Shop Local
Hat by Anthony Peto, jumper by & Daughter, trousers by Acne Studios, boots (pictured below) by Isabel Marant.
Photographs (taken pre-Covid-19 lockdown) by Liadh Connolly.
Our world is in free fall. But should we still be shopping?
Shopping seems like a bad word to me now. It feels guilty, like something that I shouldn’t be doing or even contemplating. A frivolous act, a waste of money when we don’t know what the next day, week or month will bring. I think we could all agree that there are much bigger things to think about than clothes and making new purchases.
But what if shopping could actually help to make a positive impact right now?
Shopping is something that we can control when we’ve lost hold of so much else. We’ve got the power to decide where our money is spent, who our money goes to and ultimately, what businesses it saves. We can vote with our wallets. Consider this before you make any purchases during this time.
While there are many people facing unemployment due to Covid-19, there are also many people who are still employed and receiving a regular wage who find themselves with more disposable income than usual and who still want to shop. As well as making donations and helping those less fortunate, there are other ways you can contribute.
Vanessa Friedman discussed the idea in her column for the New York Times last week: Should we still go shopping (online)? If it feels like the answer is no, take five minutes to read her article. Shopping, for those who still have the resources to do so, can be a positive act right now and can go one step further in helping to support the economy as well as small business owners. Leandra Medine and Harling Ross debated the subject on Man Repeller and British Vogue fashion writer Julia Hobbs explored the process of meaningful purchases, saying “the growing conversation around maintaining some of our regular shopping habits during this time is important, specifically where we are able to exercise our support for young designers that are struggling to survive this crisis”. The overarching theme is that if we are still shopping, we should be shopping thoughtfully rather than mindlessly.
Online shopping has become a pastime of sorts in recent years (who else is guilty of scrolling through pages and pages of dresses in front of the TV at night?) and increasingly a tool to combat boredom and cabin fever - particularly while we have more time than ever to scroll. If you are thinking of shopping during this time, consider who and where you are buying from. Reports from Amazon and ASOS warehouses claim they are breeding grounds for the virus, putting workers’ lives at risk all for the sake of packaging your delivery. With weekly newsletters filling our inboxes offering 20%, 30%, 50% sales and discount codes using ‘STAYHOME’, as well as bloggers and influencers pushing seemingly endless loungewear hauls (no one could possibly need that many joggers, hoodies and pyjamas especially when they are coming from the likes of ultra-fast fashion outlets like Boohoo, Nasty Gal and Missguided) via Instagram and Youtube, it’s easy to get sucked into buying from the regular high street and online outlets that you usually frequent. But will your €20, €30, €50 really go far in helping these multinational companies? Or would it be better spent with an independent seller who really needs your support right now. So many shops have been forced to shutter due to Covid-19, and even those who regularly trade online are feeling a hit with many people pushing shopping for non-essentials to the bottom of their ‘to buy’ list.
So if we are going to continue to shop we should collectively agree to shop consciously. If those who can (and want to) keep shopping do, we can help to save the brands that need saving. Think about what shops and brands you want to see and visit in three months’ time (or whenever all this is over) and spend your money wisely with them.
Most small brands and independent shops don’t have the cash flow to survive during a period of indefinite closure. We could come out of this the other side with a lot less individuality in terms of shops and brands available both online and in our towns or we could begin to see more creative sides of people and brands blossom. Many brands are pivoting and adapting their current business model to help the cause: beautiful Irish linen brand 31 Chapel Lane has started making face masks for medical workers and similarly, Stable of Ireland and Irish Linen House have both started making masks for public use.
Finally, might well-thought out, carefully selected purchases serve a purpose to remind us of all the beautiful times to come? The best clothes transport us somewhere else entirely, even if only emotionally. Like putting on your favourite summer dress and remembering a treasured holiday. By purchasing something new with an upcoming occasion or event in mind (think sunny barbecues in the garden with family, a brunch out with friends, a beach holiday or city break) these pieces can act as signifiers of that time to come. So could this be your act of kindness this week? To show some support for independent labels, as well as being a gift to yourself as many of us struggle to adjust to the new reality, to assure you that this too will pass, and to encourage you to keep better days in sight. Fashion can keep us dreaming of the day when our normal lives become reality again. A light at the end of the tunnel, of sorts.
Below are some Irish brands and shops to consider buying from during this time:
Fashion:
& Daughter (based in UK but made in Ireland)
Jewellery and accessories:
Independent shops:
Lifestyle: