In 2020 Households in the UK have saved close to £17.5 billion a month during the last 2 lock-downs according to This is Money.
This trend continues in 2021 as people working from home are curbing their spending. It’s good for our budgets and good for the planet
Whilst online spending grew by 34% in 2020 it is predicted to adjust by dropping 6.3% in 2021 as consumers are reconsidering their shopping needs. I often write about the brand and the emotional aspect that drives purchasing and that in my view will be enforced in 2021 and beyond.
How we spend is showing very loudly how we feel as a society. Buying cheap, mass produced and disposable items is the biggest contributor to landfill.
I have always had fun with a semi empty closet – with a few staple pieces and outfits that I rotate. But things get worn and at some point you simply don’t enjoy it as much.
One of those items is my first expensive bag – a Lady Dior bag which I wore clubbing in the 90’s and which spent the last 2 decades at the back of my wardrobe. I took it once to a store to have it repaired but wasn’t sure of the cost or the outcome – so it just stayed there unused.
I haven’t bought it, but rather borrowed it from my mum who subsequently let me keep it. Had I saved for it for years I would probably have looked after it better. When I became a mum I wished I looked after it to be able pass it to my daughter.
There is just something lovely about fashion heirloom items in the fast fashion world.
One day I came across the restoration movement online. A highly rewarding process to watch and very much in line with my beliefs of enjoying beautiful items that can last a lifetime and be passed on to the next generation.
I quickly fetched the bag and started the process with Restory.
My bag was collected and carefully photographed. I got a link with all the items I could order to bring it back to full glory. I opted only on the most basic clean and re-stiching, with a very knowledgeable customer service on Whatsapp answering my questions.
It was a joy from start to finish.
I was very impressed with the white glove service – the courier brought the bag to my front door. But I guess the best part was opening my old bag being beautifully packaged in sustainable packaging but with the full luxurious experience that is customarily associated with buying new.
Restory has brought the bag to life and extended it life into the next generation. Surely, fashion doesn’t get more sustainable than that.
