I believe in the idea we shouldn't encourage material values as happiness. To start that, I envision a world where we should support thrifting and making our clothes last longer. Even when we donate our old clothes most of them still go to waste. One way we could do this is have clothing swaps and have people in neighborhoods bring there old clothes and trade them with others for clothes they like. I remember when I outgrew my baby clothes, they were given to my younger sibling or even to neighbors who had younger kids who needed them. This could also better build community relationships with others. The research shows that your happiness isn't impacted by material possessions but our relationships with other people. The happiness you may feel when buying new items like clothing is ultimately short-term and because of that people will feel that they need to buy more to get that happiness again and it becomes this cycle of buying things again and again multiple times.
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Love these ideas! My mom and two sisters and I all share our clothes, and it means we can buy much less but have a lot more options! Clothing swaps are so great too, and something I've started doing more of since moving out. It's funny how being environmentally-friendly can often save us money and yet we still resist doing it.
This would be an excellent solution to the fast fashion craze. Swapping clothing with others will help build community and it can allow people to express themselves through what they wear without having to support fast fashion corporations who are exploiting the planet. I'm happy that UBC has a "free store" and a thrift store where students can get second-hand items!
Hi Hooria, I absolutely loved that you hinted at the notion that money does not equal happiness. I believe beyond a certain monetary threshold, happiness or satisfaction has nothing to do with material goods but more to do with fulfilment in relationships. The fleeting instant gratification we gain from luxury goods is a never ending cycle that needs to be broken. Your idea of enriching community relations to increase sustainability is a wonderful vision for the future.
This idea is so novel. I have an older brother, and when I was little, I used to wear clothes my older brother could no longer wear. To this day, my mother sometimes wears my clothes. I think it's an excellent cycle to reduce excessive waste. Disposal of these garments can cause a lot of pollution and cost and have a more severe impact on the environment.
My family and I always do this to our neighbors. I really love this. For me, my aunt would often give me clothes that she didn't wear, but they all looked great. In China, a lot of families will do this.
Also love the clothing swap idea! Swapping out "Fast Fashion" for "Frugal Fashion". This way, we can still experience the joy of updating our closets, while avoiding the added environmental costs.
Looks like there are already apps and services that take this beyond just a neighbourhood!
https://www.trademade-app.com/3-best-clothing-swap-apps-2020-swap-meet-ups-exchanges/
This is a cute idea! I always love seeing other people's styles when I'm out so this would be a fun and environmentally-friendly way to try out new styles (and as you said build better community) :)
Ohh that's an interesting idea, the clothing swaps and trading!