How Author Aja Barber Creates The Perfect Sustainable Wardrobe
It was the climate crisis that motivated Aja Barber to rethink the way she shopped. But when she stopped buying new clothes, something unexpected happened: she began to dress better. ‘My style has improved,’ the American-born, London-based author, activist and stylist says. ‘My wardrobe is better than it’s ever been. And I definitely buy less clothing.’
There was a time, Barber recalls, when she was ‘definitely participatory’ in the consumption-driven system. About 15 years ago, the high street was her go-to and she didn’t think about how much clothing she was buying. But as she learned more about the impact of her purchasing habits on the planet and the people who made her clothes, she changed her approach: she bought less and practically stopped buying new. Now, she says, her style is more thoughtful. And the clothes she buys are more special. She’s patient, too, often waiting months to find what she’s looking for on the resale market. On the rare occasion she does buy from a brand, it’s from an ethical label (like those featured on this page).
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Barber says clothes are too readily available. Thanks to Instagram and e-commerce, everything is just a click away. ‘Everywhere you turn, there’s a shopping opportunity.’ It’s a big shift from when she was growing up, she says. ‘That [realisation] horrified me.’ Today, the vast majority of Barber’s wardrobe is made up of second-hand pieces by her favourite designers, sourced on eBay or Vestiaire Collective; she’s always on the lookout for anything from Dries Van Noten, Comme des Garçons or Junya Watanabe.
‘When you give yourself certain parameters for how you buy and consume, it really forces you to think outside of the box and be a little bit more imaginative with what you’re purchasing. And that can result in a really interesting shift in your personal style,’ she says. Barber’s advice for those who want to shop more mindfully? ‘Take a purposeful pause from buying clothes. Take a break from the apps. Let your brain reset,’ she says.
Adding that unsubscribing from clothing brands’ mailing lists is a good first step. ‘We’re in this place where everything moves so quickly, it’s almost like a hamster wheel of consumption. We have to take a break, so we can start thinking about these systems differently.’
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