Rule of 5: How It Works - by Tiffanie Darke
Imagine if someone told you you could only buy 5 things for your wardrobe each year. Only 5 things. Sit with that for a second. How many have you bought already this year - can you even remember them all? Were they worth it? How many times have you worn each since?
Because it turns out, 5 things is all we can afford. A 2022 report from the Hot or Cool Institute crunched the numbers and worked out that if fashion wanted to stay below the 1.5C target everybody keeps telling us is the CEILING of what we can afford, and which every fashion house is telling you it's doing because it's immoral to admit otherwise, then the top 16 countries in the G20 need to just - stop consuming. All the biomaterials, rental, resale, charity shopping, regenerative agriculture in the world is not going to get us there, they say - slowing down our buying habits will.
Over the past year, a number of us have embarked on the challenge. From fashion editors (Vogue’s Emily Chan, the Financial Times’s Lauren Indvik) to thousands of folk all over the world who either care about the planet - or are just sick of buying quite so much. Do you fancy giving it a go in 2024? Then let us help you try!
After you’ve got over the initial shock, it’s actually quite a nice thought. If you’ve really only got 5 purchases for the year - what would you buy? If it's only going to be five, I'm going to make them count. They will be good quality, long lasting, they will work hard in my wardrobe. They will be mendable, resilient, they will be beautiful. I will cherish them, care for them, love them. Suddenly they become rather valuable.
Rule of Five is for anyone who wants to cut their shopping habits. If you know someone who would benefit, or would like to nominate someone to join, please feel free to share.
So, how does it work? Here are the guidelines:
Lingerie (but don’t go mad)
Tights and socks (but don’t go mad)
Renting
Mending and altering
Swapping
Borrowing
Dressmaking (extra points if you upcycle your own or deadstock material)
A small amount of second hand (but don’t go mad. I allow myself 4 items)
Buying more than 5 new things
Gifts (they count I’m afraid)
Shoes and accessories (they are part of your ‘five’)
It can be helpful to break the year into five seasons, allowing yourself one purchase per season. Try these:
Winter: Jan 1st to March 7th
Spring: March 8th to May 25th
Summer: May 26th to August 16th
Autumn: August 17th to October 31st
Christmas: November 1st to December 31st
This is not the end of fashion - far from it. In fact this community are here to prove that mending, alternations, swapping, rental, dressmaking and so much more (Dior avatar, anyone?) are the future for a new fashion business model.
Subscribe to this newsletter and we will show you how.
ncG1vNJzZmiqpaGysLLFoq2eZqOqr7TAwJyiZ5ufonyxe8KopKKml2LAsLvN