10 items of clothing
I used to live with 16 items of clothing. But after my partner, who is also a researcher of sustainability transformations said (jokingly) that I could live with even less, I decided to downsize my wardrobe. One option was to keep the items I would not wear somewhere until something wears out. I decided against this option because this does not feel like a fair or effective distribution of resources in our society. Some fellow humans might need these items now. I could also choose to wear the newer ones and retire the old ones, e.g. turn them into cloths for cleaning my home, or recycle them as textile waste. Yet, somehow I felt that I was more drawn to my older items, some of which have small stains. Some of those items I've repaired and they acquired deeper meaning to me.
I gave away t-shirts made from certified bamboo viscose fabric. Bamboo viscose is a controversial material. I'm not convinced that it is a genuinely sustainable material. In addition to that, after the first wash the fabric felt odd against my skin. It felt somewhat like microfiber. I live with an autoimmune skin condition and my skin is very sensitive. For fellow humans, such as my partner, the fabric would still feel soft and smooth. I gave away a white organic cotton tank top and an organic cotton t-shirt. Overall, I decided to live with only tank tops and camisoles, and give away the t-shirts. I also decided to give away all basic tops that were pure white colour. This colour is difficult to care for.
What I kept:
- Shorts x2
- Sweatpants x2
- Loose linen shirt x2
- Basic top x4
Apart from these items, I still have 1 jacket that I avoid wearing when it's over +9 outside. Somehow anything above this temperature feels warm to me. I don't know if it's something that my body tolerates well, genuinely enjoys, or I simply got used to lower temperatures when I lived in northern Sweden.
I have a large woollen scarf that lived with me in Sweden, Finland and here in Denmark. I wrap this scarf around my shoulders when it's very cold in winter. At times, I wear it over my head. It makes me feel safe and cosy when I travel, and I even used to sleep on it in Finland. I used to sleep on a yoga mat, and before I found the sheet that I wanted (made from linen), I used the scarf.
I have 3 pairs of shoes. 1 pair of running shoes and 2 pairs of sandals. I wear sandals throughout the year when there is no snow. In winter I wear them with thick woollen socks.
I gave away both my hats that I shared with my partner. He prefers to wear one made from wool. Recently, he gave me one of his old snoods that has a hole in it. I repaired the hole and I realised that I could wear the snood as a hat and a scarf. Wearing it around my neck feels comforting to me, and I've been wearing it every day.
I also have underwear and socks. When I stepped on my academic path, I never knew I would ever feel comfortable writing about these things. But they are part of our everyday life, part of our consumption, and they deserve attention too. I have the amount that is lagom for me so I don't have to do laundry very often, for ecological reasons. I do not own bras. I only wore them for a few years in my later teens/early twenties, but then I realised that I wanted to live without them and take part in normalising bra-free living. This is not to say that persons should not wear bras at all. But it is to say that it should be one's personal choice. It should not feel like an obligation.
This small collection of clothing feels lagom to me. Perhaps some would assign the basic tank tops and 2 camisole tops I kept as underwear, but I wear them outside too. I do not want businesses to tell me how I should approach my clothes.
For many years, I've been wearing a uniform that consists of a basic top, sweatpants (shorts in summer) and a loose shirt. In the coming weeks I have some meetings and talks, and I feel very comfortable with the clothes that I live with. For years, I have been teaching in my uniform. Oftentimes, when I teach, I do not wear shoes.
While some colleagues have found my way of relating with clothing odd, I've always felt a lot of support from my students. Often, my students ask me what we can actually do, what I am personally doing. I offer an example of my extreme minimalist living. I say that we can find different ways to relate with the objects we live with, consumption, the self, human and non-human others, and nature.