What I learned from not buying any new clothes for a year.

This is a follow up post to my article: Sustainable Challenge: A Year of Only Second Hand Clothing

Although the premise of this challenge I set out for myself was simple - to not purchase any newly made clothing for an entire year (second hand was okay) - the lessons I learned from following through on my personal challenge were really complex, and some of the things I learned I was not expecting whatsoever!

What did I learn?

1. Prior to embarking on this challenge, I had been completely unintentional with my clothing purchases.

   I didn’t realize how easily I had been persuaded to purchase clothes I didn’t need before I “wasn’t allowed” to buy new anymore.

   Prior to my challenge, I would impulsively buy something I stumbled across that was 75% off, simply because it fit me, was okay looking, and because I “couldn’t turn down such a good deal”.

   I often wouldn’t consider if it was something I truly needed, if the item fit me perfectly, or was well made…impulse buying had become the norm!

   And it’s not like I was a shopaholic spending tons of money on clothing or purposely going clothing shopping frequently…but not being allowed to buy new items opened my eyes to how frequently I had been tempted to buy just one little thing here, or make one small purchase there, without even setting out to go shopping!

   In those first few months of my challenge, if I walked by the clothing section of my favourite giant grocery store, or happened to open a e-mail from some retailer I had subscribed to previously, I was shocked to recognize how frequently my habitual “oh i want that and it’s a good deal” feeling came up.

   Very eye opening!

2. Modern retailers do everything they can to attract impulse buys.

   Most clothing manufactured in this day and age is created and priced to be sold on clearance.

   If retailers happen to sell something at full price, it’s a bonus.

   So all those clearance e-mails we get, and the strategically placed mark down racks in physical stores are all thoughtfully designed to make you buy things you never set out to buy in the first place - all under the guise of being “a unbeatable deal you can’t refuse”.

3. I could afford far better quality clothing when purchasing second hand than buying new.

   Brands and materials that I never dreamed of wearing were now in my reach, just by shopping second hand!

   There’s no more exhilarating feeling that stumbling across something at a thrift store that is beautifully made and in perfect condition - and in your size!

   I’ve found brand new, beautiful made in Germany Trippen shoes for $30 - which retail for $400-$500 at gravity pope, and my son has been wearing a $400 Patagonia down filled coat for 2 years now (who would spend $400 on a toddler sized jacket?!) that cost me $10.

   AND my most complimented article of clothing of all time was a gorgeous made in Austria 100% boiled wool jacket that I found for $6.

   Experiencing the quality of these items in comparison to the H&M and Old Navy items I was used to wearing has made me a believer in choosing QUALITY over quantity, and picking items to wear that are comfortable and made well enough to last a lifetime…or more.

   Which leads me to my next point:

4. To appreciate quality workmanship, and recognize clothing that would last.

   This one has taken me a little trial and error, but I feel like I’ve gotten realllly good at spotting quality second hand items now.

   I can even spot something that’s been beautifully made just from the look of the fabric!

   I’ve done a lot of label reading, and no - quality is not 100% dependant on brand. Not at all!

   Vintage clothes are often far superior to modern clothing in the fit and fabric composition (as long as you’re avoiding the polyester era stuff - which is really easy to spot), and surprisingly some fast fashion brands put out some quality items every so often which you can stumble across at the thrift store.

   I’ve learned how to be a discerning clothing consumer and take notice of things like: the stitching, the fit (like, have any extra seams or linings been added for comfort/optimal fit?), fabric, quality of zippers/buttons/embroidery/etc.

   All this adds up to something that can be easily washed, maintained, and worn time and time again!

   Now when I check out a modern fast fashion item on the rack I am appalled at the poor workmanship, messy seams and threads hanging all over, uneven hems…they are a mess! And they usually just don’t fit well or look great.

5. I learned which fabrics I feel best in.

   This was an eye opening discovery for sure: I got really critical of what I actually loved wearing in my existing closet, and felt my best in.

   I realized that the items I wear over and over again all had 3 things in common: they were really comfortable (aka they fit me properly), they were “timeless” fashion staples, and were ALL made of natural fibres: cotton usually, linen, wool, or silk.

   These 4 fabrics have something wonderful in common: they breathe! And allow your body to regulate it’s temperature to the environment you’re in.

   I realized that by not checking the label previously and wearing a lot of synthetic fibres that I was often feeling too hot…and feeling too hot made me CRANKY!

   I don’t want to wear clothes that make me cranky, do you!?

   And a huge bonus of all those natural fabrics is that they will BIODEGRADE naturally when they have eventually worn out past the stage of mending, unlike the plastic based synthetics which will take hundreds and hundreds of years to break down…

6. I discovered my personal style and what I feel best wearing when not distracted by the latest microtrends in fashion.

   This was another unexpected realization.

   When I wasn’t distracted by the shiny new displays in clothing stores, modelling the latest fashion trend, I was able to hone in on what type of clothing I was actually attracted to!

   And instead of feeling “lesser than” by not having every single latest trend, I feel like the unique and high quality clothing I’ve found when thrifting is really special, and waaaay more me than whatever style is currently trending.

7. I learned that you can also overconsume second hand clothing.

   I did a huge purge of clothing at the beginning of this challenge, thinking that I’d replace the things that I didn’t wear or love with shiny new-to-me items from the thrift store.

   I was still very much in the phase of buying things because of that dopamine hit, and went a little too crazy - not being as intentional as I could have been with my purchases, and ending up with some items that didn’t fit quite right, or weren’t truly my style.

   Those items have all since been donated back to the thrift store, and I’ve mostly learned my lesson.

   Now, if I find myself "needing” something new, I have a list of items that I think I need, and will visualize exactly what I am looking for, and I will not purchase that item at the thrift store until I find the perfect version of it.

   And sometimes..that “need” will dissipate after hanging out on my list for a while.

8. That the stigma of shopping second hand is a very complex, personal, and psychological topic.

   Although many of my clothes growing up did come from consignment and thrift stores (and I have wonderful memories of going thrift shopping as a child) I do know that I was very fortunate, in many ways, and never felt like I was going “without” at any point during my childhood - second hand clothes or not.

   And as I got older and became more concerned with fitting in and following trends, etc, my parents were able to purchase me trendy new clothes that I just had to have.

   I never felt other because of my/my family’s inability to afford something specific that everyone else was wearing at school.

   I know that this plays into my ability to proudly shop second hand in a major way. If second hand was my only shopping experience as a child, I am sure that I would feel differently.

   All this being said, I remember a very specific moment when my daughter was quite young, and we were at a playground and I noticed that I had forgotten to take off the Value Village sticker from her rubber boots.

   I thought I saw another parent look at the sticker, and felt a wave of shame flood over me, which felt unexpected. I instantly started an internal dialogue “Wow, I love shopping second hand for myself and my family - why did I suddenly feel shame over a sticker? That was weird”.

   I quickly started analyzing myself, and made a decision to throw that thought and that last ounce of stigma around shopping second hand away as it was not serving me (or the planet)!

9. That poor quality fast fashion is swamping thrift stores, too.

   Spending more time in thrift stores in the last year has really opened my eyes to just how much really poorly made clothing there is out there.

   Shein seems to be the biggest offender. Because it’s so cheap, and because it’s all online, people go crazy on their “hauls” and when their massive order that cost them $40 finally arrives and they realize that nothing fits them and that it’s all absolute garbage, it ends up in the thrift store (or, the actual garbage).

   And guess what? No one at the thrift store wants it, either.

   So week after week the racks get filled up with more, and more, and more Shein that nobody wants.

   Oh yeah, and the same goes for promotional tees or single use event/corporate t-shirts. Blah!

10. That I really don’t need to shop brand new, ever again…

    Aside from underwear, I don’t think I will ever stop shopping second hand as a first choice!

    For all the reasons above, I’m completely sold on the 100% thrift life.

    And I proudly declare “thanks, got it at a thrift store!” every time I get a compliment on my beloved wool coat.

Before you go, tell me what you think!

Have you tried this challenge before, or have you been thinking about trying it out? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below! And as always, thanks so much for being here with me!