The Harsh truth of a no-buy year
2024 was a tremendously difficult year for the sustainable fashion community. The post-pandemic excitement about conscious consumption began to plateau, inflation caused the prices of nearly everything to rise to unprecedented amounts, and most importantly: the no-buy movement emerged. A movement that was designed with the best intentions, with the simple goal of challenging us all to evaluate our relationship with consumption, unintentionally devastated the very community it intended to serve.
The no-buy movement was intended to inspire consumers to question their shopping habits. Instead of buying fast fashion, shoppers were incentivized to wear what they already had, swap with others who shared their values, and craft what they would otherwise buy. Unfortunately, the movement neglected to consider the impact this would have on small, sustainable brands.
The harsh truth of the no-buy movement is that it empowered the sustainability community, the one community many small brands thought they could rely on, to stop shopping all together. When this group of consumers are told not to shop at all, it isn’t hurting the fast fashion industry, because this consumer base never shopped fast fashion in the first place. It’s hurting the small, sustainable brands who rely on conscious consumers the most.
As Sabs Katz, creator of Sustainable Sabs, explained perfectly, we’ve reached a tipping point when it comes to overconsumption, but the answer may not be to quit shopping cold turkey “Instead of buying nothing, buy mindfully and intentionally wherever you can. Please buy less, but when you do make sure it’s from a business owner who’ll be able to pay their rent with support from customers like you. You think Jeff Bezos does a little happy dance anytime someone buys from Amazon? Absolutely not. But a small business owner might,” she shared in her latest blog post.
While the mission of the movement may have gone a bit astray, its impact is inspiring nonetheless. It’s a reminder that consumers want to do better. So instead of a no-buy movement, we’d prefer to advocate for a yes-buy movement that is mindful and intentional. Say yes to buying fun, beautiful things that bring you joy. Say yes to consumption that is done with love and compassion for the planet. Say yes to enjoying fashion, while supporting the creative economy we all so desperately need to see thrive.