she combined the two. Now she's a sustainability advisor who writes, or - if you will - a writer who gives sustainability advice. She does this with her own company New Alchemists.
Nina helped setup Rethink Things. Together with the Rethink Team, she developed our strategy, branding, website, socials, newsletters, you name it. Today, she continues to write for the platform.
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