The Rule of 30 Wears… blog written by Jessica Matthew, Designer of her own label Aida Maeby.

Hands up who regularly looks into their wardrobes and, despite it being full, despairs that they have nothing to wear? You know you’re not alone. You know there’s treasure in there but it’s being obscured by the ‘it’s so cheap!’ purchases, the ‘I bought it for that special occasion’ thing you’re hanging onto, the ‘it’s not my size but I’ll fit it one day’ hopes and dreams.  Been Here Friend 🙁

Choosing high quality fabrics like linen and organic cotton ensures that your garment will last longer, and have far less impact on the environment at all stages of their lifecycle (production, washing and disposal) than cheap synthetics.

 

These annoying clothes that we keep out of stubbornness or sentimentality (or guilt related to the high price tag maybe?) make dressing for our best lives pointlessly difficult. Even as a clothing designer I get stuck in this trap! I hang memories on coat hangers – sparkly memories with pre-children waistbands and long-ago dance party hemlines that definitely aren’t work appropriate – and then wonder where all my wearable clothes are. At least, I did until I discovered one simple rule that changed everything:

The Rule of 30 Wears.

Started by the patron saint of the slow fashion movement Livia Firth, #30wears prompts us to ask ourselves ‘will I wear this AT LEAST 30 times?’ of every sartorial purchase. The point of the ongoing campaign is to stop those knee jerk fast fashion purchases that tend to gum up our closets and waste our money (not to mention our precious resources and wider eco-system), meaning we have more time, space and money to invest in good quality clothing and footwear. It’s so easy to buy the $9 Kmart top I know, but did you know that the average length of time a woman keeps an article of clothing in her wardrobe is 5 weeks??! Then it’s off to the charity bins or even worse the landfill, possibly even with the sales tags attached, never to be seen by you again. This pointless waste is much easier to avoid when we take a second to ask some questions of the trendy, sequined, peacock blue floor length backless sleeveless kimono* we’re holding up in front of us in store . . .

• Will I wear this 30 times before I’m tired of it? Will I still like it next year? In five years?
• Does it pair well with the things I already own, making it easy to create a complete outfit with?
• Do I already own something similar that I could wear instead, or have tailored/mended to bring it back into play?
• Is this a high-quality fabric which will stand up to being worn and washed at least 30 times? (We shouldn’t actually be washing everything every time we wear it, but that’s a whole other blog post!)

 

 

Aida Maeby’s S17’s Olafur Dress flew off the shelves, and I’ve personally worn it at least once a week for over a year making it a definite player in the #30wears challenge.

#30wears is aaaaaaall about buying less, buying better, and wearing for longer. These questions help our eye and brain discern what’s a good investment from what’s an exciting shiny object that we momentarily want to possess. After a while of challenging your purchases you’ll find (like I did) that the things you DO take all the way to checkout are of higher quality fabric and make, are from companies with fair and sustainable production practices, and fall into the timeless chic category. Your wallet (and the planet) will thank you.

*As I type this I realise that I would wear the HELL out of a sequined peacock blue floor-length backless sleeveless kimono, so it’s maybe not the best imaginary scenario. xxJ

 

About the author: Jessica Matthews designs for her label Aida Maeby from her studio in Newtown, Wellington. The brand champions local production (every range is made exclusively in Wellington), waste reduction in the production process, and making sure that all pieces can be worn and loved at least three seasons of the year for many years.

A note from me now…

When Jessica wrote this blog I asked her to show me her new designs for Winter 2018, these are some of my favs from her range that are purchasable online or in stores.  Here are Aida Maeby’s stockists,  if you find a stockist that doesn’t have the piece you are admiring, they can probably get it in for you.   I’m so loving these checks… PLUS I know I would get at least 30 wears out of each of these items and they would be in my wardrobe for years to come.

Let’s embrace The Rule of 30 Wears.. let me know if you think your wardrobe is up to i!

Until my next blog,

Yours in Style,

Johanna-May xx