consciouslifestyle

The world you want

25 March, 2023

The world you want is the one you have already chosen.

Do you know how? Through your purchases. Through the things you buy. How much you consume and how you consume.

This is how you vote: you do it with your wallet. And you do it without even thinking because it’s the conditioned reflex of unaware humans.

Indeed, you have already chosen the world you want. And your style shows it. In fact, fashion is just one piece of the big puzzle.

Your favourite world surrounds us: overconsumption, huge quantity over quality, and human rights violated.

So enjoy it! It’s here! Enjoy your world!
Are you happy with it?

Unless you see things from a different viewpoint. Which is a possibility, indeed.
So, you are generous enough to care about the impact of your actions. And to see that this crazy lifestyle is taking us to self-destruction.

Because we – humans – are responsible for climate change.
The recent heatwave and droughts are tangible responses to our reckless actions.

Are you sure you want to vote for this world?
Are you still ok with it?

Or do you want to change?

Fashion in the metaverse

17 March, 2023

The final frontier of business

While billionaires are busy conquering Mars and developing Space tourism, fashion moves the first steps into the metaverse.

Life on Mars?

We are boiling planet earth. Issues here are appalling: climate change, modern-day slavery, poverty. An impressive number of people have no access to water and food – which are basic needs. Plus, a pandemic. And what do they do? They plan to go to Mars!

Well, those billionaires could bring their contribution to solve problems here, in order to ensure a better life on planet earth. But instead of helping humans, they plan to move somewhere else. Develop space tourism and more pollution, consequently. Though, they are the same who advertise sustainable practices of their terrestrial businesses.

Mars doesn’t even seem a nice place to be. So it’s not understood what kind of alternative they are envisioning. These expeditions produce zero scientific value, just 100% business.
To use Eckhart Tolle words: “I call it intelligence in service of madness.”

In parallel to Space colonization, what happens in the fashion field?

Fashion brands are launching clothing, handbags and accessories for the metaverse. What may seem unmissable for the early adopters, who would even jump off a cliff to parade their coolness, in truth, sends alarming messages. Capitalism enters into the metaverse. It’s hard not to imagine any social and environmental cost related to that.

The illusion of consumption

At least a couple of thoughts jump to our minds.
This is what brands tell us: if you cannot afford our stuff in real life, you can buy them in a fake environment. An easy way to pretend to be rich! Also, there is a manipulation to overconsume. Since we aren’t consuming enough in real life, brands call us to do it in an imaginary place by reinforcing the physical model.
The need to show off one’s status isn’t elegant and scarcely appreciable in real life. Doing it in a fake environment only doubles the illusion of status and consumption.

Is it the world we want?

Prof. Emilio Gentile, an Italian historian, said on tv at Passato e Presente:

“that is modernity, the horrendous can coexist with the marvellous.”

We believe that a conscious lifestyle on our marvellous planet earth is worth more than any Mars or fake universe.

Health protection or work

17 March, 2023

What comes first?

The priority between health and work in a pandemic is a delicate matter. And finding balance is a real challenge. Governments that have protected the economy have put lives at risk. Vice versa, those who have defended lives have destroyed the economy.

Today, Giorgio Armani cancels the next Milano and Paris men’s and couture fashion shows scheduled for January. Health protection is a priority for him.

During the festivities, when people travel everywhere, this decision may sound too strong.
However, this news was the chance to look into something we already wanted to analyse. Indeed, it’s our practice to start from fashion and jump into a broader picture. That includes society, human interactions and all the multiple fields related.

Personal satisfaction: the selfish choice

On the plate, we have a pandemic in opposition to health, work, and personal life satisfaction.
The decision, taken because of the raising of Covid cases, is impactful. The fact that people travel and amass must be related to the number of the infected.

Following Armani’s logic, we wonder: if we cannot work, how come we travel?
Considering the high percentage of people moving, before and during the Christmas holidays, we can conclude that life has meaning only if they travel. No travel corresponds to an empty life.

People like talking about sustainable matters but still travel compulsively. Also, gather in flocks. Yes, we’ll probably cry later. But, should we think about the consequences of our actions? We are not that smart.

Change: health vs work

If not even a pandemic led people to change, it’s hard to imagine what would make it possible.
Though the idea of sacrifice for common well-being is unreal, the concept of sacrifice – in general – is dead. Only the individual counts, his own satisfaction, and nothing else around. The egoistic attitude prevails.

Besides, it’s interesting to notice that we live in the metropolis, but we can’t wait to run away anytime possible.
We’re not saying we have to deny our life’s satisfaction. On the contrary, finding alternatives to bring about meaning in our lives is a conscious choice. And perhaps, moving out of the big cities is a value-added option for a healthy lifestyle.
By the way, we agree with King Giorgio. Health comes first!

The most wonderf… wasteful time of the year

17 March, 2023

Low impact Christmas #formodernhumans

Christmas is the most celebrated holiday, a time to spend with family and loved ones. But during modern times, it became just another occasion to overconsume. More than the atmosphere, the tradition revolves around buying and, even more, tossing out the day after.

Indeed, the waste we produce grows exponentially during the festivities. Wrappings, gifts, food – people consume and throw away everything. To demonstrate it, see the average fast-fashion Christmas sweater worn just for the occasion and then discarded right away. Those garments go directly to replenish the horrendous clothing island in the Atacama Desert in Chile.

(In case you do not remember about it, please read here)

In fact, the most wonderful time of the year corresponds to the most wasteful time of the year.

However, sooner or later, any excess becomes exhausting. And for those who choose a conscious lifestyle, the need to clean up the festivities routine is deeply felt. But, paying attention to our lifestyle and consumption habits doesn’t mean giving up the celebrations. On the contrary, a low impact Christmas is possible, pleasant and more meaningful.
And yes, we can definitely enjoy it!

What we can do:

• As a general rule: avoid single-use items.

• Christmas decorations: we never throw them away. We just mix them differently, and the atmosphere is created around us. Those who interact with us will surely remember our lovely polar bears! In case you missed them, have a peek at our Instagram.

• Wrappings: avoid too much paper for packaging and use non-plasticised wraps. Also, recycle them.

• Food: throwing away food is an insult to humanity. There are so many recipes for food leftovers.

• If you cannot afford gifts, make something by hand. But please, don’t buy fast fashion. We don’t need more garbage.
For the same cost of a fast-fashion item, consider gifting a book.

Finally, whatever we buy for Christmas, make it last. And most importantly, let’s donate what we can.

A conscious lifestyle means intentional choices. It is not about deprivation but quality, values and meaning.
May your days be merry!

Stop and think

26 March, 2023

Stop your devices and think! We will not take part in the Black Friday madness. We said it in 2020, and we repeat it now; in 2021.

We are not aligned with the hyper-consumerist vision promoted by this marketing trick.

First, Black Friday fosters the ‘shop & toss’ consuming habit we are trying to challenge. It is a hard fight, but we persist.
How many times have we heard friends say: “This dress is cheap, I’ll wear it once and throw it away!”
Just imagine the exponential growth of the effect of this short-sighted attitude during the Black week. Scary! And what’s more horrible is that those kinds of people are not open to reconsidering the way they consume. They barely see it.
Manipulated by advertising, people buy things they don’t even need. And those products, clothing included, end up quickly in the garbage. Surely, as we do, you still have in your head the images of the landfill in the Chile desert, a nightmare getting bigger and bigger. But perhaps people will only stop once garbage knocks directly on their doors.

Stop! Who benefits from Black Friday?

Also, Black Friday is just another opportunity to support corporations. They are the only ones who can afford the cost of it. If they applied reasonable mark-ups, there wouldn’t be the need for people to wait for special offers in order to purchase a product.
For independent retailers, those crazy offers aren’t viable unless they use the same corporations’ tricks.

Impulsive buying – overconsumption and rapid discarding. Never-ending needs for unsatisfied people. Black Friday is convenient for corporations, not for people.

Instead, we encourage intentional buying as a conscious lifestyle alternative. Buy things when you need them. Or when you find something meaningful. Having fewer things but better quality is a choice that brings value to our life.

During Black Friday, stop your devices and think!

The island in the desert

17 March, 2023

Talking about the cost of fast fashion and the madness of disposable items can be upsetting and frustrating. No one wants to listen.

We could define it as a hidden cost, assuming people do not see it directly. Except that there’s nothing hidden anymore. And so, we call it the true cost because it happens before our eyes. Although, people refuse to see it intentionally.

To illustrate the abnormity, perhaps a visual image helps awaken the conscience more than words.

Atacama desert in Chile - fast fashion leftovers
Atacama desert in Chile – fast fashion leftovers

Here, in front of your eyes, is the Atacama desert in Chile, the driest desert in the world. And that is an island of discarded clothing, including Christmas sweaters and ski boots, piling up in the desert.

Chile is a hub for secondhand and unsold clothing coming from all over the world. USA, Europe and Asia. Approximately 59,000 tons of garments arrive there every year. Clothing merchants buy part of it, but the majority, about 39,000 tons, end up in rubbish dumps in the desert.

That happens because those garments contain chemicals and are not biodegradable, therefore not accepted in the municipal landfill.

We wonder what’s going to happen over time.
Do you still feel ok with fast fashion and disposable goods?

On Monday, we posted about the need to shift our consumption habits. After reading this, the sense of urgency becomes imperative. It doesn’t need any further explanation.

Educating ourselves towards thoughtful consumption habits is fundamental.
If brands don’t produce items made to last, we don’t buy from them!
Stop overconsuming. Stop purchasing disposable items. That is how we bring our contribution.

We know that expecting a change from brands is an illusion, and it’s just a way to exclude ourselves from the game. If we pretend we do not play an active role, we hide our responsibilities.

On the contrary, we have to educate ourselves in order to become conscious and make intentional choices.

Break the loop. Take action now!

Black Friday & promotion spam

17 March, 2023

Retailers spam promotions, and if Black Friday was not enough, early black Friday is here too!

Still the distribution model has clung to this policy as the only strategy to attract attention. Forget evolution from brands and retailers. Educating people towards an improved and conscious consumption model is not on their agenda. Not worth it.

Obsessive promotions are the outcome of a hyper-saturated market derived from the overproduction model.
Also, the lower the quality of products, the higher the mark-up, allowing discounts (real or fake?) that can reach -70%.
But the purchasing illusion is safe.

Heavy discounts and obsessive promotions are indicators of a sick system.
The environmental impact fostered by Black Friday and never-ending promotions is really huge. Not to mention the ethical implication, if you do not pay the full price of products, someone will pay for it. So we go back to the disturbing modern-day slavery.

As a matter of fact, there is too much of everything, and our blind habits contribute to feeding this vicious cycle, which has no way out.

Black Friday & promotions spam - Image of a shopping bag - Pointless shit
Image via: drops of devotion – Tumblr

The solution to Black Friday & obsessive promotions

Is it possible we cannot find a better system?

In fact, the solution is a distribution model that abandons large quantities to shift towards good quality. A sustainable production system that grants proper living wages and limits its impact on the environment. Things made to last and healthier consuming habits.

In this balanced context, promotions and discounts would be necessarily limited.

Changing attitude is a necessity. We started from us first, adjusting our activity to an evolved lifestyle. So, we offered a thoughtful consuming model represented by a capsule selection of quality pieces.

We don’t lure consumers by offering crazy discounts. But, we try to educate ourselves and our audience on meaningful consumption.

We respect people, and we understand the worth of their work. We appreciate the products we select. We value quality, and we value our customers.

Modern humans are conscious consumers.
Say no to Black Friday! We don’t need all that stuff.

Waste, and why we waste

11 March, 2023

“Waste isn’t waste until we waste it”

Will I Am

This quote perfectly resonates with us, not only because of the deeper level of consciousness recent events have brought. We have always paid attention to reducing waste as much as possible.
Writing on the backside of printed sheets, not using plastic coffee cups, refilling our water bottles, limiting the quantity of paper used for packaging. These are only some of our actions to reduce the litter we produce. Perhaps now we take this matter even more seriously since the damage we have caused to the environment is visible.

The waste culture

But, digging deeper, where does our wastefulness come from? When did we start wasting so much?

Waste is the ignorant byproduct of an over-consumerist society.

From the 1950s, little by little, overconsumption has been promoted as a great lifestyle pattern and taken over our lives. Completely ignoring the consequences.
Consume like there’s no tomorrow, is the motto. And, if we go on like this, there will be no tomorrow!

The fact that masses can be easily manipulated is quite scary. The fact that given a sense of comfort, we avoid thinking, is not a good sign.

By the way, walking through our journey, we acknowledge our mistakes. Our eyes are open, so we want to change for the better.

Whether fashion waste or any other kind, consciousness reflects itself on many levels and layers.
First of all, please stop wasting food! Then, whenever you are tired of something, consider other options before tossing it.

Even in the case of fashion, please don’t throw away clothes you don’t want anymore.

There are ways to reduce fashion waste:

. choose quality, it lasts longer.
. wash in lower temperatures, so clothes will not get damaged.
. repair when possible.
. donate to charity.
. some shops collect items to recycle.
. resell if you want, there are many resell platforms.

We have options available, so how much waste is up to us.