Compulsive Shopper < Conscious Consumer

Fashion : Think

08 November 2018

Because Magazine’s Josephine Platt is on a mission to live more sustainably, consciously and mindfully. It’s a work in progress. This is her endeavour to explore the ways of doing so through the channels of Fashion, Beauty and Brains.

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A wardrobe bursting at the seams; a chest of drawers, filled to the brim; another rail sprawling out into the hallway... Really?!

Some might call me a hoarder. After all, it’s an unnecessary amount of clothes for anyone and, let’s be real, only half of it (at a push) gets any routine wear. This is my (grotesque) reality – and all you need to paint a very accurate picture of my turbulent relationship with the compulsion to consume, consume, consume practically anything and everything in sight over the years.

The good news is that I’m coming to terms with it – and I’ve started to do something about it, too. In part, this is to make the moving house process a little easier the next time around, but also, it’s to enjoy the catharsis of clearing out the clutter for more mental and physical space, in a bid to create a wardrobe that loosely defines itself as a “capsule”.

I’ve got a couple of tricks wedged up my sleeve when it comes to shifting the goods consciously. Hello eBay, depop and 7am carboot-cum-floordrobe sales! Although these are far from groundbreaking in methodology, for me, it all comes down to putting in the work to reap the rewards (even if it looks like 10p remuneration for that T-shirt I once lived in and loved oh-so-dearly).

A couple of days ago, The European Union and London Waste and Recycling Board launched their #LoveNotLandfill campaign, in which they brought harrowing figures to the fore; amongst them being, 38 million new items are bought weekly, and 11 million of those will end up in landfill. It’s a startling reality – and one that should ring home for all of us. While it might be good for your space-saving goals, washing your hands of an overflowing wardrobe via binning-without-a-conscience probably isn’t the most sensible thing you could do for the planet.

Because of the nature of my work, with access to designers that are leading the way in sustainable design, and with investigative documentaries like Stacey Dooley’s Fashion’s Dirty Secrets – which unpicked our nationwide addiction to shopping (and in which I found solace that I’m not alone, thank god) – I consider myself well-versed on the industry’s state of affairs and its toxic capabilities. That’s all well and good – but, armed with this knowledge, it’s become more about now doing my bit to ensure that I shop and consider the life-cycle of a garment smartly.

A capsule collection, by definition, might be a long shot what with the volume of stuff I’m still swimming in; however, keeping tabs on my habits means that I’ve got a higher chance of one day seeing the light.

Until then, I can only herein declare my pact to myself, that I will not – I repeat, will not – accumulate more, unless it’s consciously out with the old and in with the new.

Find your local carboot:

+ If you're East... Princess May Car Boot Sale, Princess May Primary School, Barrett's Grove, N16 8DF, from 9am-3pm every Saturday and 9am-2pm every Sunday.

+ If you're South... Battersea Car Boot Sale, Battersea Park School, Battersea Park Road, SW11 5AP, from 11.30am-5pm every Sunday.

+ If you're North... Holloway Car Boot Sale, Holloway Road, from 8am-4pm every Saturday and 10am-2.30pm every Sunday.

+ If you're West... Chiswick Car Boot Sale, Chiswick School, Burlington Lane, W4 3UN, from 6.30am-12.30pm on the first Sunday of each month, except January.