I want to share some of the outputs from Alec Leach’s latest pocket guide called ‘The world is on fire but we’re still buying shoes’. It’s really a roadmap to a better relationship with fashion.
I whizzed through it and really connected to what he was saying. We know fashion is terrible for the planet but we still can’t resist going out to shop.
So let’s start with WHY we shop? Alex said that he thinks there’s five key reasons why most of us love to shop which are:
Escapism
Belonging
Novelty
Stimulation and
Status
Escapism - when we shop we are imagining the best versions of ourselves so when we’re in the changing room trying on that dress we often wonder if this going to be the piece that gives us the look that we’ve yearned for of all our life. But it’s also escapism because shopping is just a distractionary tactic. While we are shopping, we’re not actually tackling our problems head on, we’re just delaying dealing with them.
Belonging – like it or loathe it, our clothes do silently talk on our behalf. They connect or separate us from groups of people. Plus the psychology behind the creation of trends and ‘must have’ pieces are purely there to play with our fears. They’re there to make us feel like if we don’t have them, we are going to fall behind and somehow not fit in. Remember how everyone moved into skinny jeans but then once skinny jeans were “out” everyone had a meltdown over what to wear because they didn’t want to be seen to be wearing the “wrong” jeans?
Novelty – There’s simply a part of us that just loves new stuff. We want to believe that it’s going to make our lives better forever but it really doesn’t and the hit of buying that new piece is generally quick to wear off.
Stimulation – The dopamine hit is a very real when you buy something new plus the purchasing process is so easy these days for us to consume. You can buy something with a fee clicks and you don’t even have to pay immediately so we often get pulled into buying things we don’t actually want and overconsume.
Status - The fashion industry is so clever at using individuals with high status to sell to those of us who don’t have the same status. We think that somehow by wearing what they wear, we too will earn the recognition or the lifestyle that those people enjoy. Logos are an easy way to turn ordinary items into status symbols. Think of the interlocking Gs on the Gucci bags and belts or the Cs on Chanel products. We want to wear things that are special and are seen as valuable because WE want to feel special.
So, often we buy clothes for the wrong reasons. We are seeking the kind of satisfaction that clothes cannot actually give us (although we are always suckered into thinking that they can).
And what makes me most sad in all of this is that we are trashing our planet but we are not even buying the things that make us truly happy in the process.
So what can we do? I’ll create a more detailed separate post but really it’s more about moving to a more intentional mindset and buying fewer, less impulsive buys from sellers you actually share values with.
Plus once you start to look into the psychology of shopping, you view your habits in a whole other light!
Do you connect to the reasons above or do you shop for other reasons?
You can buy Alec’s book here and I thoroughly recommend it if you’re keen to understand how fashion keeps us going back for more and what you can do about it!