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I was super delighted to read this article in British Vogue recently: How Many Clothes Should We Own, Exactly?

It references a new report by researchers from Berlin’s Hot Or Cool Institute, which states that we should only be purchasing five new garments a year.

This is in order to stay in line with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming.

Some shoppers in the UK would need to reduce their consumption by up to 80%, while others could be even more!

I started this blog, Star Sign Style, not to encourage people to buy in excess but to streamline and pare down consumption.

I myself became frustrated buying into trends that didn’t suit me, and was determined to access the true me, an individual ‘key look’ (based on my astrological blue print).

It seemed obvious to me that every ‘trend’ is not for me, so why should I follow fashion cycles, rather than working to build a signature style?

The Recommendation: 74 Garments | 20 Outfits…

Researchers found a “sufficient” wardrobe consists of 74 garments, with 20 outfits in total.

As an example, they’ve suggested:

• six outfits for work,
• three outfits for homewear,
• three outfits for sports,
• two outfits for festive occasions,
• plus four outdoor jackets and
• trousers or skirts.

To put this in perspective, the article points out that the average French wardrobe during the 1960s consisted of around 40 pieces.

Sadly, it’s considered normal to consume fashion and beauty in a way that’s really excessive and unsustainable. Items are priced cheaply, with a much shorter usage time per item, and this is really hurting the climate and mother earth!

“Buy less and buy better” has become a common refrain in fashion’s sustainability movement, yet most of us aren’t really adhering to the minimalist approach.

Shoppers in richer countries are consuming more than their fair share of fashion.

Australia, Japan, the US and the UK have the highest carbon footprint per capita when it comes to fashion consumption, and we need to get the message out there!

Alongside reducing the amount of garments we’re purchasing, there are other behavioural changes we can make to reduce our fashion footprint.

How We Can Change For The Better!

Collective change as consumers can help. So what can reduce your carbon footprint?

• Buying second-hand clothing can help, but only if you’re purchasing that item instead of something new. “In most cases, second-hand is used to keep consuming excessively,” Coscieme says. “When you buy a second-hand garment you still have all of the impacts associated with consumption; it still counts as a garment that you have to wash and eventually dispose of.”
• Help influence the industry at large – encourage brands to take action! Consumer behaviour is only part of the problem – the majority of fashion’s carbon footprint comes from the production of clothes.
• Wash your clothes at 30ºC and skip one in every three washes,
• Wear your clothes for longer (extend the average life of a garment); choose wisely, and make do and mend!
• Borrow or rent occasion or one-off Items – opt to not buy anything new (borrow from a friend!)
• Properly dispose of clothes so they don’t end up in landfill (selling them on).

All these ideas can also help reduce carbon emissions.

Uranus In Taurus Fashion Sustainability!

The stars – of course – have a part to play.

Since 2018, Uranus has been in Taurus, a sign ruled by beauty planet Venus.

Therefore, a lot of the trends around sustainability and buying less are thanks to the innovative, disruptive qualities of this planet.

Uranus represents radical changes, and it looks like we’re all being forced to address the material world and our resources on earth.

I hope we can all reduce, buy used and draw on our creativity to look our best!

It’s not enough to ‘haul’ purchases into our homes, stating what not to buy, we must all pull together to minimise the appeal of mass-consumerism!