Reasons to Buy Luxe vs Fast-fashion
To be honest my reasoning is coming firstly from my own lifestyle, convenience and well being and only after due to environmental problems. I’m a little bit pessimistic about how realistic it is to make a change on a global scale, but I still hope if slowly all of us change at least a little bit it can help.
1.Quality vs Quantity
My first reason is that I’ve noticed that I have a tendency to use only my favourite items of the wardrobe all over again and again. So what’s the point of buying 5 similar pieces of shoes at a lower price if I wear 1-2 on an everyday basis and the rest is waiting in the closet. It is better to buy 1-2 high-quality items then. Can you imagine how much money we are wasting on buying items we don’t really need? I also care more about what I wear every day rather than for a special occasion. And I want to look great and enjoy my items every day, not for special occasions. Maybe people from post-soviet countries can relate to this, I still remember my grandmother keeping all the best stuff for a special occasion :) I am really against this concept, we should enjoy it every day.
2. Saving time on cleaning
Secondly, I’m tired of sorting out, washing and caring for my wardrobe. It takes so much space in my apartment that soon there will be no space for us. Joking, but still did you pay attention to how many things we have in our houses? The funny thing is we don’t even use most of it, it is like a warehouse. I really want to make our flat clean (in terms of design), spacious and light. I want to enjoy every single day inside my apartment, not only when it’s clean and tidy. So, fewer clothes and items, less mess and stress, more time for enjoyable activities.
3. Value for money
I’ve found myself thinking that for a long time I wanted to buy a particular branded bag or piece of jewellery, but it was too expensive, but I’ve realised that in reality by shopping in Zara for 3-4 times let’s say $200-400 each or 1-2 shoppings in the medium priced brand is equal to my dream designer item. The high quality piece will serve you much longer that any item from fast fashion. Moreover, if you really need or get bored of the item it’s much easier to sell a designer piece at a good value, while most fast fashion end up in a rubbish bin or being donated to charity. And for charity I prefer to donate my money, not clothes, as 60% will also end up in rubbish and will harm our environment.
4. Investment
It is not a secret that some pieces can be a good investment. By buying a Cartier or Hermes bag you can be sure that later on, it will not only hold its value, but also most likely will grow in value. Of course, here I mean that as any investment you should consider keeping it for a long time. This is not the main reasoning for me to buy luxury items, but a nice addition to my decision making, when deciding what to buy.
5. Satisfaction
Yes, I love to wear designer items. It gives me satisfaction and is a nice reward for all my achievements. And of course, it also gives some sort of self-confidence. By the end of the day, the first impression is made by the way we look and in some situations, for my work I need to fit in, which is normal. But don’t get me wrong, we should be confident also without any materialistic attributes.
6. Care for environment & working conditions
And lastly, environment. We all buy too much, it’s a fact. And the crazy thing is that we don’t need so much, that’s social media and marketing that makes us buy more and more. The fast fashion industry creates huge waste and people, who make our garments work under awful conditions, earning miserable salaries. Just google Fast Fashion facts or check some Youtube documentaries on this topic.
To summarise, my philosophy is simple. By buying more expensive items, we are forced to make more consumer conscious decisions about our shopping list and we will have less money in our pocket to waste on rubbish items.
The goal is to buy only what we really need. By buying fewer items, we will have less mess in our closets and apartments, as well as we will wear high-quality items every day instead of special occasions. As a result, we’ll save time and money, be less stressed and more satisfied.
And finally, I’ve reached the point when I prefer to spend my money on memories and experiences rather than clothes, that will hang without use in my wardrobe or will be out fashioned next season. I better spend my money on myself, rather than making fast-fashion corporations richer and harm our planet. And what about you?
I’ll give you my tips on how to build a minimalistic luxury wardrobe in my next post, stay tuned!
