If there are fake news, there are also “fake wants” that drive people into materialism.

Due to today’s influencer culture, people are judged based on their Internet popularity or number of followers and likes and on what they own, not on what they really are. This influencer culture, with influencers used as marketing tools to persuade people to consume more and more, leads to disposable culture, wherein everything — from gadgets to clothes — are deemed “disposable” as soon as the newer model or trend comes along.

Kotler and Armstrong, in their book Principles of Marketing (2020), wrote that commodities, typically gadgets, are criticized for being manufactured to have “planned obsolescence” or a lifespan of only one to two years. Companies follow an annual timetable of “introducing planned streams” of new products to deem the older models obsolete, turning consumers into “serial replacers.” Some brands have been accused of slowing down updates so consumers can be forced to buy new models.

If the device outlasts this period of “planned obsolescence,” the plan B is “perceived obsolescence,” wherein tech companies work hard to shape public perception that the older models of their products are now obsolete and, therefore, consumers must buy the new models even if, in reality, these offer very little difference in terms of functions and benefits than the older ones.

In the fast fashion industry, wasteful disposable clothing culture manifests in continuously changing customers’ perspectives of acceptable styles to encourage more and earlier buying.

As a result of these planned and perceived obsolescence, the mentality that everything is disposable extends from things to people — even the influencers. Celebrities and influencers now rise and fall as fast as the brands and products they endorse.

Of course, companies have to produce more because, like everyone else, they have bills to pay, mouths to feed, operations and branding that should be sustained. The move toward a more sustainable lifestyle is up to us, consumers — by first, changing our perceptions and second, by tweaking our buying habits.

This Lenten season, let us reflect on different ways to fast in addition to food, including social media detox. After all, the times call for “fashion fasting” due to higher prices and fuel shortage because of the Middle East conflict that rages on. In the face of crises, sustainable lifestyle, such as shifting to electric vehicles that rely less on gas, is no longer a choice but a must for survival.

Fashion fasting starts with shifting one’s mindset that clothes, just because they’re thrifted or bought cheap, are disposable. If we detest single-use plastic, then we should also scorn single-use clothing, wherein clothes are discarded even if there are still many years left before these wear and tear.

Make it rewarding

Fashion fasting is indeed hard since research, such as the “Mechanism of retail therapy during stressful life events” empirical study by Kim and Chang (2023) show that “revenge consumption” or “indulging in luxury goods” has “therapeutic effect on self-esteem and subjective well-being” and can improve consumers’ mental health especially during crises like the pandemic.

But apart from being a necessary sacrifice for Lent, fashion fasting should be made rewarding as a habit.

First, there are the financial rewards. Every piece of clothing has “cost per use,” wherein its actual value is computed by dividing its retail price by the number of times it should be worn. If, for example, a pair of jeans costs P1,000 and you only wore it once, then you lose that P1,000, not only that pair of jeans. But if, for example, you were able to wear those pants for over 1,000 times, then not only have you gotten a return of investment (ROI) — you have also saved P1,000 for over 1,000 times — and that is already P1 million that you could have saved by shifting your perception and habit from single to multiple use.

Second, instead of buying and shopping, make it more rewarding to learn how to repair and properly take care of your own clothes so that they indeed last for over 1,000 uses. Following the care instructions in clothes’ labels can make you save on money, water, electricity and detergent.

Levi’s, for instance, tells its customers to save water by reusing their clothes multiple times before washing them. According to the heritage brand, washing clothes in cold water and line-drying them can reduce the full life cycle and climate change impact on clothes by as much as 50 percent.

Unilever, on the other hand, says that washing in lower temperatures use less energy and water, resulting into up to 15 percent reduction in greenhouse emissions. Innovative washing products, like certain fabric conditioners, can limit rinsing to only one bucket of water, and this is helpful especially in areas where there is water shortage and hand washing is the norm.

Don’t buy aesthetically redundant clothes

From my studies at Slim’s Fashion and Arts School, I learned that new fabrics must be pre-shrunk by at least rinsing it with water once and then drying and ironing it, before actually cutting and sewing it. Otherwise, the fabric would shrink if you’d turn it into clothes the more that you wash it.

Unfortunately, it has been a standard practice for brands — fast fashion, high street or luxury — to not preshrink the fabrics they use. The result — their clothes shrink overtime, making the wearer think he or she is getting fat, so therefore, they feel bad and they need to buy new clothes, when in fact, it is their clothes that are just getting smaller.

Thus, my advice is to buy clothes that are slightly bigger because they will shrink over time to fit you perfectly — just like it has been said to buy slightly tight shoes as these mold into one’s feet over time.

Familiarize yourself with all the clothes, shoes and accessories that you have in your closet. Then, before buying anything, even if it’s cheap, have a memory scan of what you already have. Avoid buying something that comes not only in the same color, but also the same style, as something in your wardrobe. This principle should be applied regardless of where you shop — may it be online, thrift shops and outlet stores.

Oftentimes, we mistakenly think that just because we’re saving money for buying cheap and shopping at discount stores, we’re already into sustainable fashion and lifestyle. But if you’re not controlling your thrifting and outlet shopping, then you’re also into overconsumption.

While it feels good to be inside a luxury boutique, it is better for peace of mind and mental health to just window-shop than to swipe your cards for temporary moments of instant gratification then suffer from debt afterwards. Source out “therapy” from something else — like nature walks or for Lent, praying and abstinence. Through mindful consumption, you can convert one-time retail therapy into long-lasting self-control and resilience.