Independent and sustainable creativity is thriving despite the pandemic

Hello! It's been a while since I graced the pages of the No Debutante blog, following a year that has seen everyone grow and adapt to this new world, where things have certainly changed in many ways.

As a journalist who had regularly supported and written about indie business and slow fashion, I found myself wanting to say so much that it became overwhelming. As more writers and (instagram pages!) stepped forward to share the indie biz love, unconsciously, my focus began to shift.

My side hustle turned small business Fruit Salad

My side hustle and fashion brand Fruit Salad had started to grow and take on its own identity, which was amazing (especially in a pandemic) and all my spare time....

- Not that there's much of it - imagine a fast, intense photo montage here, with a superfast techno soundtrack, I hate techno but it captures the mood/chaos perfectly, of me looking after a family and working a day job and all those other side hustles in fashion, bands and radio shows

....was taken up by just wanting to create and make! So, swamped in piles of pre-loved fabrics, I found myself asking... 'Am I not a writer anymore?' 

Seriously, with a lack of writing flow and consistency and mind-blowing covid confusion,  I had started to doubt my ability and (like in everything I ever do) imposter syndrome snuck in and made me think I was no longer a writer - maybe I never had been really...despite being a Fashion editor, copywriter and JOURNALIST! (my eyes are now rolling at my own stupidity).

Yep, It's been a mad ol' time for self-doubt but I've also learnt that if I enjoy a thing and I'm kinda good at it, I can drop in and out of it as and when I like. It doesn't have to be completed NOW, NOW, NOW! It can be considered, I can slow down and actually enjoy it, without adding unnecessary anxiety and stress.

My favourite writing space at the kitchen table!

The term 'writing a blog' has also changed, with many people now pretty much writing articles on a single social media post or creating regular video content and podcasts, blogs and the written word, as it currently exists, look to become redundant!

As a journalist and blogger,  I had felt a tug of resentment against this new style of journalism but only as much as the journalists who actually studied journalism feel about an untrained indie journalist like myself, who started off with a self promoting fashion blog and a random, yet regular, fashion spread in a weddings (yes weddings!) magazine, as I stumbled blindly into journalism. 

Y'know what? It's all good. We all have something to say and we can share it however and whenever we want to. It's so exciting that we now have so many platforms and formats that we can share our ideas, thoughts and stories. It really is a time to communicate, learn and collaborate! 

There has certainly been an explosion of support for both small business and slow fashion during 2020 and into 2021, as more and more writers, instagrammers, online markets and indie businesses themselves have come together, to share the love, (well, the government doesn't give a damn does it?) which is truly amazing! 

I have, of course, felt guilty about not promoting all the other amazing indie brands out there as much as I used to, but as a multi-passionate creative, who thrives on being busy,  I have learnt to slow down in life - as many of us have had to lately -  I have got over myself and realised I can't do everything at once and that's just fine. 

Honestly, if I read myself saying this a few years back, when I started the 'you only live once do everything now' quest (for no real reason), I'd think I'd been hit by a hippy stick (quite possible in Bristol tbh!). 

I still agree that you only live once and if you like a thing, you should do a thing but perhaps try everything in moderation and take a moment to smell the flowers! (Yep, definitely hit with the hippy stick). 

Hello Dodo from the Indies in lockdown series

Looking back at my writing during the pandemic I am really proud to have shared new indie makers and brands whilst spreading the word about slow and sustainable fashion. I really love my Indies in Lockdown series where I got to speak to so many indie businesses about their experiences and learnt so much.

If anything, supporting all these amazing small businesses and interviewing so many inspiring indie makers and creatives over the years has encouraged me to bring forward a passion that has been on the back burner for a long while, giving Fruit Salad the push it deserves!!!.....Of course, I feel like an imposter fashion designer now, despite previously working as a fashion designer in industry for years!

After I had readjusted my mindset,  I got my writing mojo back and popped myself back into the journalist room on a mission to share my knowledge on sustainable and slow fashion.

In lockdown two, I was super excited to be asked to contribute to the first ever edition of The Indie Guide, an independently published magazine created by a collective of indie bloggers, sustainable fashion designers and photographers. The aim of the magazine is to support sustainability, independent creatives and small business. 

Proudly holding my copy of The Indie Guide

My excitement to be writing again went into overdrive which meant I ended up contributing two articles (once I start I cant stop) including 'My Slow Fashion Journey' and 'How to become a slow fashion supporter'. 

These are sustainable subjects that I could continuously write about, probably forever, or until I've managed to convert the whole fashion industry and all its consumers (that's the whole population no biggy) to slow down and bring an end to fast fashion. 

It was so awesome to collaborate with The Indie Guide founders and so many other indie writers and independent makers and fashion businesses to showcase how great the indie fashion/creative industry really is. 

Despite a pandemic, independent creativity is totally thriving!  

Like myself, during lockdown many creatives were given the opportunity to spend more time on their hobbies and side hustles to grow and evolve them into functioning small businesses!

We really don't need the fast fashion corporate chains and trend obsessive fashion houses anymore! How empowering and inspiring is that?

All the prints with independent accessory designer I am R

Remember, we can all support indie businesses every single day, not just by buying from them and writing articles about them but by following, liking, commenting, sharing and getting to know a whole new community of makers (instagram's a good place to start). Do your research and find your new favourite brand/artist/maker! 

I shall sign off  'the first No Debutante blog post of the year' here, full of excitement of what's to come. In an ever-changing world anything can happen and why the hell can't it be positive eh? 

So start writing, start creating, try something new or just do your thing, take your time, there really is room for everyone to get involved, you are not an imposter, you are fabulous, you CAN do this! 

Spread the joy and Big love in 2021 x

Buy a printed copy of The Indie Guide 

Indies in Lockdown - Balulu

Everyone's lockdown experience has been different and in some cases creative flow has had to come to a complete standstill. 

Can keeping positive really help inspire something good out of a bad experience and how does an indie business relying on international suppliers and manufacturers continue to create and grow in lockdown? 

Super fun Balulu co-ords made from upcycled bedsheets

Balulu

Balulu is a colourful, slow fashion brand that creates fun streetwear pieces using upcycled bedsheets and vintage fabrics from India. 

As part of the No Debutante - Indies in lockdown series, super sweet Balulu designer Lulu Harrison shares how family and friends have inspired her to move forward during a tough time for her business, as she learnt to adapt and grow during lockdown. 

Colourful Balulu designer Lulu Harrison

How are you & what has your situation been during lockdown? 

I’m good! I have been staying with my parents during lockdown which has actually been great. 

It has been quite a special time as I wouldn’t usually get to spend this much time with them, so I feel blessed to have had that. 

We have been spending our time going on long walks, swimming in the river every day, doing quizzes, drinking wine and watching a lot of Netflix series! 

Reversible Mickey Mouse print Kimono by Balulu £65

How has lockdown affected your business and the way you work? 

It has been really tough on the business. 

We were meant to be trading at Glastonbury for the first time ever this summer and it would have been our second year at Shambala. 

Not only have we been affected by not having anywhere to trade, we haven’t been able to get any of our new stock as India went into an even stricter lockdown than here, particularly Varanasi which is where my clothes are made. 

I had one box of clothes come before the world went into lockdown and, to be fair, everything sold out pretty quickly which was amazing!

As we put way more effort into our online presence, we saw a lot more sales than we have previously. Online shopping became much more of a thing and whilst we had the stock our business really benefited from that. 

Mix and match repurposed fashion creations by Balulu

Has this time helped your productivity?

Sadly, without having the stock to be creative with, I can’t really say it has helped my productivity. 

I definitely started off trying to keep super motivated and coming up with new ideas, but as time has gone on the business has been hit harder, it’s been hard to stay positive about it. 

I think this whole pandemic has not only had a hit on businesses, but also on people’s mental health which I can say from first hand experience.

Unique Jungle Dungarees by Balulu £50

Have you become more or less inspired in this time?

It has been a mixture of feelings. 

With the help from my friend and marketing whizz Brodie Imogen, I have been inspired to enter a competition, update the website and make a promo video for Balulu. 

I think I needed that push from someone else to keep me motivated and generate fresh ideas. 

A selection of colourful garms by Balulu

What's next for your business? 

I have literally just got a new box of clothes which is really exciting! There are about 50 pairs of new dungarees I need to shoot and upload onto the website AND I have been updated by my tailors that more clothes will be coming soon. I’m super excited to get the new stock in! 

I have also just moved to London into a great flat/studio space so that is really exciting. 

I am also going to be studying a masters in Material Futures in October at Central Saint Martins so I can’t wait to see what will come of that and how I can incorporate Balulu into the course! 

Support Indie fashion designers and head over to the Balulu website where there is currently a flash sale happening until Wednesday (5 August) don't miss out! 

Visit the Balulu online shop 

#supportindependent

My Swap & Shop - How to create your own virtual & sustainable shop for free!

Put down your shopping bags and support slow fashion with an alternative to high street shopping, that you can get involved in using your own social media platforms.

My Swap & Shop is a lil' online shop idea I thought I would share with you, that you can simply recreate using your own Stories and Highlights on Instagram.

The concept behind My Swap & Shop is to create a free online shop where you can sell and swap your pre-loved garms with other fashion lovers, in support of sustainable and slow fashion.

There is already a big movement for clothes swapping parties like Becky Barnes Clothes Swap Til you drop events here in Bristol, who joins an army of pre-loved sellers and supporters on social media.

Since lockdown we have seen a massive change to the way we collaborate and shop through online events, makers markets and pre-loved seller group events like Bristol Markets and Bzzaar Jumble, both of which I have contributed to as a maker and a pre-loved jumbler during lockdown. 

These groups have selflessly arranged online events that are free to get involved with, supporting both independent makers and sustainable fashion.

Inspired by these concepts, The My Swap & Shop idea is a more permanent opportunity to create your own sustainable fashion online shop, that is simple to manage, creating a community of fashion lovers with the option to sell or swap your pre-loved clothes with others.

I am going to be sharing, swapping and buying pre-loved, upcycled, handmade and vintage gems and would love like minded sustainable fashionistas to get involved too. I will then share your shops on my platforms too!

All you need to do is tag @nodebutante & #myswap&shop in your stories & I will add you to my list of swap shoppers & promote you when I can, introducing you to our slow fashion, My Swap & Shop community! With an aim to create My Swap & Shop community events in the future! 

If we can get enough of us involved there could be new sustainable fashion drops happening every day, with the opportunity to update and refresh your wardrobe whilst supporting sustainable fashion.

Watching those videos of people queuing and cheering at the re-opening of Primark after lockdown honestly made me feel sick! Let's be the change! 

By changing our mindset and starting a fashion revolution, we can reduce the amount of new clothes being made by the fast fashion high street AND create a new circular economy using the millions of garments that are already in circulation.

What's not to like here?

Go set up your shop, take a look at my insta profile page for ideas and lets start swap shopping the sustainable way.

Happy Sustainable Swap Shopping!

How to support sustainable and slow fashion NOW - A new vlog for the Sustainable Fashion Chats series

Supporting slow & sustainable fashion is still just as important & relevant in a pandemic, find out why and how you can get involved with the new No Debutante Youtube & IGTV series - Sustainable Fashion Chats video below.

Featuring tips on reworking your wardrobe & slowing down your fashion consumption, alongside information about garment worker supporters Fashion Revolution and Labour Behind the Label

Follow No Debutante on IGTV and YouTube for more...

How to complete Labour Behind the Labels - Six items Challenge

As you are probably aware the Labour Behind the Label #sixitemschallenge is now over! I successfully completed it and I am really proud of myself! 

It is with mixed emotions that I write this blog post today. We are going to cover a fair few points from supporting slow fashion, fashion challenge tips, styling ideas, supporting garment workers and saving the planet, so strap in!  

Am I glad the Six Items Challenge is over? Well, kind of..

To my surprise I wasn't completely desperate to ditch my six chosen items that I'd been wearing for the past six weeks. They had become part of my routine, my style, I knew where I was with them, like old friends! I actually miss wearing them every day! 

Although, I had been looking forward to rediscovering my existing (and rather overflowing) wardrobe,  I suddenly became overwhelmed by the amount of choice. What the hell was I going to wear when the challenge ended? How can I possibly choose? Surely, it will have to be a showstopper outfit after all this time? Oooohhh, the pressure! 

When the time came, we were in lockdown and the weather was hot, so a simple shorts and t-shirt combo was chosen! Just wearing something other than the usual six items was kinda liberating and being able to show off some skin was a bonus; since all of my six items consisted of long sleeve tops and trousers and had been covering me up all warm and cosy for six weeks! 

The post challenge outfit a Fruit Salad t-shirt & denim shorts

Over the past few weeks I have started to appreciate what I already have, by taking time and really thinking about how I can update, re-discover and restyle my lovely clothes, and I'll be honest, there is a mountain to get through, it's a new fashion challenge in itself! As luck would have it (let's keep things positive here), I've gotta a little bit of extra time on my hands....

I am already a big supporter of slow and sustainable fashion but I have still learnt a few things since starting the challenge. Here are the most important things that I have discovered since taking part.

• A capsule wardrobe helps to minimises stress and time spent choosing what to wear each day
• Hang up and air your clothes to keep out creases and minimise washing
•  Re-discover, rethink & restyle your existing wardrobe
• Appreciate what you already have
• Try to make and mend where possible
• Consider who made your clothes and under what circumstances
• Dress for yourself, no-one else! 

The Six Items Challenge has taught me that you really can style up each and every garment you own in so many different ways. Have fun with it, try out different outfit combos and wear your clothes in new ways.

You don't have to be part of the challenge to get involved....

There are infinite layering combos to try,  a simple tuck in or roll up can update your look in seconds, minimal accessories to maximum decor always add a unique spin and why not try upcycling to recreate new looks using your existing wardrobe? Don't be scared to experiment! 

The last few days of the Six Items Challenge featuring all six garments
 inc long sleeve t-shirt, dungarees, hoodie, trousers, bomber jacket and jumpsuit. 

A challenge within a challenge

It has been a challenge in itself dealing with the life changing pandemic we are all dealing with right now, alongside carrying out the Six Items Challenge. 

It's certainly put things into perspective about what really matters. You may think that this fashion challenge itself is not so important but what it stands for is so important - to support garment workers whilst slowing down on your fashion consumption!

Even more so now that we hear news that fashion giants are still putting extra pressure on Asian garment factories. 

With most factories in lockdown there are reports of fashion corporates, from both the UK & US, cutting off their workforce (rather than offering a living wage to workers on lockdown from coronavirus), cancelling orders (including work already in progress) at the cost of the manufacturers and on top of this demanding discounts (on the already ridiculously low-paid industry) on deliveries and products! Read more in this article by the BBC

The Six Items Challenge isn't about turning your back on fashion, it aims to show us how we can cope with fewer items of clothing and make use of our existing wardrobes; whilst raising awareness and money for the workers that are suffering under awful conditions like these.

Fast fashion can only exist if the garment workers are paid a low wage. If the fast fashion giants reduced the amount of garments that they produced and raised the quality of their garments, they could charge a little more for their products and pay their garment workers fairly. 

Slowing production would also create less demand and pressure on the workers, the quality of the products would go up and garments would last longer. This would reduce the amount we need to consume, plus, you cant buy into something that doesn't exist - Goodbye daily fast fashion drops!

This would also put an end to the shocking amount of waste created from the ridiculous 'wear once' fast fashion situation we currently find ourselves in. We need to create a circular economy that benefits us all and we need to do it now! 

Step away from your shopping apps and slow down with your fashion consumption! 

I feel like a broken record on this one but ask yourself before you buy anything new - Do I need it? How many tops, jeans, pairs of shoes do I already own? Why am I buying it? Chances are you already got it right there in your wardrobe! Slowing down on your fashion consumption will also save you money, reduce fashion waste and save the planet! 

You should also consider who made each fashion item and why it is so cheap? You can bet if it is super cheap it didn't get where it is sustainably or ethically! 

Should you try out the six items challenge?

It's a big fat yes from me! 

Perhaps, it is only for the hardcore and dedicated to do the whole six weeks, it's certainly a shock to the system and this is coming from an already converted sustainable, slow fashion supporter.  Here are a few ways you can join in with the idea behind the challenge and how you can support it. 

• Select six items of clothing and see how many outfits you can create 
• Set yourself a challenge, how long can you last wearing just six items? A week, a month?
• Not that interested in fashion? Why not donate or share the love to raise awareness for Labour Behind the Label and slow fashion articles
• Hang up your clothes after each wear to reduce the amount that you wash them
• Learn to make and mend before you buy new

These are simple ways to start your slow fashion journey. Give them a go and please tag @nodebutante or get in touch if you do. I am always here to help advise you at every step! 

Here a few extra points that I always share, make them your fashion mantra! 

• Only buy new clothes when you need to
•  Consider pre-loved, vintage, upcycled, sustainably and independently made. 
• Stop buying into fast fashion 
• Stop following trends
• Love your clothes

Thanks to everyone for your support throughout the Six Items Challenge and thanks to Labour Behind the Label for opening my eyes a little further into supporting slow fashion. You can always learn and do more! 

Labour Behind the Labels - Six Items Challenge - Part 3

There are only a few more days left of the Labour Behind the Label - Six Items Challenge 2020! In today's post we will take a look at the different styling combos, that I have worn over the past five weeks, using just six items of clothing; with a few tips, challenges and interactions that I have come across along the way. 

I have certainly had ups and downs, from thriving to the challenge, to getting a bit bored of the same six items, to feeling amazing that I have managed to completely cut down on the amount of clothes I wear and need; to thinking 'what's the point?' as the Coronavirus lock-down kicked in. It's been an emotional roller-coaster for sure!

The jumpsuit....

I introduced my sixth item (a Lucy & Yak jumpsuit) to the challenge on Day 8. 
Tip 5 - A jumpsuit can be worn on its own, with a top under or over it or even with the sleeves tied round your waist. 

Dressing like a man...

A week into the challenge I realised, I'd started dressing like a man. I don’t mean my style, I mean the way I get dressed....

I started putting on my under garments and socks first before collecting my outfit together! I seriously couldn’t understand why men (ie my husband ) did this so fluidly, until now.

Since my wardrobe is limited to six items, I have less choice to get overwhelmed about. I tend to pre-plan each day to make my limited outfits more varied.

I already know what I am going to wear, rather than thinking “What top am I wearing? Which bra goes best under it? Do I need tights or socks? Which socks?...This looks awful…I have nothing to wear…..waaaa!!!”

I envied men for getting up in the morning and just getting dressed, and mostly still looking good, with no effort or stress! Now, I get it and it’s been quite liberating, to not give a shit!





The bomber jacket...

"Separates make things a little more limited, there are not as many options as with dungarees or dresses. 
I'm also really appreciating being able to wear different coats, this changes up your look, keeping things fresh!" Day 7 

Support....

Please support the Labour Behind the Label Trust to support garments workers around the world in the fight against fast fashion.

Donate to Labour Behind the Label






The dungarees....

Tip 6 - Dungarees can provide many combos - wear tops over the top or underneath or wear the dungaree bib
 (or a single strap) down to create different style options. 

Keep it clean...

Two weeks in I started to struggle to keep my clothes washed/ in circulation, with an aim to keep things fresh (in both senses of the word!).I overcame this by throwing on whatever was clean or available, whenever I needed to. Trying to keep as much pressure off myself as possible to make the challenge more bearable. 

I'd agree that having to wash things more often doesn't have the greatest impact on the planet but since I have certainly reduced the amount of items I have to wash, it balances out. 




The Trousers....

"The challenge has become a way of life for me now, I'm shocked to say I am not looking at the rest of my wardrobe dreaming about when I can wear the rest of my clothes.
 I'm over it"  Day 17.

The accessories......

Keeping things bright, fun and unique in Emotional Waterfall prints & accessories

Engagement....

I have had lots of amazing encouragement, often from strangers, throughout the challenge which has been heartfelt, alongside a handful of nonchalant comments from people not understanding the importance of the challenge or even why it is called a challenge... 

The one thing all of the latter had in common was that they were not interested in fashion, so I understood their doubt, fast fashion is simply not something that enters their world, which in one way, is a good thing; however these people are not the ones I am trying to engage with. 

I really DO follow fashion and I AM part of the problem and I want others who ARE interested in fashion to SLOW DOWN on their consumption and to look into their existing wardrobe – rather than buying yet another new top – to see what new fashion combos they can create, in a bid to help save the planet and support garment workers.

I am doing this challenge and supporting slow fashion to end the fast fashion mindset, not to end fashion, style or creativity. 

Spreading the love of slow fashion is a challenge in itself. It’s really hard to get people to listen and even if they are listening….is it really going in?

All I can do is keep at it….



Thank you so much for your support, it means a great deal! xx

Labour Behind the Labels - Six Items Challenge - Part 2

Things have changed so much since I started the Labour Behind the Label - Six Items challenge only four weeks ago. We are now living in a different world that is alien to us all.

It's hard to continue with daily life when so much has happened in such a small space of time, making other things you are doing seem so irrelevant!

Things that seemed like such a mammoth task a few weeks ago have really been put into perspective.

The six items challenge itself and what it stands for is still just as powerful and relevant as it was, and the importance of the message hasn't changed.

Covid-19 has made us all slow down whether we like it or not but the message to slow down on consumption hasn't been received. The panic buying and selfish hoarding of essential items has made this very clear. We have not learnt our lesson, we are not being kind to each other. Are you still consuming fashion the same way? Albeit, online...??

There is a plus side to all this...

Now that we (literally) have nowhere to go, we could all give the six items challenge a whirl...Find out how here...

I challenge you to get involved, share your six items and let us see how many outfits you can come up with! Let's do this together!

Find out the Top Six Items challenge Tips below...

No Debutante's Six items outfits

Soldiering on with the challenge, here's how I wore it and how I coped in the first week...

I started the challenge with my first items the (Lucy & Yak X Emotional Waterfall) dungarees -  I love these dungarees and everyone knows it - paired with the pink long sleeve top; a late comer to the six items party, replacing a t-shirt at the last minute when I realised I was gonna get cold and needed more warm layers. Outfit one complete!

Day two introduced the Kuccia bomber jacket, a stalwart in the No Debutante wardrobe, it was obviously in my six items, wore this sexy piece layered over the dungarees, long sleeve pink top worn underneath. One outfit three items...keep up!

Day three welcomed the cuddly pink hoodie and the polka-dot trousers to the game. Items four and five. I actually wore this outfit to the Greta Thunberg climate strike in Bristol. REPRESENT! The outfit was hidden away under waterproofs, so I wore the same outfit again the next day as nobody saw it! Boom!

.....Don't worry, I am not going to do a rundown of all the items every day like a charts countdown, from here on in there will be tips and new outfit combos only, plus we haven't even clapped eyes on Item Six yet....(unless you follow me on instagram that is!).




No Debutante's Six Items Tips

Tip 1  -  Get comfy and wear your PJ's in the evening, it gives your clothes a chance to air so you don't have to wash them so frequently.

Tip 2 - Hang your clothes up after wearing them for the same reasons as above and to keep the creases out of them.

Tip 3 - Accessories are your best friend during this challenge, they can continuously transform the same outfit! Get creative!

Tip 4 - Underwear as outerwear - only for the brave....I wore a sports bra top underneath my dungarees on a night out..Technically, it isn't cheating as underwear is not included as one of the six items! I was very pleased with myself and things seemed to be going well....until.....

Six Items Accident - Pink top one (right & centre) pink top two (right) 

The Six Items accident!

Just four days in and things start to go wrong...I seriously am one of the clumsiest people I know....Somehow I managed to get permanent marker splodged right in the middle of the pink top!? I have no idea how and when this happened! I tried to Vanish the stain away but that was an epic fail, just like my six items challenge was becoming...just four days in though???  Fuming!

I had worn the top for the rest of the day after getting the stain on it, thinking nobody would notice, but three people independently told me I had a stain on my top, that was the last straw!

I know I shouldn't care about such a small thing but I'm wearing just six items for six weeks (if I can manage not to ruin them all) for my sanity and my confidence I would rather not be wearing shabby, stained clothes for six weeks, so I 'fessed up and put the question out asking the insta community what I should do...

One suggestion was to applique something over the stain and another to dye the top, both good ideas but..I didn't want to ruin my top anymore with dodgy amendments  - which they would be - plus I will still wear this top, just not as a separate - so due to a lack of time and creativity at this point, and being so early on in the challenge, I decided to swap my pink top for another - very similar - pink top I found in my husbands wardrobe.

It looks pretty much identical (see photos above) just with slightly different print placements. This is not a new item and it will be the pink top that will be worn for the following six weeks of the challenge, I felt justified, I hadn't failed and, to be honest, I was over it pretty quickly....Item six to be revealed in the next post...



A little heartfelt request.....


Please, in these mad times, don't let boredom take hold of you and start carelessly buying fast fashion online to cheer yourself up, lets fight fast fashion (and coronavirus) together & get equal rights for those garment workers around the world too. Why not put your time to better use and try out the six items challenge??

Please support & get involved.

Donate to Labour Behind the Label

#sixitemschallenge

Taking on Labour Behind the Labels - Six Items Challenge

Seriously?? How long can this fashionista cope with only six items of clothing for six weeks?

Well, it turns out nearly three weeks and counting...I know, I'm as shocked as you are!




What is The Six Items Challenge? 

For those of you who haven't been following my story on Instagram and Facebook, here's the lowdown...

The Six Items Challenge was started by Labour Behind the Label a campaign organisation working to improve working conditions for garment workers around the globe.

The six items challenge asks you to pledge to wear just six items of clothing for six weeks. 

The six items includes tops, jumpers, dresses, skirts, trousers, jumpsuits - basically any item that constructs your main outfit. 

There is however, a little piece of happiness included in the challenge that makes it a bit more bearable for any fashion lover to achieve....the challenge doesn't include underwear (the most frequently asked question and rightly so) sleepwear, gym clothes, uniforms, coats, shoes or accessories - and lucky for me, I love accessories, so that's a plus point! 

Why take part in the Six Items Challenge? 

Apart from helping to raise awareness and money for garment workers, the challenge makes you stop and look at your own wardrobe and your consuming habits. 

It limits the amount of clothing you can wear down to a small capsule wardrobe to hopefully help you see that you don't need to buy new clothes all the time, and that you can create lots of new and fresh looks using items already in your wardrobe. It could save you some money too! 

This challenge is aimed at fast fashion consumers and fashion lovers, if you already have a basic capsule wardrobe, good for you, please try and encourage others to get involved in the challenge! 

How did I get involved? 

I have been promoting sustainable fashion for a few years and in the past year I have slowed right down with my own shopping habits and tried to live more sustainably. 

However, I have so many clothes to choose from (I am also a hoarder) that this really is a big challenge for me personally, to limit my wardrobe down to just six items for six whole weeks seems completely impossible!!

Labour Behind the Label's director of fundraising Caroline Lewis suggested I give the challenge a go....

I pondered over it for a couple of weeks and came to the decision that I could, at least, try. 

What did I have to lose?  At the very least I could raise awareness for Labour Behind the Label and the work that they do and challenge myself to see how long I could last. I'll be honest, my hopes weren't high....

On the positive side, I am hoping to share styling tips, problems that I have overcome and info on how to cope with a capsule wardrobe for six weeks; to encourage others to slow down on their mass consuming and look at their existing wardrobe in a new way.

All photos are little snippets of the six items challenge garms & outfits I have worn. Find out more in the next blog post!  

The Challenge...

On the eve of the challenge, which started on Wednesday, February 26, I still had no idea what my six items would be (this isn't going too well so far, is it?) but last minute, I had the brainwave to look at my Instagram photo wall for inspirational purposes and see which items I wore the most....

I had also been given a few of pieces of advice from others who had tried (and some failed - which filled me with terror) to take part in the challenge....

Tip 1 - It's still the winter, you need warm clothes - check!
Tip 2 - Do not choose just separates (tops and bottoms) you will get bored very quickly - check!
Tip 3 - Choose items you can layer up in different combos - check!
Tip 4 - Dresses and jumpsuits are a single outfit in one - check!

Taking all this into consideration, and the fact that I was desperately running out of time, I choose my six items...all smothered in prints and fun colours, of course! 

My Six Items 

1. Bomber jacket 
2. Long sleeve t-shirt
3. Jumpsuit 
4. Dungarees
5. Oversized hoodie
6. Trousers 

Take a good look at these clothes...you're going to be seeing a lot of them....

And...I'm locked in to the challenge.....

Follow my daily updates on how to style up your six items with tips and problems I come across on Instagram, Facebook and here on the blog. 

Oh, one more thing....

Donate

It's not just a challenge for me, you can help too!

When I started the challenge I donated some money to the Labour Behind the Label Trust to help garment workers and have been asking others to donate too.

Here's that link again in case you missed it Donate to Labour Behind the Labour Trust

You can donate as little as a £1 or whatever you can afford, a one off payment! There's no sign up, you just pay and go! Instead of buying that new top why not donate? 

Just bought something new? If you donate some money to Labour Behind the Label too perhaps that money will go to help the right people that made the item in the first place rather than the fashion corporate's pockets.....It's something to think about.....


#sixitemschallenge