When I first heard about the Six Items Challenge I knew it was something I had to take part in. Over the past few years I have tried to be intentional about my clothes, only keeping clothes that I loved and wore regularly. Having been a fan of Courtney Carver’s #Project333 for several years, the Six Items Challenge seemed like a way to challenge my relationship with clothes even further.
So what is the Six Items Challenge?
The challenge is co-ordinated in the Spring each year by Labour Behind the Label – a campaign that works to improve conditions and empower workers in the global garment industry. It asks people to embark on a fashion fast, encouraging us to rethink our wardrobes and examine our shopping habits.
The basic idea is that for six weeks, you only wear six items of clothing. Six. You can choose which six items you select for your six week wardrobe, but choose carefully as you can only wear these six items for the entire challenge. Thankfully it doesn’t include underwear, coats, shoes or sports clothes worn for sporting activities.
My six items:
I live in the countryside, so I needed “outdoor” clothes as well as outfits suitable for client work, meetings and more formal occasions. I chose:
– a black and white floral shift dress
– a pair of dark wash skinny jeans
– a black and white jumper
– a black long-sleeve tee
– a navy and white Breton top
– a pink and white Breton top
The Six Items Challenge started in March, so the weather was still quite changeable. We had some pleasantly warm and sunny weather in March, at the time I was choosing my six items which fooled me a bit, because later in the challenge it became very cold again quite suddenly, and I wished I had chosen a couple of warmer items for my capsule collection! It made me realise that in our uncertain Scottish climate, we need a variety of clothes for different weathers. Sometimes all in the same day!
What the Six Items Challenge taught me:
I quickly found out that clothes don’t interest me as much as I had thought they did. The relief of not having to choose what I was going to wear each morning was an unexpected positive that far outweighed the occasional frustration of not having choice. I saved so much time and decision-making… it was so liberating to simply grab what was clean out of my six item wardrobe, get dressed and focus on with my day!
This was a real epiphany for me, to realise that I don’t need lots of clothes to make myself feel good. Beating “decision fatigue” when getting dressed in the morning really made up for any feelings of deprivation that I was expecting to have.
The other surprise was that nobody noticed. Nobody. How often do we dress up to fit a social requirement, a perceived “norm” or to impress? It turns out that no-one really cares… and I was delighted. No-one is looking at my clothes after all, which gave me huge confidence in what I was saying and doing instead.
After the challenge:
I thought that I already had a minimal wardrobe. Approximately 50 items, with a further 25 or so stored under the bed for better weather / a skinnier Mel. (A walk-in wardrobe or trendy shelved wall for shoes would be wasted on me!) But there were still items I never wore, and so some room for improvement.
The Six Items Challenge helped me to decide which of my clothes I loved, and I donated the rest. I then looked at what gaps I had and shopped for a few pieces to complete my wardrobe and make it work better… but I bought it all from local charity shops and eBay. I have definitely changed my shopping habits after learning more about the distress and waste of our society’s addiction to fast fashion. I don’t want to be part of it, especially now I’ve found out how much fun it is to shop second-hand.
Clothes and my clients:
I have helped a number of clients to declutter and organise their wardrobes since completing the challenge, and I have enjoyed sharing my experience with them which has led to some interesting conversations!
Our clothes say so much about us and are such a personal choice, so I still coach my clients through their decluttering journey, rather than dictate to them based on my own feelings about clothes and the fashion industry. But I hope that through my experience of the Six Items Challenge, I can raise awareness of the misery and destruction of fast fashion and help even a few people to make better choices.
| 6 ways to beat fast fashion:
1. Buy pre-loved clothing – there are so many lovely things out there. 2. Share with and borrow from friends – especially outfits for special occasions. 3. Hand down outgrown children’s clothing to other families. 4. Know your brands’ policies when it comes to workers rights and the environment. 5. Hold a clothes swap evening in your community. 6. Develop your own style! Why should the media dictate what we wear? |
To find out more about the #SixItemsChallenge and Labour Behind The Label visit their website at http://www.labourbehindthelabel.org Could you join me in the challenge next March?
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i just took a trip out to montana to see my sister took seven items of clothing with me . it was not even close to what i needed to have enough to wear for two weeks while gone ! i did not pack a couple of items i really needed because my husband kept telling me not to take any more stuff , an got me off my train of thought . i took one dress i never wore at all . i did not take enough slacks or jeans . did not even have enough pjs . my sisters an brothers in law wanted to go out to a special place for supper while i was there an i had exactly not one thing suitable to do that . i cannot think of six items i own that are suitable for anything including knocking around the house !
The Six Items Challenge needed a lot of planning, for sure! And well-planned laundry. So I can see how a trip like yours to Montana was tricky. I saw it very much as a challenge though, not as a whole new way of life. But it certainly helped me with making better choices, and living with less in my wardrobe. Having said that, I’ve really enjoyed using the challenge system to help me pack for trips away… a 5 night stay in NYC with only a carry-on was refreshing!