Ladies, it's 1st November!! I know I won't be alone in the temptation to have put Mariah Carey 'All I want for Christmas' on full blast, pop up the Christmas tree and put on my sparkliest dress this morning. Christmas countdown is officially on.
And whilst I do classify myself as a Christmas fanatic, it's also not hard to admit the darker sides to this season, when it comes to the impact on our planet. And when it comes to fashion, yet again, the industry is up there as one of the worst offenders. Not only does the increase in events in our social calendars sky rocket, as does the number of new Christmas party outfits we then feel the pressure to buy. But according to a survey charity Oxfam conducted, amongst 2,000 British women aged 18 to 55 in 2019, 40% of women said they would buy a sequined piece of clothing specifically for the festive season. And with the trending themes for Christmas parties this year being:
Disco
Masquerade ball
Proud cabaret
Carnivale
Circus
I can only imagine the high street will be sparklier and more glittery then a roller disco in the 80's. But what's the problem? All this sparkle can only bring joy, right?! Unfortunately, not.
Of those women surveyed, only a quarter were sure they would wear it again at all, on average respondents said they would wear the clothing only five times before casting it aside and five per cent even said they would put their clothes in the bin once they had finished with them.
Leading Oxfam to calculate that 1.7 million pieces of festive partywear would end up in landfill. And that's just the sequinned items that have actually been purchased, never mind the waste dumped by major high street retailers then minute the clock strikes midnight and a new year is brought in.
When you hear these stats, it's difficult to feel the same warm fuzziness and joy the festive season it meant to bring about. And whilst there are some incredibly clever people out there finding eco-friendly sequin solutions, until they are more widely available, it does feel a little like a moral dilemma when your inner magpie is drawn to all the festive sparkle. But does it really need to? Not when rental is an option, right?
#jointherentalrevolution and rent that sequinned dress for your Christmas Party, light the night up and feel fantastic and guilt-free doing so, knowing that you will be one of many wonderful women sharing that dress for their perfect festive occasion.
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