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Essay by Eric Worrall
Preparing the peasants for our glorious green future.
What to wear for a climate crisis
Published: October 27, 2023 2.47pm AEDT
Rachael Wallis
Research Assistant, Youth Community Futures, University of Southern Queensland…
The fashion industry contributes up to 10% of global emissions – more than international aviation and shipping combined. It also contributes to biodiversity loss, pollution, landfill issues, unsafe work practices and more.
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If we are concerned about these issues, responding thoughtfully means we will live our lives according to our values. And that’s an important factor in living well, flourishing and being happy.
Lessons from wartime
It’s not the first time people have adapted their clothing in response to the demands of a crisis.
During the second world war, clothing styles changed in the United Kingdom and Australia. To conserve precious resources, shorter skirts, minimal detailing and a focus on utility became the norm.
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This wartime response reflected the priorities and values of society as a whole as well as most people in that society. In other words, buying less (rationing meant this was not just a choice), mending and making do with what was already there was part of a value system that contributed to the Allied victory.
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If we begin to shift away from our slavish devotion to newness and novelty – following the dictates of fashion – to a mindset of value-led sufficiency, we can appreciate more fully the feel of lived-in, mended or altered clothes. There is a feeling of comfort in pulling on an old garment that is soft with age and repeated washing. There is joy in extending a garment’s life through creative mending, especially when that aligns with our values.
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Read more: https://theconversation.com/what-to-wear-for-a-climate-crisis-214478
There is also the feeling of fresh air when putting on a worn out garment, when the fabric tears.
What can I say? If I wanted to live like a bum I’d find myself a cardboard box. I have no problem with other people feeling “virtuous” by wearing worn out rags, if that is their thing, but don’t try to inflict your absurd wearing rags virtue signalling on the rest of us.
I believe the clothing sector has some accounting to do. Too much fast fashion that is hardly worn before it is discarded. Cheap products that don’t get recycled or passed on. And I admit, I have closet full of clothes I rarely wear. So for the best five years I have decided to only buy clothes if really needed, as in there is NOTHING in my closet. I don’t think it will be difficult.
I have no good words to say about Rachael, I’ll leave it at that.
People don’t pay any attention to such proposals, but if a comprehensive survey were to be taken, it would find the overwhelming majority of consumers buy and wear clothing and footwear according to style, price, fit, and comfort, not whether they will save the planet. It’s amazing how far out some of these Green recommendations are.
What you say is likely very true. i find that if I buy things that fit well, wear well, and meet my needs, I wear those clothes and shoes a long time, and am very reluctant to have to replace them. That has to be good for the environment in the long run, even if it is not my goal.
” Wear Old Clothes to Reduce our Climate Impact ”
Yes. Preferably not washeshed very often.
For that bona fide “climate aware” look, nothing can beat sackcloth and ashes.