Sequins aren’t just for Christmas
The other day, I wore sequins to Sainsbury’s. Was I heading out to a special occasion? Had I been invited to a Christmas party?
No. I just felt like wearing red sequinned trousers to the supermarket. Nobody looked at me as though I’d gone mad. In fact, a shop assistant complimented me on them.
Anyway, it got me thinking about sequins. In particular, the massive problem with them — and what we can do about it.
What’s the problem with sequins?
Sequins are an environmental disaster. They’re the ultimate in throwaway fashion. According to research by Oxfam, once Christmas is over, 1.7 million sequinned items will end up in the bin.
Sequins are made from plastic and don’t biodegrade — so they spend a few hours at a party and hundreds, or even thousands, of years in landfill.
Equally as damaging, during the manufacture and laundering of sequinned products, microplastics get washed into the waterways. They end up in oceans where they’ll float around pretty much forever.
It’s such a big problem that this year, Boden made the brave decision to remove all sequins and glitter from its collection. They want their partywear to be for life, not just for Christmas.
We keep buying new sequins!
This Christmas, women in the UK will buy around 33 million new items decorated with sequins. They’re like roast chestnuts and carol singing. We associate sequins with Christmas.
And, we keep on buying new ones. Every Christmas, we hit the high street for the latest sparkly thing. This item has a brief moment of glory before sitting forgotten in the wardrobe or being chucked away.
Why do we buy clothes to be worn just one month out of 12? Why do we limit our feel-good party clothes to 'special occasions’?
I’ve come up with some tips for making sequins more sustainable by transforming them into year-round treasures.
Dressing down your sequins
Do you have a sequinned skirt hidden in your wardrobe? Dig it out, because you can restyle that skirt in a multitude of different ways.
Here’s one way to dress it down…
Team it with a T-shirt, a denim jacket and a pair of flat-heeled chunky boots. Obviously, the skirt is a showstopper — but this way, it’s dressed down. You can wear that down-styled outfit anywhere (including Sainsbury’s).
Try the same idea with a sparkly dress. Depending on the dress style, put a shirt or T-shirt underneath it. Wear it with tights and Dr Martens, or just put a jumper over the top and turn it into a skirt.
Sequins should be an all-year-round joy. They look amazing in the summer with the sun bouncing off them. You can easily wear them with a white T-shirt and flip flops.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: I can’t possibly wear sequins in my daily life. I’ll get funny looks. People will think I’ve gone crazy.
The sequin mindset
Imagine a world where women could wear whatever makes them feel good, rather than what’s on trend. We could wear those incredible, feel-good clothes whenever we liked — not just for `special occasions’.
It would have a ripple effect. Other women would be given permission to do the same thing.
It’s a mindset thing because in our heads, we tend to segregate outfits into boxes. Some clothes are in the `going out’ box, others are in the `work’ or `at home’ box. It restricts our options.
I’m not suggesting you work at home in a sequin ball gown — but you still can bring its `feel-amazing’ vibe into your everyday world.
Creative ideas for sequins
Restyling sequins is about creativity with outfit building.
If you’re not naturally creative, don’t worry. There are a multitude of incredible women out there who have already been creative for you. Try searching `how to dress down sequins’ on Pinterest. It’s an instant source of styling inspiration.
When it comes down to it, here’s the most important thing:
Which clothes make you feel good? If that `going out’ dress makes you feel amazing, why save it for Christmas, or for special occasions? There’s no reason why you can’t have that feeling all year round.
Making sequins more sustainable
Firstly, please don’t buy new. If you want a fresh sequin look, buy second hand. There’s no end of sparkly choice in charity shops or websites such as Vinted.
Oxfam has been running a campaign urging women to donate unworn sequins to their shops. It’s backed by a star-studded list of celebrities — Alesha Dixon, Una Healy, Celia Imrie, Alice Levine, Louise Redknappp, Alison Steadman, KT Tunstall and Grace Woodward.
They’ve all been donating showstopping partywear, so it’s worth taking a look. You may find something that’s been worn on the red carpet.
On a final note, please be careful how you wash them.
As I said before, sequins leach microplastics into the water system, and the ocean. Rather than using the washing machine, just spritz sequined items with a spray bottle — half water, half fabric softener. If you must wash them, use a bucket and empty the water into your flower bed or window boxes.
For help with creative ideas on restyling your sparkles and sequins, I’m here for you. Get in touch for a chat.