Why our fashion editor buys almost nothing new

This is an audio transcript of the Life and Art from FT Weekend podcast episode: Why our fashion editor buys almost nothing new

Lilah Raptopoulos
This is Life and Art from FT Weekend. I’m Lilah Raptopoulos. For the past year or so, our fashion editor, Lauren Indvik has been committed to buying less stuff, like very committed to it. At the start of 2023, she pledged to buy just five new items of apparel a year. We’re talking five new things across clothing, shoes, accessories, all of it. She was allowed to buy as much second hand clothing as she wanted, but we all know how hard buying secondhand clothing can be. And Lauren did all of this because she’s trying to live sustainably, and this idea of five new fashion items a year comes from a think-tank that’s crunched the numbers on the environmental and economic impact of clothing and shoes. And they’ve concluded that for people living in the world’s wealthiest nations, that number should be five. Today, Lauren is here to talk about the benefits and difficulties of buying less over the past year. Lauren, hi, welcome to the show.

Lauren Indvik
That was a great summary.

Lilah Raptopoulos
Thank you. To start, can you tell me how this all came about? Like, when did you come across this pledge and what made you decide to commit to it?

Lauren Indvik
Oh, I can’t remember if the one of the study’s authors emailed me directly, or I might have read about it in one of the trade publications like Women’s Wear Daily or Biz of Fashion, but for me, it was so interesting because we so rarely see numbers around like, what should we actually be buying or not buying. You know, I feel like the way that people kind of cut back and try to live more sustainably is like they don’t drink almond milk because they heard almond trees use a lot of water. Or like they’ve heard that like wool is sustainable. So they’ll buy sweaters, but they’re not buying leather. And a lot of times that is not really very well backed up by data. So for me to find a study that was like, okay, actually, yeah, if you’re living in this country and actually in the UK, we have a little bit of a lower fashion footprint so we can consume nine things a year and not be over consuming. The idea is that you, this is how much you should be consuming that would enable the world to reach the 1.5 degree threshold set by the the Paris climate accord, right?

Lilah Raptopoulos
Yeah, but, Lauren, you know, I’ve been thinking about this. Five items. Like I looked up how many items we actually buy on average. And the average person in the US buys something like 64 new items of clothing and seven or eight pairs of shoes a year, like five is really not, it’s a lot less than we’re used to.

Lauren Indvik
Oh, yes. And I mean, but you know, Ellen MacArthur Foundation said, you know, between 2000 and 2015, the amount of clothing we’ve consumed has doubled. Meanwhile, the amount of times that we actually wear that clothing has decreased. And we’re talking about people wearing a garment two or three times, or maybe never even taking the tags off, because maybe you’re paying a pound for it. And that is actually possible. And it falls apart anyways. So it’s just clothing is just become so disposable basically.

Lilah Raptopoulos
Right. Anyway, how much had you been thinking about fashion and sustainability before you came across this?

Lauren Indvik
A lot. I mean, I think and for me, it’s been this evolution of, you know, fashion is something I’ve loved since I was an early teenager. And the more that I’ve learned about the environmental impact of fashion, the more that I have fallen out of love with it. And now some of it for me, that was like was very fun, has become a massive source of guilt. So again, I maybe this framework is interesting too, because it’s like, how do you still enjoy fashion without over consuming?

Lilah Raptopoulos
Yeah. Okay. So you’re like, you’re a committed person, which I admire. And I’m wondering about sort of, so you hit 2023 and you decide to do this pledge, which is five pieces of new clothing or apparel. Was it like, what were your buying habits before that? Was it going to be a big stretch for you?

Lauren Indvik
So like naively, I thought, this is going to be really interesting or like really easy because I had already cut back, like so much from what I was consuming 10 years ago. And I was like, I kind of, you know, at my peak in 2013, it had been something like, I think 83 things was my worst year. And I’ve gone down to 20. So I was like, five should be fine because also we’re hybrid working. We’re not in the office like I’m not traveling or, you know, going out as much. And I was like, that’s going to be fine. It’s actually really hard because just five things doesn’t go that far.

Lilah Raptopoulos
So as we go into what was hard and what was easy, the rules were what, it was no new stuff?

Lauren Indvik
Yeah, it was just five new things and it was only apparels. I didn’t count things like underwear and socks, which I did buy a lot of socks. I decided that like for me it was going to include, like, shoes, jewelry, scarves, like all that stuff.

Lilah Raptopoulos
Okay. And unlimited second hand?

Lauren Indvik
Yes.

Lilah Raptopoulos
Okay, and you say that you have all this data from all these years, so when you started the year, like, how did you plan it?

Lauren Indvik
Yeah I didn’t. I was, I knew from like having tried actively to reduce before that the best thing you can do is hold out as long as possible. And I knew from that data when my sort of shopping spikes were. And they are in May and they are in October is when the weather changes. So I knew those were triggers. What I didn’t realise and I think one of my big learnings this year was how much work travel is actually a trigger for me, because it was less about seasons this time than it was about like a work trip I had to India. And then like another one where I was, I was hosting our Business of of Luxury Summit in Monaco. I found out I was pregnant. I couldn’t, at the time, I just thought I was getting really fat.

Lilah Raptopoulos
You found out you were pregnant?

Lauren Indvik
Yeah, I found out I was pregnant when I was there. Anyways, the point being, like, what for me was kind of a spur in terms of buying things was actually like this panic that I was going to be in a hotel somewhere with a carry on suitcase and like, nothing to wear.

Lilah Raptopoulos
Okay, so like how if when you look back on it now, how did it go on five things.

Lauren Indvik
Well I failed.

Lilah Raptopoulos
But failure, it couldn’t be true failure. I mean, I’m sure you still didn’t buy 83.

Lauren Indvik
I mean. Yeah, I bought less than last year, I can’t remember. I bought I think, I bought 11 or 12 things, but, no, the goal was five, and I miserably failed because I got to like halfway in the year and I had already like hit five things. And that was when I found out I was pregnant. And at that point, I was so committed to sticking to five things while still being pregnant. My solution was just to, like, not buy anything. And then I made it to like the end of September. And I was in Milan and I had been on the road for fashion week for weeks, and I had not single pair of trousers that I could button and I broke down and I bought a stretchy knitted skirt and that was, that was the breaking point.

Lilah Raptopoulos
Do you think you would have been able to stick to five if you hadn’t found out you were pregnant?

Lauren Indvik
Yeah. Because my pledge was so public and it was, it’s like so embarrassing. Like, I really didn’t enjoy having to admit publicly that I, that I failed.

Lilah Raptopoulos
I yeah, well, we can blame, the the miracle of life. We don’t have to blame you. Lauren if it hadn’t been so public and the FT readership wasn’t watching, what would have been hardest for you over the course of a year?If anybody else wants to try this, what does make five things sort of the hardest? Like what might they come across as a challenge?

Lauren Indvik
That’s a really good question. I think like, again, if you lose things like, that’s really unexpected. If you’ve got a trip, like, it is so nice to like, have something new to wear. Like you might, you know, I think when I took my swimsuit out, I found that like the sort of metal bits had, like rusted off the straps, like, that’s how old my swimsuits were, and they were like, a little transparent. I was like, I really do need to replace my swimsuit. You know, there’s part of your wardrobe that you do need to replenish because it breaks down. Or maybe your white t-shirt and it gets yellow. So there’s a replenishment part of your wardrobe. And then there’s the things that you that are your gaps. You know, I go to work dinners all the time. I dress, I wear over and over and over again. And it’s like getting ratty, like, I’d love to get another dress for those occasions. That’s what I would put in the category of like a strategic vibe. I think it’s about balancing those things. And then again, sort of what are your weak points like when are you going to impulse shop? And again, for me, work trips was my trigger.

Lilah Raptopoulos
Yeah. I’m going to ask you, for like a speed round of tips at the end of this. But before I do, I want to ask you, I guess, about the big picture. Like, why are we doing this? Why is this necessary?

Lauren Indvik
Yeah, I think, I mean, I don’t think that individuals are going to be able to, like, shop or not shop their way out of the climate crisis. Like, that’s a way of passing responsibility from big corporations that are responsible for massive amounts of for emitting carbon in the air. Putting that onto individuals. It’s not like me buying five days a year is going to make any measurable difference. That said, it seems like hypocritical to me to sit here and say, I’m so upset about the climate crisis and then do nothing personal in my life to do it. Do I think it’s the most impactful thing I can do? Like, no. There are other things like. You know, petitioning politicians, going to protest, like all those things are really important. But I do believe, like doing something is better than doing nothing. I do feel like a personal responsibility not to consume more than my fair share, which is why something like a five things guideline really appealed to me.

Lilah Raptopoulos
Yeah, and it becomes a model, for other people. Since I’ve known that you’ve been doing this, every time I buy something new, I’m like, I see, I hear you in my head, which I know I find very helpful. No, I know, like, do you need it or, like, can you buy it used? And it’s a good question.

Lauren Indvik
It is. And it’s crazy that, like, my default was always buying something new. And I remember having this conversation with a marketing director at Patagonia years ago, and he was like, we’re just so trained as consumers to just if we need something, we just go online or we go to a store and buy it. You know, thinking has just been taken out of the process. He’s like, what happened to, like, asking your neighbors? You know, when I like, got pregnant, I felt very shy about reaching out to friends of mine, being like, do you have maternity clothes I could wear? Like those were options available to me, but, like, literally not even on my radar, because buying things new is just the default, and it’s so easy.

Lilah Raptopoulos
Yeah, for sure. And then when you’re buying new, like, I think, one thing I’ve been learning from your reporting is that, like, brands say that things are changing and if you, you can buy new in a sustainable way or, you know, something made from recyclable materials, but is that good? Like the sense I get is that actually, like, it’s really not that much better.

Lauren Indvik
Yeah. I mean, the biggest impact you can have is the best thing you can do is buy as few things as possible and wear them as long as possible. And buying it, you know, you’re talking about like fractions of percent when you’re buying a so-called sustainable garment which may or may not be sustainable versus, and, you know, it’s sort of regular polyester garment. And what I would say about the fashion industry is there are a lot of pledges that have been made, about reducing emissions intensity. You know, if they’re making a boot that tends to be more carbon efficient than a boot, maybe they made five years ago, but very few companies. And there’s only the big ones. There’s only two that have made this pledge, which is Kering, which owns Gucci, and there’s Burberry. They’re the only companies that have actually committed to reducing absolute emissions. So while there are a lot of companies saying, oh, we reduced our emissions by 16 per cent this year, they’re actually talking about emissions intensity, but their overall absolute emissions are still increasing which I actually I didn’t know about until one or two years ago because it’s perfectly acceptable to set these science-based targets without actually agreeing to reduce your overall emissions.

Lilah Raptopoulos
Yeah, that’s very useful. Okay I have a million questions for you, but you are about to have a baby and going maternity leave, and I would love to sort of pull some advice, for listeners in the next couple of minutes just to get a sense of, like, if listeners are inspired by this, like what we can do. I mean, the fact that buying secondhand is, is maybe the best thing for the environment is useful. Like what is the best way to find good secondhand clothing?

Lauren Indvik
It depends where you live. I mean, in London there are so many good vintage shops and fairs and I spend so much time buying antique furniture and going to antique fairs. And actually this year I started with just really looking at like what people are wearing in these fairs. And I was like, why don’t I do this for fashion? Those are really good options. If you are willing to put in the time and the legwork to go through five million racks of clothes and can kind of like spot what’s going to fit you.

Lilah Raptopoulos
So second hand or vintage clothing fairs.

Lauren Indvik
But I would say online has gotten so much better and it’s so much easier. And like it actually doesn’t take that much more time than, you know, going on Net-A-Porter or Matches Fashion or whatever your vice is, and buying clothes. In the US you have The RealReal, which I think is the absolute best second hand website and very, very sad they don’t exist in the UK because they actually do returns and the selection so good, the pricing is so good. Here the big one is Vestiaire Collective if you’re trying to buy luxury, but there’s so many different platforms actually and like for baby clothes, I’ve been using Vintage, which is kind of like Depop, but that’s like also another good one for sort of more mid-market or mass labels.

Lilah Raptopoulos
Okay. We’ll put some of your recommendations in the show notes. What about if you want to prioritise the five or six or 10 things worth buying over the course of a year? How would you recommend people think about it?

Lauren Indvik
I guess, like, again, having knowing what you are already buying is probably the place to start. I would also say if you are old me and you buy many things a year, five things is not the place for you to start because that’s like, that’s like extreme dieting and those never work. If you bought 20 things last year, 10 is like really good progress. That’s half. So like yeah that is a goal. And then I think also just keeping you know on my phone, I always keep a list of things like I actually need or that I think are holes in my wardrobe, which you know, then that can be quite a helpful guideline when you’re like, oh, I’ve just seen this thing that I am obsessed with and I love and I need it right now, but you’re like, but I already have five pairs of ankle boots.

Lilah Raptopoulos
But I have 14 skirts right there. So I guess my last question, Lauren, and thank you so much is just like, where does this leave you? Is there one more thing that you kind of, like, want us to take in our heads as we go off and think about how we dress?

Lauren Indvik
I think as consumers, we really do need to go through a reprograming. Like my journey for buying clothes used to always be like opening an app on my phone. And the default was buying new. So, like, how do you reprogram it so that the default point is actually, alright, I need this thing and starting that journey with second hand, and then only buying something new when you’ve exhausted all other options. So like, do you have friends who like, maybe have a few pairs of sunglasses they’re not wearing? Do they want to do a swap, like. You know, rental is another really good option. And then just making sure like I’ve gone through eBay and Vestiaire Collective and The RealReal and I’ve gone to, you know, there’s great vintage stores have been hybrid that do sunglasses like just starting there and like that’s the reprograming that needs to happen, not just immediately logging in online, getting something delivered the next day because that’s just not sustainable.

Lilah Raptopoulos
Lauren, thank you so much. Is five your goal for next year?

Lauren Indvik
Five things is my goal for next year to make up. I think long term. I know realistically nine is probably going to be something I could commit to without cheating. And I know that’s that still sits within, you know what’s fair to consume in the UK. So I think long term nine will be my number.

Lilah Raptopoulos
Yeah. Amazing. Well good luck and congratulations on your baby. And please come back again soon.

Lauren Indvik
Thanks.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Lilah Raptopoulos
That’s the show. Thank you for listening to Life and Art from FT Weekend. Take a read through the show notes. I have linked to the study that inspired Lauren to take on the five things challenge. She also mentioned the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which is a major think-tank for sustainability. Also in the show notes, we have links to reporting that Lauren has done on this and discounts for a subscription to the Financial Times. We also have ways to stay in touch with me and with the show, whether that be by email, on X or on Instagram. I’m Lilah Raptopoulos and here’s my talented team. Katya Kumkova is our senior producer. Lulu Smyth is our producer. Our sound engineers are Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco with original music by Metaphor Music. Topher Forhecz is our executive producer and our global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Have the best week and we’ll find each other again on Friday.