As clothes become more accessible, our relationship with them weakens. With a quick tap we can get those jeans delivered to our door the next day, just in time for that restaurant date with our friends. By the next week we are hunting for the next outfit for that birthday party coming up. Constantly, scouting for the next outfit for the next event.

With clothing production nearly doubling since 2000, our need for more is having a dangerous impact on our planet. It’s predicted that if fast-fashion continues at the rate it currently is, in 2050 fashion will take up a quarter of the world's carbon budget. More than 60% of fabric fibres are now synthetics, derived from fossil fuels and when these clothes end up in landfills it can take up to 200 years to decay. 

Our obsession with consumption is guided by complex emotional factors. One driver of our need to constantly buy is, a chemical neurotransmitter called dopamine which is the possibility and anticipation chemical. When we see clothes on an influencer, model, celebrity or anyone we are inspired by, dopamine kicks in telling us that this piece of clothing will make us more desirable, loved, accepted and happier. But this isn’t the reality, our excitement starts to decline as soon as we click buy, then dopamine is back at it again, creating an illusion, leading us to want the next thing. In order to change the way we consume, we need to understand these drivers behind our buying behaviour and make more conscious decisions. Consumerism requires a shift from implosion to conscious use, from dopamine to serotonin, desire to contentment. Our relationship with our clothes is sometimes reflective of the relationship we have with ourselves. When we stop desiring to be something else and instead start to celebrate who we really are, this in turn will affect how we consume. 

Emotional durability is the concept of designing clothes that people want to keep, when someone has a strong emotional connection with a piece of clothing they are unlikely to throw it away. The term was coined by Professor Jonathan Chapman a sustainable design theorist, who stresses that “we are consumers of meaning not matter.” He suggests that we retain interest in things only when they continue, over time, to remain meaningful, and can adapt to our changing desires and values. Almost 50% of products that are not returned back to the store are due to subjective emotional reasons, this is a concept that the fashion industry needs to pay attention too. 

At Ashon Anthea we want to strengthen people’s emotional ties to themselves, their clothes and the world around them. By adding artwork with a meaning to our designs, each item becomes a piece of art that resonates with an individual. We also want to bring people together who share a common interest or passion. We hope that our clothes can spark connections and revive a conscious and meaningful relationship with our clothes.