Buy Nothing New Month doesn’t exactly sound like fashion’s best friend, but the folk at Brotherhood of St Laurence want us to think before we buy, consider second-hand items instead of new purchases, and learn to exist with what we have rather than be tempted to spend.
During October, consumers are encouraged to recycle, rent or share items. The aim of the campaign is to control the urge to splurge.
Brotherhood of St Laurence stylist Ariella Mata Luque says Buy Nothing New Month is about embracing second-hand items to make a difference – from sharing household appliances to swapping fashion pieces with friends, shopping at vintage markets and carefully considering where you put your dollars.
“Buy Nothing New Month invites us to think about how we buy, what we buy, why we buy and to look at alternatives that can be better for us, our planet and our wallets,” Mata Luque says.
“My friends and I connect over fashion swaps. We meet, have a laugh and swap stuff so you get something new to use while giving old items new life.’’
October is easily the retail calendar’s second-biggest spending window after Christmas – thanks to consumers lashing out on racing wear including accessories and millinery. But the racing season can be approached another way, according to Mata Luque.
“Giving pre-loved clothing a new life is super-satisfying,” she says. “I love incorporating vintage pieces with modern creations.”
You can acquire a race-appropriate look by combining vintage threads with wardrobe staples you have tucked away, she says, and predicts that lace, peplum tunics and ’50s dresses – which can be found at second-hand shops if you have the patience to hunt for them – will feature prominently at the track this year.
“You can often get better-made, better-quality second-hand goods that are built to last rather than some of the cheaper throwaway fast fashion churn-and-burn pieces on the market,” Mata Luque says.
She says the best way to shop in a second-hand store is go for colours and silhouettes that suit you. Following fashion is not necessarily the key to success, but focusing on style and what works on your body shape will give you a glowing result.
She urges women and men to flick through European fashion magazines to learn about colour and trends – it will make finding what you’re looking for a whole lot easier.
You never know what you’ll find at a second-hand shop. Apparently a pair of Christian Louboutin black leather boots found their way into a charity bin at a Brotherhood city store recently – unworn and in the original dust bag, their original retail value was $1200.
“If that’s not enough to encourage you into the store, then I’m stumped,” she says.
THE LOOK
They call it up-cycling, recycling and vintage – whatever your take is on giving a pre-loved item a second chance, next month’s Buy Nothing New Month urges you to think before you buy, and to share what’s in your wardrobe with other fashion-lovers.
