First, share an item and its story. It can be a light bulb, a fan, a desk, a laptop, an oven, a CD player, a bicycle, a rice cooker, a pair of shoes, a coat, or anything, really.
Second, recall where and when you got this item and assess its qualities.
And finally, evaluate how much pleasure you get from owning this product.
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Here is the format:
Here is the format:
1. Item (Take a Picture)
2. How long
3. Special qualities
4. Reflection
1) Please evaluate your pleasure in owning it
How often do you use this item? Do you take special care of it? How? How often?
If it wears out, what will you feel?
Are you likely to purchase it again?
2) Share your habits or rules of purchasing
1) Please evaluate your pleasure in owning it
How often do you use this item? Do you take special care of it? How? How often?
If it wears out, what will you feel?
Are you likely to purchase it again?
2) Share your habits or rules of purchasing
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2. How long: About 10 years.
3. Special Qualities: It is probably 100% cotton. It is soft and breathable. I still wear it a lot in summer. Honestly, I never expected a 300 NTD T-shirt to last this long. This was more than a fair deal. I wonder why T-shirts nowadays cannot last long.
4. Reflection
4) I find no satisfaction in having poor-quality clothes. The textiles made me itch.
5) Textiles production is land-, energy- and water- wasting. It takes 14 bath tubs worth of water to produce a single T-shirt. Sadly, most clothes end up in landfills or incinerators instead of being recycled. (In fact, based on current technology, it is difficult to recycle clothes with mixed textiles. Most cheap clothes are made up of mixed textiles.) I hate creating waste. I want my clothes to last longer.
Here is an example:
1. Item: A T-shirt my mom bought me from a street stand when I was in 6th grade. (from a Korean clothes factory)
1. Item: A T-shirt my mom bought me from a street stand when I was in 6th grade. (from a Korean clothes factory)
2. How long: About 10 years.
3. Special Qualities: It is probably 100% cotton. It is soft and breathable. I still wear it a lot in summer. Honestly, I never expected a 300 NTD T-shirt to last this long. This was more than a fair deal. I wonder why T-shirts nowadays cannot last long.
4. Reflection
Even though our topic today is the pleasure of ownership, I want to share the
opposite. I would like to share my experience of excessive purchases and how
they bring no happiness at all.
When I was 19, I got so obsessed with online shopping. I desperately wanted to
build a wardrobe with the most stylish collection of clothes. I collected
different shades of denim jackets, shirts that I barely wore, and pairs of shoes
I didn't necessarily need.
Now that I am 22, I no longer own many clothes. I wear mostly Uniqlo U
T-shirts, blue jeans, and my 3-year-old Birkenstocks.
Obviously, my taste for fashion has changed. I find minimalism refreshing and prefer a more simple style. But it is the tiring cycle of buying and discarding
clothes that made me decide to get rid of my old wardrobe and old habits.
Here are some observations on this transition:
1) Most clothes I used to buy from fast fashion brands wore out quickly. To be
specific, they lasted no more than a year. I had to buy another new collection of
clothes every year, which means I didn't save much money from buying them cheaply.
2) I have wasted too much time making trivial decisions again and again on
selecting new clothes.
3) I built no affection for my clothes. I felt good when shopping and buying
things. However, this happiness didn't linger.
4) I find no satisfaction in having poor-quality clothes. The textiles made me itch.
5) Textiles production is land-, energy- and water- wasting. It takes 14 bath tubs worth of water to produce a single T-shirt. Sadly, most clothes end up in landfills or incinerators instead of being recycled. (In fact, based on current technology, it is difficult to recycle clothes with mixed textiles. Most cheap clothes are made up of mixed textiles.) I hate creating waste. I want my clothes to last longer.
Honestly, I haven't quit online clothes shopping because I still enjoy its
convenience. But I do minimize my total purchases. For the same budget of
$1500NTD, I buy 1-2 pieces instead of 3-4.
#circulareconomy #economy #sustainability #sustainablelife #greenlife #ownership #reflection #consumerism #buyinghabits #life #purchase #productdesign
