Fashion FOMO: How to Get Rid of It
A quick and painless guide
Before offering the usual advice on how to be a conscious and sustainable consumer in the fashion world, it's important to make a premise.
With globalization, offshoring, and the rise of fast fashion, buying cheap clothes has become incredibly easy. These garments, often of poor quality, are designed to follow the principles of planned obsolescence. Marketing plays a key role: it pushes us to constantly desire something new, creating the illusion that changing our wardrobe is necessary to feel adequate or fashionable.
There are actual psychological theories underlying the consumerist mentality. FOMO — Fear of Missing Out —is a prime example. When we joke about our "Saturday afternoon compulsive shopping" at fast-fashion stores, perhaps we should ask ourselves how funny we really are.
Let's start here: we don't really need everything we want.
Let's repeat it honestly:
– No, we don't need yet another item if we already have dozens of similar ones.
– No, that feathered blazer, as trendy as it is, we wouldn't really wear it.
– No, there's no point in buying another €10 swimsuit that fades or leaves dye on your skin after a couple of washes.
Once we've overcome FOMO and marketing-induced neediness, we can finally start talking about best practices for more sustainable fashion.
1. Learn about sustainable brands
Today, thanks to the internet and social media, getting informed is easy. A simple Google search or a few Instagram profiles dedicated to ethical fashion can open up a world of valid alternatives. And as soon as you start following sustainability-focused content, your algorithm will adapt too: you'll discover new brands and initiatives without even looking for them.
2. Second hand and vintage: the sustainable (and cool) alternative
If you think sustainable brands are too expensive, it's important to clarify one thing: while it's true that individual items may be more expensive, this reflects higher quality, a more ethical supply chain, and significantly longer lifespan. And most importantly, you don't need to keep buying.
A valid alternative, cheaper but equally ethical, is the world of secondhand and vintage . Platforms like Vinted and Vestiaire Collective offer unique pieces at affordable prices. If you prefer to shop in person, explore vintage or secondhand shops in your city.
3. Take care of your clothes: repair, preserve, protect
Learning to care for your clothes is a gesture of respect for the planet and for what we wear. Repair small defects, wash carefully, and avoid the dryer whenever possible.
Of course, this is easier if you start with good-quality garments: unfortunately, many fast fashion products lose their shape, color, and resistance after just a few washes.
4. Donate? Yes, but consciously.
We often think that donating clothes is an act of generosity. But the reality is more complex. Only a small portion of the items donated * is actually distributed to those in need. The rest is exported en masse to countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, creating huge piles of textile waste that pollute already fragile territories. In some African countries, these garments are known as the dead white man's clothes . In addition to the environmental impact, this system damages local economies, stifling domestic textile production. And for us, it's just an excuse to perpetuate a vicious cycle: I buy too much → I don't use it → I donate it → I feel better → I buy again .
It's better to choose local alternatives: resell online, rely on associations that distribute directly and on a non-profit basis.
Moral of the story?
Research, explore, go beyond what's constantly being offered. Scout, educate yourself, discover new alternatives. But above all: buy less, use more, and choose consciously .
And for those who say they "don't choose" when they shop, that they buy casually or that they don't care about how they dress... it's good to remember that not choosing is also a choice :) .
*Source Vesti Solidale
* Illustration by Lauren Drinkwater