Breathe

I have to admit that buying lots of clothes is not something I struggle with, or (as my wife will testify) give much thought to. As I began to realise how deeply consumerism pervades my life I began to think about food, energy, transport, housing, giving and sooner or later I came to the issue of clothes.

When I looked at my wardrobe it occurred to me that perhaps, after all, we did indeed have quite a lot of them. So I asked myself this question, and perhaps it’s one you might like to consider too.

‘How many days in a row can I wear a different set of clothing before I run out?’ This doesn’t mean turning up to work in your swimming gear, I hasten to add, but simply do I have enough clothes for a week? A month? A year?

Have a think, work it out and then ask yourself, ‘how comfortable am I with this answer? For me, witnessing the sharp end of poverty made the answer all the more uncomfortable. I have a crystal clear memory of a small boy in Burundi whose only item of clothing was a ragged, filthy T-shirt several sizes too big that I wouldn’t use to to mop up oil from my car with. That kind of encounter does tend to throw things into sharp relief.

So what to do? The first step was considering what I already had. The second step for me, was to stem the tide. I cleared out and I gave away. If I couldn’t remember when I last wore it, or my wife didn’t want to remember when I last wore it, out it went. This continued until we got to a level that we considered, well, enough. Not too little for our day to day lives, not without choice but not overwhelmed by it  either.

Thirdly, I battled with the mindset that old equals bad. You know, as in old-fashioned. The tyranny of the new can be oppressive. Simple as.

The fourth stage was then to develop a simple strategy that would keep me more or less in the right place from that point onwards. This powerful strategy has worked wonders for me, ever since. One in, one out. So, if I wear something out then I replace it. If, as happens every now and then, something new comes my way then we take a look at what hasn’t been worn in a while and can be given away. It’s simple, flexible and effective. It doesn’t stop you buying something new that you like the look of but it does stop that wardrobe from getting out of control.

Although it is only sporadically adopted by the other members of my family who upon questioning about their lack of zeal for this, simply ask me when I’m going to apply the same idea to my library? Well, like I said buying too many clothes is not my struggle.

Lastly, when we buy, we look to buy what we need and the best we can reasonably manage in our budget. This lesson was powerfully driven home to me when I went inter-railing as a student. My friend bought cheap sandals, a cheap t-shirt at the market and some cheap sunglasses. I bought some decent sandals and was happy with the rest I had. His feet blistered, when it got hot the colours in his t-shirt ran making him look like a banana and he broke three pairs of sunglasses. 14 years later my sandals are only just about worn out.

I’ll buy new and I’ll buy the best I can manage (within our budget) so that they hopefully last us as long as possible and hopefully represent a reasonable deal for the person who stitched it all together.

Those are my clothing rules, what are yours?

Thanks to Sally for these thoughts. I have to say that of all the contributions so far, these struck me as having a particular care and authenticity. I am challenged!

This is actually something I’ve been thinking about a lot recently. Due to the fact that I’m always broke and can never find clothes I like (or which are ethical) on the high street I recently made an active decision to only buy second hand clothes. I work in a charity shop, which means this is probably easier and less time consuming for me than for others and I feel considerably happier that my money is going to a charity which aims to help local deprived communities rather than to some big corporation which is exploiting hundreds of people. I have managed to find some lovely articles of clothing which are quirky and unique and much more suited to me than anything I could currently buy new! (I also know that no one else will be wearing the same thing as me!) Having said that, I also believe it is essential for us to campaign for change within the clothing industry and not just avoid it – the people who make our clothes deserve a fair wage.

The passage in Matthew about not worrying about what we wear has been particularly relevant to me in recent months as on a few occasions I have been in a situation where my last remaining skirt has fallen apart or I have no shoes that aren’t full of holes and I’ve really just had to trust that God would look after me and provide both the money and the clothes I need! I may have had to go around with wet feet for a couple of weeks on some occasions, and I spent most of last winter without a coat, but in general God has looked after me and I know that He will continue to do so! (And being slightly wet and cold is nothing compared to the way some people live – at least I work and live in warm, dry buildings so the lack of coat was nowhere near as bad as it could have been!)

About a year ago in our church someone spoke on Romans 12:2 – ‘Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.’ It was a very challenging message which pointed out a number of areas where we all tend to conform without realising it. I think one of the ways we do this is in relation to clothes – I find it very easy to envy what other people are wearing and to forget that the body is more than clothes (Luke 12:22).

However, I also believe that the way we dress can be a form of art and self expression, I just think we need to be careful what values we are expressing (wearing clothes which advertise brands who we know do not deal ethically with their workers, or not following the command to dress modestly for example). It is important to celebrate our diversity in fashion, not condemn each other. I heard recently that non uniform days at school tend to be the worst attended in the school year – we are taught to judge each other on how we look from a very young age which is incredibly sad…

OK, so I’m really challenegd to try the charity option more than I currently do.  I think there’s definitely an important point about diversity, too. Is my clothing the symbol of a transformed mind, or an indicator that I’m conforming to the pattern of this world?

And now for an alternative view! Steve speaks up for clothes as an expression of beauty:

For some people, clothing is art. Though, looking around, I also observe that, for others, it aint!

Members of my family are professional artists who are involved in the design and selection and careful use of textiles and colour and design in the clothing industry. As was clearly and entertainingly described in the movie, “The Devil Wears Prada” there is a real talent and skill in clothes design, just in fashion clothes, apart from practical clothes. We should celebrate that endeavour and enjoy the improved quality of life it brings even to those who don’t “get it”.  Moreover, the film is well balanced because it also points out that over-dedication (mixed with wrong attitudes to people and life) can lead to a very empty life indeed.

So, what’s my point? That clothes are not just practical. Whether you like or not clothes are part of your message to the world, displaying what your values are!
You can show that you care about yourself, and the world as well by dressing elegantly and inexpensively. That clothes fall into the domain of art, so that by ignoring fashion, we ignore art and we ignore our right to celebrate the beauty of life and creation, and we end up trolling around churches with the “knockers” knocking the heads off statues to prevent people from getting carried away. Again, looking around, we’re not in danger.

So are clothes just cloth? Or are they expressive, symbolic and beautiful? Could it be that if we forget either of these things we miss the point? So that leaves me with some further questions:

• How often do I get carried away over clothes (either positively or negatively)?
• What do I want my clothes to express? Can I see them as a celebration?

I was moved to tears this morning reading the latest stuff from Tearfund. Here’s something to put the issue of clothes into perspective (and an illustration of the power of what we wear):

Tulo Raistrick visited a community in Uganda in March to see how the church had been making a difference. He writes ’Around 40 people from the community came along to welcome me. After a few miutes of the men talking, I turned to the women present, and asked if church mobilization had made any difference for them.

One after another, women stood up and told amazing stories. One said, “I was a drunkard, wearing rags. Now look at me.” She was wearing the most fantastic colourful dress. She continued, “Because of the church, I learned to take respnsibility for my life. I started saving and stopped drinking. I started up a sewing business. NOw I have income to send my children to school.”‘