Clothes need to reflect a person’s situation as well as their identity to “work” well. This may mean that what we wear changes as we make different buying decisions, just as people did in the second world war and as tree-changers do.
From Watts Up With That?
Essay by Eric Worrall
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Preparing the peasants for our glorious green future.
What to wear for a climate crisis
Published: October 27, 2023 2.47pm AEDT
Rachael Wallis
Research Assistant, Youth Community Futures, University of Southern Queensland…
The fashion industry contributes up to 10% of global emissions – more than international aviation and shipping combined. It also contributes to biodiversity loss, pollution, landfill issues, unsafe work practices and more.
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If we are concerned about these issues, responding thoughtfully means we will live our lives according to our values. And that’s an important factor in living well, flourishing and being happy.
Lessons from wartime
It’s not the first time people have adapted their clothing in response to the demands of a crisis.
During the second world war, clothing styles changed in the United Kingdom and Australia. To conserve precious resources, shorter skirts, minimal detailing and a focus on utility became the norm.
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This wartime response reflected the priorities and values of society as a whole as well as most people in that society. In other words, buying less (rationing meant this was not just a choice), mending and making do with what was already there was part of a value system that contributed to the Allied victory.
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If we begin to shift away from our slavish devotion to newness and novelty – following the dictates of fashion – to a mindset of value-led sufficiency, we can appreciate more fully the feel of lived-in, mended or altered clothes. There is a feeling of comfort in pulling on an old garment that is soft with age and repeated washing. There is joy in extending a garment’s life through creative mending, especially when that aligns with our values.
…Read more: https://theconversation.com/what-to-wear-for-a-climate-crisis-214478
There is also the feeling of fresh air when putting on a worn out garment, when the fabric tears.
What can I say? If I wanted to live like a bum I’d find myself a cardboard box. I have no problem with other people feeling “virtuous” by wearing worn out rags, if that is their thing, but don’t try to inflict your absurd wearing rags virtue signalling on the rest of us.