Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.
If you spend anytime in our home you will see an abundance of gear and outdoor clothing. Truth is very little get tossed out. In fact, the last great purge was when we sent a bunch of clothing with friends who were headed to NOLA in the aftermath of Katrina.
Getting rid of clothes and gear is not something I like to do. And if I do, it goes to someone else who wants it or can use it. So when Patagonia started addressing the consumerism issue it piqued my interest. With Black Friday now imposing on Thanksgiving day and the ensuing mayhem, even more so.
Last year for Black Friday, Patagonia ran an ad in the New York Times “Don’t Buy This Jacket.” It was their way of encouraging their customers to “buy less and buy more thoughtfully.”
This year they went one step further and rolled out “Worn Wear.” The film and the Tumblr that goes with it use the tag line Stories We Wear and is “an invitation to celebrate the stuff you already own.”
Clothes and gear do tell a story. I know mine do and I like that.
Of course I still buy stuff I probably don’t really need. I have gear and clothes that are improvements on previous designs and I wanted to take advantage of that. And I still will.
But the Stories We Wear tagline stuck a chord and got me thinking about something I grew up with, “use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.” So the old stuff will get looked at again. And the patches and wear will be bookmarks of the journey.
Nicely done Patagonia!