T H O U S A N D R E A S O N S

why are you doing this..?

YES, it`s good that you`re asking! - I just love this question!

simplicity

We can do anything we want - our life is full of choices. In fact, we make 20`000 decisions each day. Yes, you understood me correctly: each day, not over a lifetime and not even per year. Each day – Isn`t that just crazy? It starts in the morning with the ringing of your alarm clock: You decide to sleep 10 minutes more, despite needing your breakfast. Finally, you get up, open your closet and stare at your shelves full of clothes. “What the hell am I going to wear today?” - "The orange blouse with the nice collar? – oh no, the matching trousers are in the laundry. The green skirt with the pleats? – oh no, it`s too cold for that." I`m sure you can imagine the rest of my daily soliloquy, without hearing the end. But my decisions for the day are not complete after choosing my outfit. Should I take the bus or my bike to get to the office? Should I bring my lunch or go to the Thai restaurant during my break? Should I this, should I that…? So many questions, so many decisions. I think it`s time to simplify my life and wearing the same dress for one year seams like a good start.

minimalism

We don`t only do what we want, we can also own what we want, and so we do. We have 17 pairs of shoes, 15 pairs of jeans, 3 pairs of trousers, 21 dresses, 5 pairs of pyjamas, 25 sweaters, some cardigans, 7 jackets, 9 blouses, 29 shirts (I`m just guessing how many clothes a woman could have). I simply don`t believe that stuff makes people happy, even though so many advertisements want to make us believe that`s the case. So I try to reduce and minimise the number of things I own. Even more so, when I remember that for every single piece I buy, resources like water, energy, wood, metal, oil, human strength and intelligence were needed. Their production and transportation also produce a lot of C02. And, I think it`s more than obvious that the resources of our planet are not endless and that the climate is changing due to our emissions. Aren`t these enough reasons to embrace minimalism?

fairness

You`ve already read about our abundance and the myriad of choices we make day to day. It is amazing to live in these circumstances, but only a small percentage of the worlds population has this privilege. Still many people live in slavery, working in our mines, our factories, doing the things we don`t want to do or the things we`re just too expensive for. Many of them can`t even choose their job. Knowing about this imbalance makes me want to change the world. But I should start with my own life! My dress will be like a monument to these people, a monument to the few choices and possibilities they have.

freedom

Isn`t freedom the heart`s desire of all human beings? At least for me it is. I want to be free from the opinions of the people who surround me. I don`t want to be ashamed to wear the same thing for a week, even though it`s not common to do so. I want to be free to think and write and do what I want. And I mostly am, luckily. I wish the same for all the other people on our blue planet. I wish for you to get more and more inspired to live this life full of freedom.