My 2019 Six Items Challenge

Hello again!

Take It Up Wear It Out has been on hiatus for a few months because I’ve been moving house. I found my dream eco-home last summer, and finally after some drama and many anxious moments, I moved in at the end of last year (best birthday/Christmas present ever!). I’ve been working on making it my own, slowly but surely, and set myself the challenge of not buying anything new (except where absolutely necessary). I’m going to be blogging fortnightly from now on, and I’m planning to post about my flat as well as about my clothes; every sustainable lifestyle blogger succumbs to mission-creep sooner or later, because it really does become a lifestyle, and one that informs all of your purchasing decisions. 

But right now I want to talk to you about garment workers rights and questionable clothing choices: I’m taking part in Labour Behind the Label's Six Items Challenge!

Labour Behind the Label is a charity which supports the rights of garment workers around the world. Working with local and international organisations, they support workers in their often dangerous struggle to attain things we would consider basic human rights, like a living wage and a safe workplace. Workers are routinely fired, intimidated and blacklisted for standing up for their rights, and some have even been killed in their attempts to unionise and advocate for better pay and working conditions.  At a time where wage inequality is on the rise, it benefits all of us to stand with our fellow workers rather than turning a blind eye to their struggles when times are hard for us. 

The idea behind the Six Items “fashion fast” is to appreciate the clothes we often take for granted (and the people who make them). When we have access to unlimited cheap clothing, we don’t stop to think about the possibilities our clothes hold. How versatile are they? Where could I wear them, and how could I accessorise them to truly make them work for every occasion?

When selecting the Six Items I’ll be wearing for the next six weeks (don’t panic, I can still change my pants and socks), I started thinking about the way we buy clothes. Some people are probably well set up for a similar challenge, sensibly buying co-ordinating clothes to form a capsule wardrobe. But most of us buy clothes without much planning, and I’ll admit that when I’m scouring the rails of a vintage shop I’m not exactly thinking about whether my new finds will blend in effortlessly with my existing clothes. 

So for the next six weeks, I’ll only be wearing six items of clothing, all of which I bought on a whim, because I thought they looked fun. Three dresses, two jumpsuits, and a light jacket that I copied from a Topshop shrug I found in a clothes swap, and made on a whim because I wanted a winter version. A large part of my sustainable lifestyle is discovering imaginative solutions to problems, so I should (hopefully) be able to apply this to my own wardrobe!

Labour Behind the Label is a grassroots organisation and relies on donations, so anything you can pledge via my fundraising page would be gratefully received! I’m not asking you to sponsor me for wearing my own clothes, but if seeing me
in the same outfit day after day makes you think about the contents of your wardrobe, or the people who make your clothes, then please consider donating. If you find yourself absentmindedly buying a t-shirt from a fast fashion retailer in the next six weeks, could you spare the same amount again to help the person who made it?

You can donate here, thanks in advance!