Hey everyone, meet Ella. Ella works as head of Sustainability at Selfridges department store which means she has to live surrounded by temptation. I know how this feels. When I was editor in chief at Harrods I had to walk through Shoe Heaven to get to the management offices about 10 times a day. I bought a lot of shoes. But with her sustainability remit, Ella knows all about the industry’s over production and consumption, (she moved to Selfridges from Amazon) and so decided to join the Rule of Five campaign this year. She has written us a little diary update celebrating her fashion wins and sharing her pain, and also all those wheedly ways we can try to cheat our way through… (does a suit count as one or two pieces? do gifts count? what if it’s your birthday? Oh Ella…)
PS Before you tuck in, here’s some inspiration on why we are all doing this. Last week was Copenhagan Fashion Week, where the sustainable fashion industry meet to discuss solutions. They did so this time in the wake of the latest news from the Apparel Impact Institute that industry emissions are set to rise 40% by 2030. They are meant to be shrinking! This is simply not good enough. The Copenhagan meet started 15 years ago, but as founder Eva Kruse remarked in desperation last week: “It wasn’t the idea that we would still be talking about the same things 15 years in. I’ll be brutally honest, I’m quite disappointed in all of us that we haven’t been able to push things forward.” Fashion companies are still measuring success by growth, spending only 1-2% of revenue on R&D, and the big behemoths of LVMH and Chanel are powering forward with unholy profits while small independent brands like Mara Hoffman, The Vampire’s Wife and Dion Lee are shuttering.
Buy less, but better. It’s what each of us can do.
Ella’s Rule of 5 – The Journey So Far
Items bought: 2 new, 2 preloved
Items walked away from that haunt my dreams: 1 (vintage grey check Saint Laurent blazer)
Items in my basket I keep going to: 3 (all Raey – RIP Matches)
People who’ve joined me on the challenge: 3
Debates I’ve had with myself/friends/colleagues about what ‘counts’: endless
I write this as the sun has come out properly for the first time, I am officially sick to death of all my winter clothes and four months into my Rule of 5 challenge. According to Tiffanie you are also allowed 4 pre-loved items, but I have chosen to make this 5 as I like the symmetry (not because it’s another thing, I promise).
What have I bought?
New
- A sensational bright red sculpted blazer from Stella McCartney. This was a sale BARGAIN (down to £150 from £2000) and it was fate. Hear me out! Minutes before I had been speaking to a colleague about wanting a statement piece for some upcoming speaking engagements, something that would make me feel confident, ‘like some fabulous tailoring, maybe in red’. Low and behold I walked out and the universe dangled this blazer in front of me. I’ve worn it four times, friends have claimed it for big meetings and I have rented it out on HURR. It’s brought me big joy and I’m sharing it widely.
- A beautiful dress from US label Doen. I’ve been looking for a ‘365 days of the year’ dress for over a year. One you can wear in summer or over tights in winter, with boots/sandals/trainers/heels … I had it in my Net a Porter basket for 6 weeks before taking the plunge.
My second hand finds:
- A buttery soft black leather blazer that I brought back to life the moment I got home. I found it on a vintage tour of Williamsburg and I’m amazed I only came away with one thing. It’s a piece I’ve had my eye on for a while and this one is giving me serious Khaite vibes. I have enjoyed pairing it with leather trousers for a full suited look much to the delight of my husband who tells me I need to get back to The Matrix.
- Striped cashmere cardigan: total impulse buy from my old fave, the preloved store Sign of the Times. I have a serious weakness for anything stripey which I inherited from my mother. The slightly cropped fit is perfect and it just looked so good with the jeans I was wearing at the time. In my defence I walked away at the time, couldn’t stop thinking about it and came back the next day praying nobody had snapped it up. I justified it by saying I would share it with my stripe obsessed mother (taking it down to only counting as 0.5 right?) but I have barely taken it off since. so not sure I can bear to be parted with it …
So what have I learnt?
Not being able to buy completely subverts the concept of retail therapy. Rather than dulling my feelings with fashion, I’ve had to sit with my thoughts and dissect why I’m feeling the way I do. I’ve realised I want to shop when I’m feeling stressed/insecure/down which is quite a lot recently. I’ve found myself resorting to other treats; my Waitrose bill is out of control, my kitchen table laden with flowers and my margaritas now contain Mezcal of ludicrous quality. I even sprung for the proper spicy salt on Amazon.
Outside of that, I’m really enjoying re-discovering items in my wardrobe and setting myself styling challenges based on items I haven’t worn in a while. I re-created a triple denim look from the most recent Chanel show. I’ve been renting. I’ve flipped all the hangers round in my wardrobe to help me visualise what I’m not wearing. Why didn’t I wear those things? Will I wear them again? I feel a big clear out coming…
What really counts anyway?
I recently shrank what I would call a wardrobe staple: a black cashmere jumper. If I replace this like for like (having donated the now child size item to a friend’s daughter) does that count? It’s now spring so I can park this dilemma for the autumn…
Does a suit count as one or two? Sometimes it’s sold as one and other times as separates, why should my total suffer from this inconsistency…
What about presents? If it’s a gift – does it count? My birthday is coming up and I have decided that it does not count. It would be most unfair to count something someone gives you that you didn’t ask for, so I’ve decided that birthday presents are freebies. [Erm, not strictly following the rules here Ella! - Ed]
Am I ‘over’ fashion?
At the beginning of the year I cleared my social media of fashion influencers/style bloggers/ OOTD accounts in a bid to reduce temptation. I no longer find myself mindlessly scrolling through fashion sites and have become much more discerning as to what I think is ‘worth it’. Something must be really special to catch my eye. I’ve become a bore to friends as I’m now more likely to respond with the dreaded ‘do you really need it’ rather than encouragement to something they have seen.
I’m looking forward to the warmer weather and re-discovering summer pieces stored away that I’m sure I’ve forgotten. I might wrap a few of them in tissue paper to give myself that true newness feeling!
Thank you so much Ella for sharing, and I love the tissue paper tip. And the hanger flipping too.
How are you all gettting on out there? Feeling the newness now we’ve switched seasons?
If my birthday was in January or February and I was given an item (or two, or three) that I didn’t ask for, then I would potentially be out of buying action for the rest of the year!
It would be different if I had specifically asked for a coat or maybe a new pair of jeans, but if the gift was out of the blue it seems a bit unfair.
Fortunately, my birthday is in September. But what if I have “spent” my five items and am given a new dress? My mum has bookmarked my favourite Wool&Co website so this is not impossible!
I think I agree with Ella.
If my birthday was in January or February and I was given an item (or two, or three) that I didn’t ask for, then I would potentially be out of buying action for the rest of the year!
It would be different if I had specifically asked for a coat or maybe a new pair of jeans, but if the gift was out of the blue it seems a bit unfair.
Fortunately, my birthday is in September. But what if I have “spent” my five items and am given a new dress? My mum has bookmarked my favourite Wool&Co website so this is not impossible!
Ella's story is an inspiration – as are the reminders about why I need to change my buying habits. Great post.