Rocking one jacket for a decade – is that sustainable?

Is it sustainable if you keep and use an item of clothing for many years more than expected? As 2019 comes to a close, I was thinking about how long I’ve had this jacket…and realized I’ve had it for a really long time.

🌱🤔 I bought this jacket in Tokyo @uniqlo for like $60 back in like 2013 I think it was (I had arrived in winter from the tropics not thinking about how cold it was then in Japan lol).

It’s my go-to whenever I travel anywhere, because I get cold easily and it tends to be unnecessarily freezing cold in places like planes, airports, and any building in Singapore. 😅

But because MOST of my time is in warm locales, it’s nice to have a jacket that stuffs into the size of a grapefruit and weighs very little. It’s kept me warm in many situations over the years. 🥶

My only occasional regret is that I didn’t get a black or gray one, sometimes I’d rather blend in more, or wear with nicer business-casual clothing and not have it look too out of place. I originally bought it when I was chasing whitewater, so blue made more sense – not so much anymore, even though I like the color.

But the point is that it’s still functional after all these years in many climates, many cleanings, and a lot of wear and tear. 🤓

Now, it’s probably NOT made from sustainable, “eco-friendly” materials…but isn’t there something to be said for sustainability, in owning one jacket for most of a decade?

A sustainable lifestyle is more than just what I buy at the point of purchase – it is about how much I buy as well, and how often. Something that is made from less “sustainable” materials but which lasts 5x longer, or which I use for 5x longer, that is probably a net positive.

Again – a sustainable lifestyle isn’t just momentary virtue signaling, it’s thinking about the big-picture, the long term ramifications of each decision, and making the most rational decision.

Also – considering how much abuse this jacket has received over the years, though I knew nothing about Uniqlo before buying it, I would buy another one because nothing ever lasts me this long!