I have been pondering on this idea for a few weeks, deciding if it is something I am going to try this year or not.

The Rule of 5 is a concept I have came across recently with the notion that people need to reduce the number of new garments bought each year to 5 or less to help keep the average global temperature rise below 1.5 degrees in the fight against climate change.

The idea is said to have come off the back of a report by the Hot or Cool institute which you can find out more about here.

Now, if you have been following my brand for a while, you’ll know I am always an advocate for investing in better quality items with the intention of them lasting longer. In my own personal wardrobe I like to mix high quality items from well made brands & independent makers with shopping vintage and pre-loved as well as trying to keep the items I already own for longer through mending, following the care instructions and altering for better fits.

I liked the idea of committing to this challenge for the year as admitady I fell slightly off the wagon last year after I had my baby. In a rush I bought some bigger sizes items from a couple of high street shops I wouldn’t usually shop in. As much as I didn’t want to do this, it is a horrible feeling to not fit any of your usual clothes, which I am sure a lot of people can relate to, and most of us don’t stay the same size for our whole lives. I wanted to feel more myself so these were a quick fix to carry me through this spell.

I am posting this here to hold me accountable and I am going to see how it goes and document the process and invite anyone who would like to join me in the challenge.

Even if you have already bought this year why not start from now?

Below I’ve listed possible challenges, what items I think I might ‘need’ and the general ‘rules I am going to follow.

Challenges;

• Friends Wedding - one of my best friends is getting married this year, I always find it a challenge to dress for a wedding as I don’t really like wearing formal clothes as such. I don’t have many formal items in my wardrobe so I need to check through my wardrobe before I decide what to do about this. I am thinking I could possibly look at pre-loved or dress rental for this occasion, which is an area I have never explored.

• Holiday - I have an abroad holiday booked for spring, I think I will mostly be fine for this but may possibly need swimwear.

• Gifts - gifts count as one of your 5 so if anyone buys me a clothing gift this will count. I am not too worried about this as people don’t tend to buy me clothes (other than maybe pyjamas at xmas time) apparently I am hard to buy for! This suits me fine as I don’t need much, I hate wasteful gifts and am happy to choose my own clothes. I hope that doesn’t sound ungrateful!

I don’t think I ‘need’ much but the items I am considering for my ‘5’ are as follow, I think this will be interesting to look back on and see what the reality was.

• Jo-Ami Gilet. So this piece I have actually already ordered, it will be my first clothing purchase of the year. I have actually wanted one of these for a couple of years so I finally bit the bullet and decided to go for it when I visited Jolene’s studio last week. You can take a look at her other work here I also wanted to note here that I already have a few Jo-Ami pieces in my wardrobe which are all great quality and Jolene kindly offered to mend a pre-loved cardigan of mine as well as one of her own designs, a bag, that I had caught on something and made a hole in the knit so I am looking forward to getting more use out of these items again too.

• A new KerrieALDO coat. I feel I have a gap in my wardrobe for a heavier coat. I am someone who likes wearing layers so generally lightweight coats work well for me but I do feel like I could do with a longer length coat that isn’t too heavy so it can still be layered but worn the majority of the year. I am thinking that a traditional waxed coat will work well for this and I am considering a knee length or longer with a hood and lots of pockets. I really like my drop hem parka style so I think I will base it on this with a few adaptions.

• Swimwear? - I would rather avoid using one of my 5 on this if possible so I am going to have a rake around in my wardrobe as sometimes things get forgotten!

• Boots - the boots I wear a lot are my two pairs of Dr MArtin boots. They are black and burgundy and I feel for a while that I could do with a brown/tan coloured pair of boots as an addition to my wardrobe

• Item 5??

General Rules I plan to follow;

• Aim for no more than 5 new items this includes footwear. I am going to try and stick to this but if anything slips though I’m going to document it. The overall aim of this challange is to get out of the habit of always buying new items break the habit.

• Socks/tights/underwear won’t be counted. This doesn’t mean I won’t me mindful of what is purchased when needed.

• Pre-loved /second hand. I have seen mixed ideas on this and some people say that pre-loved counts. For me I am not going to count second hand or pre-loved items in my number of ‘new’ items. I will count it if I find something second hand or ‘pre-loved’ that has not infact ever been used.

Things that will help me to achieve the rule of 5;

• Forward planning, especially for events and formal occasions.

• Getting to know my own wardrobe - looking through everything again so I have a clearer idea on what I have and what I might need.

• Telling my friends and family I am doing this, you never know I may be able to borrow occasionally and also to remind people not to buy me any ‘new’ clothing items as a gift. One of my favourite gifts was actually a pre-loved knitted jumper, I really appreciated it as it was thoughtful and went with my values!

• Exploring rental for formal occasions (tips or advice welcome, I have never explored this before!)

• Looking at the items in my wardrobe that could be fixed, improved or mended to suit me better. I recently done this to a dress, the sleeves had ripped and I had fixed them twice but I still loved the dress so I removed the sleeves and now I can get wearing it again. Obviously time can be a barrier to this as I have a small pile of things I have been meaning to fix or alter for a while now and need to get through this. I am lucky to have the skills to do this myself but if you don’t you can take things to your local alteration shop who I am sure will be more than happy to help. Note: I do ofter a repair service on KerrieALDO items so please just email me on info@kerriealdo.com if you would like some advice on this.

• Forward planning - I feel this is why I was caught out last year when I needed a few items quickly due to my changing body pre/post birth but in day to day life I feel like forward planning will help me especially for the more formal events.

If you have enjoyed reading this and want to join me in the challenge I would love to know, or if it is something you already do and have some tips to share please let me know!

Kerrie.