The art of living

"in a society saturated by material goods, to focus on the immaterial seems more interesting" Ezio Manzini

It is a well known fact that we are buying too many clothes, but are no happier than we were in the pre-Primark/Topshop days. It's a constant cycle of dissatisfaction and wasted energy and resources. But what are the alternatives? and how do we satisfy the many complex emotional needs which are linked in with consumption without having to buy more clothes?

One idea is to encourage well-being through other activities which promote social cohesion and personal achievement, where we are 'active' rather than 'passive' as consumers/users.  At the product level, you will feel more satisfied if you have made something yourself or been involved in its making. But beyond the product, there are activities which help us to re-imagine our ideas of well being and make us feel good, whether its growing your own food, working with your local community on a project or just making stuff together.

It gets interesting when a fashion company start promoting these types of alternative activities. Most fashion companies are trying to sell us more and more clothes, either through branding or cheap prices, but there are a few innovative fashion companies who are selling great sustainable clothing while also encouraging us to get more involved in sustainable ways of living. 

 

Alabama Chanin not only produces beautiful hand-worked clothes using recycled cotton jersey from old t-shirts and employs local people with traditional sewing skills, but she also invites her customers to weekend workshops which combine cooking and clothes making, and which promote what Natalie Chanin calls the 'living arts'. 

Howies the outdoor clothing company, regularly invite their customers to weekend camps in rural Wales and are renowned for making the outdoor life more desirable. 

These are small gestures of 'together-ness' which encourage customers to get more involved in actively living better, whether its learning a new hand stitching technique, or learning how to cook or getting out more.

Shopping has never been more fun!