Humpalu man with an eagle eye – “zero waste” lifestyle pioneer Laura Arnicāne / Article / LSM.lv

Laura Arnicāne can be called a pioneer of minimalism in Latvia – a few years ago in her blog “Seek the simple” she started talking about the “zero waste” lifestyle, calling for consuming less, prudently and with better quality. Along with the “zero waste” movement, the idea of ​​the so-called capsule wardrobe has also developed, which helps to save resources: both time and money and energy. What is a capsule and how to implement it in your closet, Laura was invited to tell about the show “TE!” manager Māra Sleja.

Laura calls herself a humphal man with an eagle eye, which allows her to find quality things in the wide range of second-hand shops and complement her capsule wardrobe with quality and easy-to-combine clothes.

Humpalu privilege in Latvia

Laura is convinced that in Latvia we have the privilege to buy quality goods at low prices in second-hand shops. But the “eagle’s eye” needs to be trained to find really quality things. Laura invites you to learn how to combine clothes skillfully. She combines humpalu clothing with investment clothing – those for whom she usually saves money and who serve in the long run. For example, Laura chooses to combine a leather jacket worth a few hundred euros with a skirt bought for 1.50 euros or shoes for 1.82 euros.

Laura introduces the idea of ​​a capsule wardrobe in her new project “True Wardrobe”. She explains this with three simple principles. First of all, the main element of the capsule wardrobe is quality. It must “beat the parties” in quantity. Wherever we shop, we need to look for quality clothes that can serve us as long as possible. The second principle is to create a wardrobe from a small number of garments. How little is not determined and can vary from person to person. For one, 100 pieces of clothing means little, for the other 25, but everyone has to find their lowest point in the amount of clothing, where they felt comfortable and who helps to dress beautifully for all occasions. The third and most important principle is that all clothes must be easy to combine. For example, the ability to create 72 combinations from 20 garments. This means that a person with a small number of clothes can dress as differently as possible or cover as wide a range of functions as possible – taking into account both where to go and personal needs.

Capsule wardrobe is not detached from fashion. This approach to wardrobe design does not immediately mean boring, uniform shades of Scandinavian or just classic style clothing. The wardrobe can also be bright and interesting, even incorporating the latest fashion trends – the main thing is that the clothes combine with each other, are of high quality and in as few numbers as possible.

The owner of the capsule wardrobe also has no fixed age, body composition, status, location, stylist education or any other similar restrictions. A woman in New York and a woman in Dobele can learn to create this type of wardrobe. It has nothing to do with who you are, how much money you have or what you do. When creating such a wardrobe, a person gets to know his body structure, color palette that suits him and does not suit him, understands what is a lifestyle and adapts his clothes to these needs. As you learn this, over time, you will gain an understanding of what you need. It is a personal choice – to take a step towards sustainability, Laura emphasizes.

Why is it important to introduce capsules in the wardrobe? This is how a person makes a choice to save their resources in the long run and not waste them. A well-thought-out wardrobe and shopping habits solve a lot of problems, for example – I have a full closet and nothing to pull on my back.

It also costs less, which can lead to less work.

Third, it helps to avoid the huge confusion that can take over when you arrive at the store, because the planning of the capsule in the wardrobe takes place before shopping, and not on the spot in the store. A person’s thinking changes, he buys for himself, for his own needs and does it consciously. Shopping and dressing are no longer impulsive, emotional or subject to environmental pressures. On the other hand, globally, it is sustainable thinking that has a positive effect on saving the world’s resources.

Endure the momentum of constant consumption

When asked how to combat the impulse to consume all the time, Laura answers: it is necessary to make a choice not to buy. She calls for the desire to find and measure things, if any, to be satisfied, but not to bring everything home. You don’t have to buy anything spontaneously, and you also have to give yourself time to think about whether this thing is really necessary. If the thought of two days does not leave, then you can safely buy. Laura observes that now the tendency to live and dress with less consumption is becoming more and more popular.

It is quite positive that more and more young people can be seen in second-hand clothes and bulk stores, Laura says.

Bulk shopping and shopping is another trend that supports ‘less is more’ and calls for saving your own and the world’s resources. Openness to this type of shopping in Latvia has been observed in the last three years, when the “zero waste” movement has become more widespread and more and more people are introducing it in their daily lives. The main reason why people choose to shop in such stores is the desire to reduce waste, the desire not to use plastic bags and save their resources.

In Latvia, the demand for bulk shopping has become significant in a few years. Now you can shop in at least nine bulk stores in Latvia, including some outside Riga. Supermarkets are also following suit, giving them the opportunity to buy products in their own containers.

Skeptics say that “zero waste” and all that it entails is a drop in the ocean and planes or big global companies do much more damage to the world that little effort from individuals can do. However, Laura is convinced that huge changes can be achieved with small individual steps, and Latvia has proved this perfectly: “Three years ago, when we started the“ zero waste ”movement, actively talking about it and writing a blog, there was absolutely no bulk store. Now there are nine or even more “zero waste” stores in Latvia, where soda, citric acid, oil and much more can be bought without packaging, ”says Laura with satisfaction.

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