A Guide to Mindful Shopping
In recent times, there has been a dramatic change as a global society in the way we make decisions as consumers, particularly through an emphasis on our personal values and our individual impacts upon the environment. This change includes a strong gravitation towards the phenomena of “mindful shopping”.
Mindful shopping involves an exploration of what we are buying, where we are purchasing an item from, and a reflection upon why we are purchasing a specific item, to guide us before making a purchase. Mindful shoppers consider desired purchases in light of their own personal standards and ethics and make an informed decision accordingly.
Becoming a mindful shopper gives fruit to many benefits, including the saving of money, enjoying minimal clutter, protecting the environment, and promoting general positive change within the fashion industry.
There are various ways in which we can each become more mindful shoppers. 5 characteristics in particular form a common thread between those whom have discussed this topic in detail – those characteristics being:
1: Be aware of what clothing items you already own
2: Buy to enhance what you already own
3: Focus on quality over quantity
4: Conduct your own independent research; and
5: Pause and ponder before making your purchase
1: BE AWARE OF WHAT YOU ALREADY OWN
For a lot of us, shopping is a fun, exciting, and sometimes even stress-relieving activity of which we thoroughly enjoy. Amongst this excitement, we can often forget about the many wonderful pieces of clothing of which we already own. This may then cause us to make duplicate, unnecessary purchases.
Before embarking on a shopping spree, think about what pieces you already own and about what you actually need. Perhaps it would be worthwhile creating a list of all of your belongings, and referring to this list whenever we feel a sudden urge to take off onto another shopping extravaganza.
2: BUY TO ENHANCE
Far to easy is it for us to forget that if we took a moment to think about what we already have in our closets, and how we could wear them differently, we could be saving ourselves both (1) an ungodly amount of money; and (2) an unfriendly incline of wardrobe cluttering and chaos.
When embarking on a shopping spree, have a good look at your current style. What do you already have that could be worn differently? Are there older items of clothing in your wardrobe archives that might benefit from a new piece of clothing to enliven it? Would adding accessories to plainer pieces create entirely new outfit options for you?
If you focus your intentions on buying to enhance what you already have, you are reusing the things you already have, recreating and enlivening them, and making them last. This is the beauty behind fashion – we all have the freedom to express ourselves through what we wear, and the choices and possibilities in reinventing our outfits simply through mixing, matching and accessorising, are endless.
3: QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
This point is fairly self-explanatory. Buying quality items allows you to save money in the long term, as the items will last longer. If items last longer, then you will also be buying less, again avoiding additional wardrobe clutter.
However, it should be noted that buying quality items is not the only way to invest in and prioritize quality. Taking precautions to properly maintain our more “affordable” items can do wonders in making those items last a really long time.
4: DO YOUR RESEARCH
Before making a purchase, it could be beneficial to take the initiative to conduct some research of your own. Look into alternative items and brands, read customer reviews, and compare prices. Keeping informed on standard retail pricing for specific items and on comparable brands can cultivate a sense of discipline and wisdom within our shopping habits.
You may even wish to consider the practices and values of the brand you are purchasing from, and whether these align with your values. You may wish to consider whether they are sustainable, what their environmental impacts are, what kind of fabrics they might be using, whether their working conditions are fair and ethical.
5: PAUSE BEFORE PURCHASING
Hitting the pause button before proceeding to the checkout is always a wise idea. Perhaps ask yourself: Do I love the reason why I want to buy this specific item? Do I really need this item in my wardrobe? Will I be wearing it in 3 years’ time? How does it feel and fit on my body? Is this a necessary purchase, or could my money be put to better use in something else that I need?
At MONA JULIET, we believe in investing in quality over quantity, and in mindfully shopping for pieces which will last for years to come. We are inspired by opting for timeless, elegant pieces as opposed to constantly chasing never-ending fashion trends. If you’re a petite woman (i.e. under 165cm/5’4″) and are in need of some high-quality, timeless pieces for your wardrobe, we invite you to have a browse of our recently launched Classics Collection.