Minimalism vs. Conscious Consumerism

If you've been following me for a while you've probably noticed that I'm not a minimalist. At the time that I am writing this, I have documented 84 articles of clothing and I currently have 89 items unrelated in my Poshmark that I'm trying to rehome. My closet is large. I'm not a minimalist, and I don't claim to be. I am a conscious consumer.

What does it mean to be a minimalist?

Minimalism is a modern term to describe limiting materialism to the point of function. It's living without all the extra frivolous things. Some people are bound to a minimalist lifestyle becuase they quite simply don't have to means to afford the extras. Others choose this lifestyle as a way to purposefully rebel against the trend in society that tell us that "more is better."

In fashion, minimalism has two forms: in purpose and in design. Purpose describes the use of an item of clothing, while design describes the aesthetic of the garment. A pupose minimalist may find that they only need one pair jeans beacuse they serve the "denim bottoms" category in their closet and anytime that jeans would fit the bill for an outfit, this one pair is adequate. A design minimalist may be driven to purchase items in a more neutral pattern-less design because they perfer the clutter-free look and don't need eye catching clothing in order to achieve their desired look. In practice these two forms of minimalism can be practiced alone or in combination. This makes sense because more "basic" and minimalist design items are typically easier to mix and match in smaller closets, where there aren't limitless options to pair items together. At the same time, there is lots of social media evidence that if someone prefers minimalist design they need not have a small closet.

What does it mean to be a conscious consumer?

Conscious conumerism is a mindset around how one interacts with the clothing industry and their own closet. It focuses on mindfulness and awareness in the all interactions that we have with clothing. When I described conscious consumerism in one of my first few posts I described ithe three pillars of concious consumerism. "Being a conscious consumer is about stopping impulse buying, caring for the items that you have to improve their longevity, and putting more effort into rehoming or recycling garments that are no longer a good fit for you."

I highly recommend reading that post in detail. You can read it here!

What are the main differences between minimalism and conscious consumerism?

Purpose minimalism is a lifestyle, design minimalism is an aesthetic, and conscious consumerism is a mindset. Purpose minimalism dictates how large ones closet should be and it bases it off the idea of not having duplicate items that serve the same purpose. Design minimalism is a styling choice of maintaining a closet of only neutral or basic tones, typically without any pattern or print (think whites, ivorys, blacks, navys, greys, maybe some light blues). Conscious consumerism does not dictate how big ones closet is or what the clothes look like. Instead, it focuses on the mindset of being purposeful with all interactions with clothing, including buying, caring for and discarding articles of clothing.

Can you be a minimalist and a conscious consumer?

Absolutely. There are quite a few people that fall into this category, but I would say that the vast majority of people are not purpose and design minimalists and also conscious about their consumerism.