Is it time to slow down?

Is it time to slow down?

“Buy less, choose well, make it last”.  Words to live by from the late fashion pioneer Vivienne Westwood and words that we here at Bra Boudoir have taken to heart.

Fast Fashion – you may well have heard the term, it’s become part of our vocabulary more so over the last decade than at any other time.  Fast fashion is making clothes of low quality, at a low price and at a terrifying speed to keep up with trends.  The idea being that anyone can copy their favourite celebrity or fashion house at a fraction of the cost.  There are however, unseen costs that affect us all.

Buy less…

The average Briton has 57 unworn items lurking in their drawers and wardrobes.  I know I’m definitely guilty of this – I have so many things I swear I’ll wear, only for me to pull them out once a year then hurriedly put them back in and forget about completely.  British shoppers buy more clothes than any other nationality in Europe and if we bought only a maximum of 8 new items per year we could reduce fashion emissions by up to 37%.  When I read this I thought 8 sounded a lot and was easily doable - but then I thought of the clothes I pick up for my children, my husband and myself and it quickly adds up to far more than 8 over 12 months.  My challenge is set.  It sounds odd though doesn’t it?  A shop encouraging you to buy less but we have always firmly believed here at The Bra Boudoir that we should be a force for good.  It’s a false economy to buy lots of bras that don’t last and aren’t good for you or your breast tissue and we’re here to help you and your boobs first and foremost.  Always. 

Choose well…

So how do we go about choosing these 8 key pieces?  We often get asked why our bras are priced as they are and there’s a number of reasons why.  Firstly, the bras are ethically made – the machinists are on a good wage and have both employment rights and benefits.  In the case of Empreinte, in France, they are usually Undergraduates and will go on to become the designers of the future.  Secondly, the materials are of the highest quality.  There are no toxic dyes or microplastics that can be harmful to both humans and the environment around us.  Thirdly, if looked after well (more about that in a minute) they are made to last.  The best thing about these pieces is there are no trends here that are going to be considered out of fashion by the time the weekend hits.  They really are timeless.  We understand that they are an investment – money and budgets can often be tight, never more so than in the current climate where everything seems to be escalating.  That’s why we source all our bras carefully and even our more budget friendly brands are held to our high standards. 

Make it last…

Fast fashion encourages a throw away culture which we just can’t get on board with.  The average garment is worn just 10 times before it’s thrown away – and what happens to all that waste?  Landfill, with the synthetic fibres used taking hundreds of years to break down. 

We are huge advocates of hand washing your bras.  We know life is hectic but it really does make a huge difference.  It cares for the bras far more than the washing machines delicate cycle ever could, and helps them keep their elasticity and colours for longer.  The big upside of this is that you get the most wear out of your bra.  We always say not to save your bras for best in here.  Who cares if you’re the only person that will see it - wear it and enjoy wearing it.  When you’re done wearing it, don’t forget to recycle it!  Our recycled bras are used in a number of ways.  Bras that are good enough to still be worn are given to women in Africa to stop the threat of sexual violence or to domestic abuse shelters here in the UK, where women have had to flee with nothing.  Those that can’t be worn have their components recycled and made into new bras. 

It’s hard to buck the trend when time and money is tight but we firmly believe we will all be better off if we do.  Remember the days when shopping was an event?  A couple of times a year, or for an extra special occasion?  Let’s get back to that – let’s enjoy shopping again and slow down.  Our environment, our fellow human beings and our wallet will thank us.