Monday 7 March 2016

Buy Less - Care More?



An article in the Guardian "Less Is More" by Michelle McGagh, got me thinking last week. 
It seems there is a trend in Britain that consumers are in fact buying less. So are we slowly beginning to realise that less is more?

As Michelle McGagh says it may not be what chancellor George Osborne wants to hear, after all consumption is king when your're trying to balance the books. And there in lies the challenge.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/01/less-careful-consumption-spending-buying-stuff

And facts have to be faced for all businesses trying to sell products, surely buying less is not something that is promoted in said business plans? Well it's part of what we believe in at DCA, commercial suicide perhaps? Any investor or savvy business owner would certainly question that point and try and shoot DCA's business model down in flames. But our philosophy is to offer our customer key products that span seasons and not end up thrown out, destined for landfill. We care about the usage per wear and strive to give customers a chance to buy better rather more with our collection.

If in doubt about why we should change our buying habits then watch this video by Eve Andrews from Grist. I love her Donald Trump comparison at the end! 


It would be great to see brands and retailers thinking more strategically about the size of their collections and being responsible about the amount they produce because many items will be discarded by consumers and headed straight for landfill. And what of the brands who have stock that does not sell after sales are over. Interestingly I have heard excess stock is burnt. Surely there is a duty to look at the design and product development process and ensure it becomes leaner and more efficient? 

As for whether the consumer is really buying less, well we have our doubts at DCA. Granted certain consumer product categories may well be on the decline, but we believe fashion is not on the radar yet.
May be if more people understood the impact that the current fashion system has on the planet and fashion workers health, then we may see change? Ultimately fashion consumers want newness, they want to look good and buy what they love first and think if at all where it has come from second. An immediate way to see the impact of the current state of fashion is to watch the movie documentary, The True Cost http://truecostmovie.com/

And taking the moral high ground does not make us feel any better at DCA, we advocate change because we feel it will saves lives and help preserve the planets resources for future generations. Imagine if our children are stood in the future looking back at us, the generation that had the power to do something and say 'why did they do nothing'?? 

We cannot do nothing we have to act now. Be the change, do buy better, do demand better, do demand change. 

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