The stigma around wearing the same outfit twice is fuelling consumerism, and pushing us to buy clothes we don’t need. Elizabeth Bennett looks at the social media movements and hashtag campaigns aiming to change the mindset around outfit repeating, and discovers why re-wearing our clothes (even on Instagram) is the un-glamourous aesthetic that sustainable fashion really needs.
When I was at university, Thursday was the highlight of the week. While the tequila-themed club night was the main event, the new outfit was almost as important. Sometimes this meant raiding a friend’s wardrobe or raiding a vintage shop but more often than not it meant maximising the healthy student discount offered on the high street. I felt that I needed to wear something new week in week out, and still have the large collection of high waisted shorts and crop tops to prove it.
While this was prior to Instagram, I had grown up seeing celebrities relentlessly called out for outfit recycling ‘crimes’ in the media and had continually been fed the message that ‘new equals better’ via popular culture. Over the last decade, social media has intensified this issue even further. You no longer only have to worry about whether someone you’ve seen in real life remembers your clothes but there’s also an online visual diary of your past outfits.
Trying to keep up with what we see online is an impossible feat. Fashion influencers often receive a stream of loaned samples and press gifts, or simply snap photos in clothes before they are returned, creating a false reality that’s impossible to compete with but hard to ignore. I no longer buy new outfits on a weekly basis (or attend tequila themed club nights) but I have certainly fallen into the trap of second guessing whether to post two pictures in a row on my Instagram feed wearing the same, identical outfit.
I’m not alone. According to UK charity Barnardo’s, 25% of people would be embarrassed to wear an outfit to a special occasion more than once with this rising to 37% amidst 16-24 year olds. Subsequently, on average, an item of clothing in the UK is only worn seven times.