Everything we do has an impact. Every choice we make has a consequence, some big and some small, but a consequence nonetheless. In our consumer-driven culture, we accumulate more than we need, we sell more than we have to, and we use more resources than would be wise.
All too often, we separate ourselves from those impacts. We do not see and feel the Earth providing its resources to us; we simply use those resources.
We take the important step of buying better, choosing carefully from ethical brands that align with our values. Chasing Windmills strives to be one of the brands. We tell the stories of the sheep, the ranchers, and the soil that make our merino possible. We work with caring and conscious partners to transform our merino into the long johns, hoodies, and t-shirts that our own kids wear every day and night.
But no brand is without impact, even the very best. Choosing better is only half the solution if we’re serious about healing our environment and protecting its skies, its water, and its soil.
We need to fundamentally change our relationship to the things we own. As an apparel brand, that change starts with the simple act of dressing ourselves, morning and night.
As a whole, the apparel industry has skyrocketed in its size, its power, and its impact. In the past fifteen years, the global number of garments sold has doubled. We now produce and consume 100 billion garments per year.
Many of these 100 billion garments quickly end up in donation centers or, worse, landfills. According to a 2016 study, 6 of 10 garments are thrown away within a year of being made. They sit in garbage dumps or they are taken to trash incinerators.
We did not need so many billions articles of clothing. But the multi-billion-dollar advertisement industry told us that we did, and so we consume clothes at unprecedented levels.
As a very small part of this enormous apparel industry, we are lending our voice to an emerging chorus: buy better and less. Love the things you own more and keep them longer. Repair what you have and extend its life.
Our children can be hard on their clothes. Holes will pop up from time to time. It’s just part of living an active life filled with exploration and adventure. But that small hole in the knee doesn’t mean that our long johns should be added to those 6 in 10 garments destined for the trash.
That hole can be mended, and new adventures can be had in those garments. For those who have not yet embraced the mending life, we have several tutorials to help you make basic repairs — to clothes made by Chasing Windmills or any other brand.
We can help this Earth heal. And it starts with changing our relationship to the things we own, including the clothes we wear. It starts by buying better and less.