- We spend £38 million a year on clothes
- The amount of clothing taken to landfill has risen by 30%
- Only 16% of our unwanted clothing gets recycled
- 1.72 million tonnes of fashion is consumed in the UK each year
- 1.5 million tonnes is thrown away
- Which means we are only keeping 220,000 tonnes of what we buy
Please tell me I am not the only person that thinks this is ludicrous! Why are we buying so much if we are just going to throw it away? I refuse to throw something away if there is nothing structurally wrong with it, I have had a pair of jeans for nearly 7 years now they may be 'out of fashion' but they fit, why would I throw them away just because coloured jeans are in this season?
As mad as it may sound I genuinely think that as a nation we need to be less fashionable. If it weren't for the demand for the latest trends and the pressure to wear the right colours or the correct fit of trousers we wouldn't be discarding perfectly wearable clothing for brand new (usually over-priced) ones.
I am not afraid to admit that on occassions I am a lot like my mother, I wear clothes for function rather than fashion. Yes, I do buy into some of the latest trends and treat myself to the latest chiffon shirt but they are usually the items that stay hidden in my wardrobe whilst I revert back to the ever so reliable (not to mention hard-wearing and comfortable) jeans and jumper combo.
Ironically I sometimes think that by being unfashionable I actually stand out as being more unique than the girls that follow all the trends because I am not just another walking Topshop or Miss Selfridge mannequin. By buying the latest fashions they end up looking just like everyone else.
