Een jaar lang geen kleding kopen? Durf jij die uitdaging aan?
Modebewuste studenten begonnen een jaar geleden aan de uitdaging, wat was het resultaat?
What?
On 11 November 2010 fifteen fashion addicts worldwide stopped buying clothes for one year. The ‘fashion addicts’ are a mix of fashion students and fashion professionals. Every fortnight they will share their experiences on this website, based on assignments. Some participants will get their own assignments, as going cold turkey on a fashion addiction is not the same for everyone…
Why?
Over the last few decades fashion has become more and more about consumption. Fashion became fast fashion and clothes have become disposable. Generations are growing up believing that a t-shirt truly can be made for 50 cents. With the Free Fashion Challenge we want to find out what the meaning of consumption is within the definition of fashion. We think fashion is more than shopping. Don’t get us wrong, we are no fashion haters. We love fashion but we think it is not necessarily about buying stuff. Fashion should be about creativity, adornment, joy, quality and good design.
Consumption has become a very important part of the fashion industry. The rise of fast fashion and more consumption on one hand and the necessity to live a more sustainable lifestyle on the other hand raises ethical problems. To make fashion more sustainable and long term oriented, fashion needs to change.
Green fashion pioneers come up with wonderful ideas, but to make fashion truly sustainable, we’ll have to consume less. With the Free Fashion challenge we try to find out what the meaning of consumption is within the definition of fashion. What happens to people who are fashion conscious if they cannot buy trends anymore? If they don’t ‘follow’ the strict rules of fashion, trends and mass consumption? What are their demands of clothing when they need their garments for a longer period of time?
De uitkomst na 1 jaar geen kleren kopen
Door het experiment waren de medestudenten gedwongen een jaar lang veel bewuster over mode na te denken. Toen het jaar voorbij was, hadden de meeste deelnemers helemaal niet meer de neiging naar de winkel te rennen voor een nieuw jurkje. Ze noemden zichzelf ‘genezen’ van de behoefte om overhaast kleding te kopen. Projectbegeleider Wijlens stond na afloop van de Free Fashion Challenge zelfs voor het eerst zijn leven niet rood, vertelde hij.
De Jongs conclusie is dat het bij kleding en mode moet gaan over kwaliteit en creativiteit. Ze vertelt dat haar grootouders heel trots waren op het project van hun kleindochter. Zij begrepen nooit veel van het doorgeslagen consumentisme. Zelf waren ze gewend om eerst goed na te denken voor ze iets kochten.
