A total of 5 new pieces of clothing per year; that’s the limit we should all strive to follow according to a 2022 report by the Hot Or Cool institute to help the fashion industry become more sustainable. So basically if I want a sustainable wardrobe, I need to shop less and wear what I already have more. Although 5 items in total may seem a little intimidating, I do think it sounds doable – especially since there are a few pieces that you could argue wouldn’t count in that calculation. But more on that later. Either way it’s all about progress, not perfection and so you can even build up a more gentle set of rules or a limit that makes more sense to you and your starting point. Before we get further into the post, I want to put emphasis on what this challenge really is: a low buy. It’s not about buying nothing, it’s about being more intentional and mindful about what you do buy. You see, I relate to the satisfactory feeling a new purchase can bring into my life and I’m definitely not here to judge anyone, I just hope this challenge may inspire a few of you to think your current consumption habits through a little bit. Exactly as I was inspired by this article by Vogue’s sustainability editor Emily Chan, as she completed a similar challenge last year.

Even though I’ve done low-buy challenges before and also the simple fact this has all become more a way of life and an overall approach to intentional spending for me, I have to admit the challenge does sounds a little *extra* daunting this time around. I’m currently 40 weeks pregnant writing this post and so thanks to my baby bump (and an overall natural pregnancy weight gain) I’ve of course outgrown A LOT of my wardrobe this year. There’s no guarantee that I’ll be able to fit back into everything I did before. Your body goes through a lot during pregnancy and you need to be gentle with yourself, mentally AND physically. Your life changes forever when you become a parent, let alone working out can be a little more tricky to fit into your life again. I’m not suggesting it’s impossible at all, but you simply have less time on your hands to do the things you did before and a general restructure of your weekly routines are inevitable. The societal pressure of postpartum “snap back” culture to me is so toxic and it can be a fast track to hurting your mental health. Your postpartum journey is yours, I’m saying this aloud to myself as a gentle reminder as well. I don’t want to make this post about pregnancy weight gain generally because it’s such an individual matter – I just wanted to put emphasis on it as an example of a variable factor that can have a huge impact on the outcome of a low buy challenge like this, and it’s definitely going to be an area where I’ll give myself some grace and allowance to exceed my limit of 5 items in total if needs be. You may be going through similar life changes too and that’s just how it is. Be gentle with yourself.

Variable life factors aside, I don’t think there’s a right or wring time to start a challenge like this at all. You’ll learn something from it either way and that’s the key takeaway. What is important though, is to ask yourself why you want to do this in the first place before you even begin considering it.

Vis dette opslag på Instagram

Et opslag delt af SIGNE | slow fashion stylist (@useless_dk)

1. Finding my WHY.

I think one of the biggest benefits of doing a low-buy challenge (aside from it being a great kickstart to more eco-friendly style habits) is the opportunity to stop and pause, and to really consider where you’re heading with your personal style – and your life in general. Big thoughts for something as “frivolous” as clothes you may think. But as I’ve said many times before, fashion and style isn’t frivolous at all. It’s an extension of yourself – enclothed cognition is the proof behind that statement.

I have a bad experience doing challenges like these as a way to punish myself from past behaviours. The first time I ever went on a shopping diet, I initiated it because I felt overwhelmed by the amount of new items I was adding to my wardrobe. I felt ashamed of myself and I wanted to do something about it. And while there’s nothing wrong with going cold turkey per say (at least as a way to kickstart things), going into a challenge like this with such a negative mindset towards yourself really isn’t it when you want to build good habits that really stick. As one of my favourite authors, James Clear, puts it so well in his book Atomic Habits “success is the product of daily habits – not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.” We often expect linear improvement when there’s something in our lives that we want to change, and if it doesn’t happen right away we get frustrated and we’re likely to fall back into our old ways because then what’s the point? Change can take years and all great things come from small beginnings.

So, settling on my “why” I’m doing this because my life is going to change very soon. As a soon-to-be mum of two beautiful girls, I have no idea what everyday life is going to look like. I also have no idea what my life will look like a year from now, especially career-wise. As much as I love being a business owner, I also know that there may be things I will need to put on pause as I enjoy the new chapter of motherhood I’m faced with. I’m finding myself at a crossroad, not really knowing what I want or need from my wardrobe and the only way I’ll figure it out is to kind of release myself from my “fantasy self” and explore my style real-time. Set myself free from the pressure of newness and enjoy the now instead. After almost a decade of being into minimalism and capsule wardrobes, this is something I know will come almost naturally when you start letting go and to me it’s proven to be a much less wasteful way of life too. You simply become more selective about the stuff you invite into your life.

Having said that, being a content creator who breathes for slow fashion and eco-friendly style habits, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I’m also doing this to inspire my community to try something similar, and to use my platforms and my voice actively to change an industry that desperately needs it. So, consider this a huge reason behind my “why” as well.

2. Buy in real-time (aka the “if and when” approach)

Although I see myself as a relatively mindful consumer and I talk a lot about building eco-friendly style habits, I’m not “immune” to trends (similar to the way Emily Chan puts it in this Vogue article, where she reflected on doing the same challenge). I get tempted and put stuff on my wish list frequently too. So I’m going to try only buying something from that list if the need occurs, or at least when I find myself in a season or situation where the purchase would actually make sense. Again, it’s so easy to get infected by the trends we see on social media and disappear into a fantasy version of ourselves and although there’s nothing wrong with dreaming or using your fantasy-self as a more aspirational piece, I think it’s key to always bring back attention to your real life. You want a functional wardrobe that you can actually wear.

3. Shop my own wardrobe first

As I said above, I get infected by the “visual virus” that is trends from time to time too, after all I’m only human and I love fashion and style. I also recognise and acknowledge the joy adding a new piece to your wardrobe can bring, even more so if that piece makes the rest of your wardrobe come together in a whole new and exciting way – not just now but also way into the future. However, I am actually at a really good place with my own sense of style both when it comes to style personality, fits, proportions and colours so referring back to the if & when approach I’m going to pay my own sense of style some more respect, and generally shop my own wardrobe first when I’m feeling tempted. That could be recreating street style that I’m inspired by, or trying other styling tools to help me rediscover my own wardrobe. Basically I’m well aware that I have more than enough already, and shopping your wardrobe first is a great way to remind yourself of this.

4. Progress over perfection

A low buy challenge like this is hard to put on average; it doesn’t take into account what we had when we started, and I’ve outgrown a lot of my clothes in 2024 thanks to pregnancy. So variable factors like body changes may disrupt the amount of new pieces I’ll be adding to my wardrobe a little bit and I’m going to give myself some grace and flexibility to make changes or even add a few more items to my wardrobe especially if it comes down to the fact that a lot of my clothes won’t fit for the majority of 2025. Again; we’re striving for progress here, we wan’t to challenge ourselves, but we’re definitely not striving for perfection. As you may know, perfectionism is what kills progress.

My 2025 low buy rules/checklist

So what counts in a low buy? That’s really up to you – again, it’s hard to put a challenge like this on average because we all have different starting points. You could strive for 5 items like me, or it could be 8 or 10. It’s up to you. But from what I understand, the before mentioned report from Hot Or Cool Institute recommend something like the following, to really challenge your consumption and to help reduce your carbon footprint:

Purchases that count

• Bags
• Shoes
• Clothing (trousers, t-shirts, jackets, coats, dresses, sweaters etc.)
• Gifts

Purchases that don’t count

• Socks/undies
• Hats
• Scarves
• Small accessories (like belts)

It’s also worth mentioning that even though buying secondhand has a much lower impact than buying new, it’s of course not waste-free (especially not if you shop secondhand online). However, I’m also well aware that the industry is depending on us all to make more use of what is already available, so I might cut myself some slack especially if we’re talking secondhand and vintage buys. If I find a preloved bargain that I just can’t leave without, I might jump onboard with it. Same goes for supporting small slow fashion brands; they need our support to survive, and I might give them that even if it means I will exceed my total of 5 new items a little. Finally like I also mentioned before, since I’m currently pregnant writing this post and I expect my body to go through all types of changes within the next year or two – and also taking into account that the right fit is one of the most important factors to ensure in terms of wardrobe longevity – I will also be giving myself some grace in that area. Life’s simply too short for ill-fitting and uncomfortable clothes.

So that’s it – my initial thoughts on starting another low buy in 2025! Let me know if you’re considering joining in on the challenge too and do make sure to check out some of my old challenges below if you need a little more motivation or inspiration on getting started.