7 Learnings from Buying Less

One Rule of 5 Queen shares her experience. From sewing skills to her friend's wardrobe, Rachel Arthur survived speaking tours, motherhood - and a month in Bali.

One of the big misconceptions of the Rule of Five campaign is it’s about living with less. Wrong! As fashion fan Rachel Arthur found out, her vow to follow Rule of 5 this year meant she actually engaged with clothes more.

Quick intro here: Rachel works in the industry as a systems thinker and strategist (if you’re into Linked In she is absolutely worth a follow); is a big fan of dressing up, has two young children and is an incorrigible globetrotter. How on earth was she going to fit all that into only 5 new things?

We also owe Rachel a huge debt of gratitude. She was the first to draw attention to the Hot or Cool Institute’s report Unfit, Unfair, Unfashionable, and has been a champion of Rule of Five since it was born. Thank you Rachel, from all the Rule of Five community!

For One Night Only: Rachel in a rented La Double J gown for a summer supper party

Rachel Arthur: Why I followed the Rule of Five

There were two things that stood out to me from the Hot or Cool Institute report about a fair fashion consumption space, which looked at how much we should actually be buying in 2030 in order to contribute to the 1.5 degree target of the Paris Agreement on climate, and indeed to what extent most countries are set to overshoot that currently.

The first was that on average in the UK, where I am based, the top 20% of earners need to reduce fashion consumption by 83%. This is the equivalent of buying just five new items per year.

The second was that with a little further research that top 20% turns out to be me. And I imagine it's many of you too. According to the UK government website, in 2021 (the most recent figures) that meant earning over £44,300 per annum.

Enter Tiffanie Darke’s Rule of 5 campaign for 2023 encouraging us all to do exactly that. So here we go, I thought. No excuses but to attempt this. I spout about the challenges of overconsumption everyday for my work as the sustainable fashion advocacy lead for the UN Environment Programme, it’s time to actually walk the talk.

So here’s what happened. What was key was that I didn't stop engaging with clothes; if anything, I did so more, I just did so differently.

Lesson 1/ I analysed

I entered the year realising if I was going to do this I needed to stop and think. If I could only buy five pieces, I need to first truly consider them, then process them and then wait even longer to see if I actually wanted them. So I did exactly that. What I realised in doing so, is it wasn’t actually that hard. By reframing how you think about shopping, you remove the pressure that comes from the constant bombardment of messages trying to make us buy. Simply, it stops affecting you in the same way. I didn't care so much anymore; none of it applied to me. Yes I still desired things, but I was suddenly able to rationalise through a lens of 'do I really need this?' first, and then 'do I really want it?' second. I also decided with the latter it had to always then be, 'do I want it enough that I'll still want it in a year's time?' Most of the time, the answer to all of those was ‘no’.

Lesson 2/ I raided my friend's wardrobe 

Remember when you were younger and you used to go round to your best friend's house and treat her wardrobe as if it was your own? Or you lived with housemates at uni or when you first start working and just nabbed each other's pieces all the time? I decided to bring that back. I'm not going to lie, I have an advantage here - it's helpful to have a best friend in Emma Barnett, presenter of BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, who constantly looks amazing and provided a fantastic pool to pull from. Not only does she have a huge selection of beautiful dresses, but she also spent much of the year on maternity leave, which made it fair game in my mind to prise away pieces she wasn't going to be wearing for a while. (It wasn't one way, I promise - I also lent pieces back to her!) This was probably the most enjoyable part of my whole year of fashion experiments truthfully, not least because it meant extra time together playing dress up.

Broadcaster Emma Barnett: Rachel’s BFF and reliable ‘borrow’ source

Lesson 3/ I swapped

I had heard amazing things about swap shops, but never given one a go, so off I went to Selfridges in London over the summer to trial out what Loanhood had to offer with its pop-up on the top floor. Here's how it works: you take up to 5 items worth over £50 at resale each, and hand them in. In return, you get tokens relative to the value of your pieces, which you can then use to 'shop' what's otherwise there that others have dropped off before you. First time I went, I took a See by Chloe dress, a Tommy Hilfiger jumpsuit, a pair of Everlane jeans and a couple of other pieces that I no longer wore but I thought someone else would love, and I got stuck in to exploring. Perhaps it was my mindset that day (I was in a bit of a rush and was flustered by some other things going on at work), or maybe it was just bad luck, but I walked away with nothing and was gutted. Nonetheless, perseverance paid off - I returned a week later, and this time with a magpie friend in tow to help, and out I walked on that occasion with a number of incredible 'new' pieces including a Reformation skirt, Ganni blouse and a Paul Smith jumper for my other half. A huge win.

Ps. I pitched a Paris Fashion Week front row swap shop in an Op-Ed I wrote for the Business of Fashion this year; please can someone make this a reality?ED: Yes Rachel, let’s do it!

Lesson 4/ I mended and reworked some faves 

For my 40th birthday in January I was given a new sewing machine. Finally, after years of begging and borrowing my Mum's in order to fix or adjust the odd item, I got my own - namely because of the holes in my kids clothes. Again, I'm probably at an advantage here because I know how to sew. Much of that has gone out of the curriculum for kids today, which is another story, but it made me realise what a shame it is not to use something I am capable of, and also enjoy. Not that I'm particularly advanced - fixing a seam is fine, but I had a skirt that needed a new waistband. It looked particularly tricky to do myself after being so out of practice (refresher lessons are in my 2024 plan), so I took it to the tailor in my local market, which was beyond worth the £8 I paid for it. What I'm most proud of doing is turning a cotton dress I already owned (and rarely wore) into a sundress. I did this by cutting up an old summer top that was falling apart, and replacing the dress’s sleeves with its ruffle straps. With the heatwaves this summer and a trip to Indonesia, that piece got worn nearly every day for weeks, and will no doubt continue to be a favourite for years to come.  

Sewing skills: Rachel turns dressmaker to survive a month in Bali

Lesson 5/ I bought a few pieces

I did indeed buy some new things. Restricting purchases for the year made me realise what my wardrobe is missing. I now have a list of things I'd like to own, or that would fit within the style I think suits me. I tried to buy aligned to that (so fulfilling 'needs') but I also wanted to pepper it with a couple of pieces I got really excited about (being more about 'wants'). I decided my needs could be bought new, but I would try and keep them to more sustainable brands, and my wants should be second hand. The result was a pair of tailored black trousers from Sezane, a white cropped jean from Mother of Pearl and a black puff sleeved maxi dress from Nobody's  Child. I have worn all three of those on repeat this year throughout different seasons. I also added a Hayley Menzies cream and green tiger-print coatigan from Vinted (such fun!) and a Me & Em pale blue floral dress from a second hand pop-up charity sale.

Lesson 6/ I messed up

I didn't only buy those five pieces. I did actually fail at my quest. I was doing so well until we went to Indonesia in October with a suitcase full of what I thought to be the right sort of thing - lots of floral maxi dresses and cute tops with denim shorts. Turned out, 42 degrees and insane humidity just before the rainy season is too hot for such clothing. I had to give in and buy two pairs of lightweight cotton shorts to wear instead. Before we went, I also had a last minute panic and bought an extra summer dress I found online. One year after maternity leave, I felt as though most of the ones I already owned didn't work for me anymore and I wanted something to feel good in. What's fascinating about having done so, is that this dress was probably the worst purchase I made of the year. It was also the one I did without any real thought or attention to how much I would value it. I won't get rid of it, I will wear it again next year, but I also learnt not to be quite so rash again in future.

Rachel presenting the Fashion Communication Playbook for UNEP in a borrowed Sezanne suit

Lesson 7/ I rented

To end on a high, my seventh and final fashion experiment of the year comes from renting. Now, I've been doing this with different items of clothing for some time, so it wasn't new to me, but I stepped it up a gear in 2023 and went from just borrowing for weddings and special occasions, to choosing  pieces for other regular events and outings. Some of those were still pretty exceptional, like the palm print backless Rixo dress I wore for my black tie 40th dinner, but there was also a co-ord look I chose for a simple meal with industry friends, a La Double JJ wrap feather number for a supper club and a Ganni mini dress I took on holiday. I was also very fortunate to be loaned pieces from a few of my favourite brands - Stella McCartney, Mother of Pearl and Sezane as three examples for on stage occasions I had for my job this year. The best thing about doing this is you can wear pieces way more courageous than what you would choose were you deciding to own them. Would I imagine a bright pink tailored suit would be a regular look for me? No. Is it the thing I've had the most comments on all year? Yes, by far.

So there you have it - I learned a lot, I didn't get it all right, but I had a lot of fun in the process. And quite honestly, it's changed my attitude to fashion and to shopping forever. Roll on 2024, there's a Marfa Stance coat with my name on it I think.

Are you thinking of following Rule of Five this year? Stay tuned as we will have a wealth of resources, inspiration, ideas and cheerleaders to help you on your way. You will also find a transformational lens on fashion, style and shopping that will transform the way you feel about your clothes.