Anyone who’s been with us for a little while will know all about Lisa and her sustainable fashion challenge. For anyone that doesn’t, here’s a bit of an overview.
Lisa is the General Manager at Ordinary Heroes™. She absolutely looooovees to shop. But she was becoming more and more aware of the impact fast fashion has on the world. So, she decided to take up a challenge. Lisa has made the commitment to not buy any new clothes for all of 2019. She even wrote a blog about it when she first started!
It’s now five months since she started, and she’s still going strong!
We had some requests for updates, so Lisa put together some comments to share with everyone on how she’s going….
‘I’ve now successfully completed five months of my challenge. I have only been Op Shopping twice!!!’ It certainly feels worthier of celebration now. It feels real. I feel proud to no longer be feeding the fast fashion industry and the vicious cycle of slavery in developing countries.
To be honest though, I am missing having the latest items in my wardrobe. That and the quick “pick me ups” on a challenging day.
However, saying that I miss the shops now feels shallow. To be honest, I even feel shallow turning this ‘challenge’ into a big deal. But it is a huge change to me, and it is a massive deal to the thousands of people currently trapped in slavery because of my shopping addiction.
I’m starting to enjoy the simpler lifestyle and getting more use out of my current wardrobe. I used to care a lot about how I looked and what I wore. It wasn’t uncommon to change 3 or 4 times before I settled on an outfit. Now, I feel like I’m caring less. I have begun to appreciate that there are lots of other great ways to feel happy or loved other than shopping. It has made me wonder when I said buying clothes made me feel happy and loved or whether that was an excuse to about justify my actions to myself…
I’ve also been surprised at how many people want to talk to be about what I am doing. Some people tell me that it wouldn’t be a big deal for them. Others say they couldn’t do it. But mostly, people recognise that this is a big deal for me. I remind them that it is not nearly as big as what I was doing before -feeding the fast fashion industry cycle.
I am beginning to realise just how powerful, we as consumers are. If lots of us don’t buy the volume of products or clothes that trap people in slavery. If we tell the companies that we want fair wages for the workers. If we demand transparency, they will be forced to respond.
So proud of you, maybe you can help your mum be abit stronger, even though I have tried to follow your example, failed bad at Mother’s day, keep going, you always are gorgeous inside and out.
Without setting out to be, you are definitely an inspiration! The fact that you have stuck at it is impressive to me. You’ve shown strength and perseverance in this and I know it’s been hard for you at times. Great Job!!!
Five months in and feeling CHANGED!!
Anyone who’s been with us for a little while will know all about Lisa and her sustainable fashion challenge. For anyone that doesn’t, here’s a bit of an overview.
Lisa is the General Manager at Ordinary Heroes™. She absolutely looooovees to shop. But she was becoming more and more aware of the impact fast fashion has on the world. So, she decided to take up a challenge. Lisa has made the commitment to not buy any new clothes for all of 2019. She even wrote a blog about it when she first started!
It’s now five months since she started, and she’s still going strong!
We had some requests for updates, so Lisa put together some comments to share with everyone on how she’s going….
‘I’ve now successfully completed five months of my challenge. I have only been Op Shopping twice!!!’ It certainly feels worthier of celebration now. It feels real. I feel proud to no longer be feeding the fast fashion industry and the vicious cycle of slavery in developing countries.
To be honest though, I am missing having the latest items in my wardrobe. That and the quick “pick me ups” on a challenging day.
However, saying that I miss the shops now feels shallow. To be honest, I even feel shallow turning this ‘challenge’ into a big deal. But it is a huge change to me, and it is a massive deal to the thousands of people currently trapped in slavery because of my shopping addiction.
I’m starting to enjoy the simpler lifestyle and getting more use out of my current wardrobe. I used to care a lot about how I looked and what I wore. It wasn’t uncommon to change 3 or 4 times before I settled on an outfit. Now, I feel like I’m caring less. I have begun to appreciate that there are lots of other great ways to feel happy or loved other than shopping. It has made me wonder when I said buying clothes made me feel happy and loved or whether that was an excuse to about justify my actions to myself…
I’ve also been surprised at how many people want to talk to be about what I am doing. Some people tell me that it wouldn’t be a big deal for them. Others say they couldn’t do it. But mostly, people recognise that this is a big deal for me. I remind them that it is not nearly as big as what I was doing before -feeding the fast fashion industry cycle.
I am beginning to realise just how powerful, we as consumers are. If lots of us don’t buy the volume of products or clothes that trap people in slavery. If we tell the companies that we want fair wages for the workers. If we demand transparency, they will be forced to respond.
3 replies to “Five months in and feeling CHANGED!!”
Gail
Well done Lisa – very impressive indeed!
Jeanette Douglas
So proud of you, maybe you can help your mum be abit stronger, even though I have tried to follow your example, failed bad at Mother’s day, keep going, you always are gorgeous inside and out.
Ali
Without setting out to be, you are definitely an inspiration! The fact that you have stuck at it is impressive to me. You’ve shown strength and perseverance in this and I know it’s been hard for you at times. Great Job!!!