I’M not rich enough to buy cheap clothes.
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My wardrobe staples need to really go the distance and stack up on the cost-per-wear ratio.
My Country Road pin-striped navy, woollen two-piece suit I got in Shepparton in 1998 has served me well every winter for almost two decades.
In a similar vein a black Witchery jacket is also blazing a trail for longevity.
Twelve months ago I went out to get milk and ended up forking out $200-plus for a Paige Denim skirt from Albury boutique Decker & Lee. I felt bad for having blown the budget right after Christmas but I knew I’d live in that skirt over summer. I must have worn it more than 80 times already and there are years of life left in it yet. The finished-by-hand, pencil skirt washes up like new.
My only other new clothes from the previous year were a pair of stovepipe 7/8 black pants from Witchery, Sussan pyjamas, Metalicus black summer shift, Marimekko black and blue winter dress and a Uniqlo chocolate quilted raincoat.
Obviously thrifty shoppers could get loads more bang for their buck with my budget over 12 months. Aside from the Metalicus shift, I got nothing on sale on account of being a reluctant shopper and too plain lazy to look around. However, I did need those things, which have already got a decent workout in the wash and wear stakes.
It's estimated Australians buy 27 kilograms of new clothing and textiles a year.
In our fast-fashion climate we buy more than twice the global average of new clothing and textiles.
Off-the-shelf clothing is so affordable it is entirely possible to update your wardrobe every season.
Plenty of people buy the same work staples twice a year, wear them to death and turf them six months later. On a cost-per-wear ratio this even makes sense.
The problem arises where fast-fashion is not designed to last, meaning it goes to landfill or, if it does make it to second-hand shops, it’s often relegated to rags.
On the other hand, quality clothing can be picked up for a bargain at thrift shops.
I found a Charlie Brown butterfly motif evening dress from St Vinnies, which betters even my pin-striped suit for value on original investment. At $6 to buy five years ago it’s tracking at about 20 cents a wear!
Sustainability expert Jane Milburn on the ABC at the weekend urged Australians to put textile waste on the radar in the same way food waste had gained a profile in this country.
She suggested people should start by washing their clothes less, which would in turn extend the life of them.
However, she did acknowledge that two-thirds of clothing and textiles on the market today were made from synthetic fibres and petroleum-based products.
“Bacteria thrive in synthetic fibres so they become a bit pongy,” Milburn said.
“Wool you can wear up to 20 times before you even need to wash it.”
Milburn said a new feature-length documentary A Plastic Ocean due for release on January 20 brought to light the consequences of our global disposable lifestyle.
A convert to buying second-hand clothes, Milburn urged people to alter garments themselves to get more life out of them or seek upcyclers if the job was beyond them.
“We should all know how to sew on a button,” she said.
While my sewing ability does not stretch much beyond attaching a button, Milburn provides interesting food for thought on fast-fashion waste.