INTERVIEW #145 ARLETTE PUCK
Name: Arlette Puck
Occupation: Digital Marketer
Based in: the Netherlands
Website: www.deutrechtsemoderevolutie.nl
Instagram: @deutrechtsemoderevolutie
What’s your relationship with clothes, when did you get interested?
When I was young I wasn't really into clothes that much. I studied art history and most of my classmates dressed quite expressively, while I was usually wearing basics. It wasn't until my first grown-up job and I started making money so I could afford to really shop, that my passion for fashion began. I lived in a student house with four other girls and every day the doorbell rang, delivering an online order for one of us. Since I was still on a budget, I bought most items on sale. Due to the low prices I never really thought long and hard about if I really wanted something for the long run, or just to still my shopping needs for the moment. As fast as the clothes came in, they went out.
Can you tell us more about when you got interested in sustainable fashion and why?
Under Covid, I was bringing sustainability into my life in a lot of different aspects. I became a vegetarian a couple of years before. Was conscious about flying and always opted for the "compensate for my CO2" button. But for some reason, I believed that sustainable fashion was always minimalistic and boring. And I had developed quite a colourful style in the meantime and wasn't ready to give that up. But when Covid came I decided I had to do something good with all that spare time and I started researching sustainable fashion. A whole new world opened for me. Sustainable fashion doesn’t have to be boring at all!
My journey into a sustainable closet quickly moved forward from then on. Vinted was just uprising and I learned to buy second-hand clothes. I joined the No Buy Challenge and didn't buy anything for 5 months. I tried out a capsule wardrobe for a month. All these challenges create a whole new outlook on clothes for me. Normally when I bought something and I hadn't worn it the next two months it would just end up on a "to sell" pile without me caring the least. But now, when I buy something and it turned out to be a bad buy, I feel really bad. Plus it really feels like I had an addiction to buying that I was in rehab for, and now don't feel that desperate urge anymore. Don't get me wrong, I still shop and I still enjoy it. But I now buy things because I really really like them, instead of just buying for the sake of buying.
What is your best advice towards the readers to enjoy fashion and clothing without doing harm?
I have been a sustainable fashion fanatic for three years now. To be able to keep doing that, you have to keep it real in my opinion. Of course, the most sustainable thing would be not to buy anything ever again. Even if it is second-hand. But there is no way I could have kept that up for three years. So sometimes I allow myself to splurge and buy something that I may not need, but that would make me super super happy. And I mix it up. Buying new clothes from sustainable brands, I buy second-hand, rent outfits, swapping clothes, but sometimes also buy from a fast fashion brand when it's an item that I know I will wear for the rest of my life. My advice would be, to see where your boundaries are and try to stretch them a bit every time. Don't try to go fully sustainable overnight. And maybe just pick the things you find easy and fun to do and do those really well. Instead of trying to do everything perfectly and then falling off the wagon a couple of months later.