Sensible young radicals around the world, are taming reckless consumerism while still scratching the shopping itch, through creative global experiments. Kasmin Fernandes does a recce of the labs and meets the Indian accomplices

The latest laptop that's 2 mm thinner. The new titanium cellphone. Peer pressure and ad pressure mean you are incomplete unless you buy these. Trouble is, surplus consumption leads to surplus production and CO2. So it's far better if you can stick with what you have.

A group of 100 people across India, UK and Dubai did more than that. They survived on six items of clothing -- and less -- for an entire month. Called Six Items or Less (.com), the global experiment was started on June 21 by two Manhattan ad execs, and showed consumerism a polite middle finger.

Bengaluru: Sneha Lakshman, Creative designer

Sneha resolved to switch to an all-black wardrobe one day, and headed
to work. That same day she stumbled on the Six Items Or Less site,
and signed up. Pic/Karthik S

"The idea was born out of a chat with Heidi (Hackemer) about whether we could wear one outfit for an entire year. We loved the idea of wearing au00a0 'uniform' for a period of time, to be liberated from the stresses and strains of choosing what to wear, and to create a set look," co-founder Tamsin Davies told Sunday Mid Day in an email interview.

A 100 people joined in, for reasons ranging from anti-fast fashion, to using restriction to be more creative, to the sheer joy and madness of taking part in such a bizarre experiment.

Mumbai: Shirley D'costa, Ad Professional

Shirley picked a pair of black leggings, a skirt, one short and two long
tops, one black knit jacket. PICS/ Vikas Munipalle

But why did they zero in on the number six? "Having six items still allows for a fair amount of variation and
flexibility, but a month of this soon forces you to think differently about a lot of things," said Davies.

Why waste energy on what to wear?
On June 21, in Bengaluru, communication and interaction designer Sneha Lakshman, 32, opened her closet to get ready for work, and told herself, "What a waste of time! I have a ration of energy for each day. Instead of using it to do something new, why am I spending it on everyday things like clothes?"

She resolved to switch to an all-black wardrobe, and headed to Dig Design Studio, of which she is co-founder.

"An hour later, I stumbled on the website of Six Items or Less. It was global consciousness playing out," said Lakshman.u00a0

Let's see how long I can do it
A tweet about the experiment by Hackemer (@uberblond), and Mumbai-based ad professional Shirley D'costa, 26, was in "to see how long I could stick to it and how much I can do without."

"Tough as it was to pick six items out of a monstrous wardrobe, I picked a pair of black leggings, a skirt, one short and two long tops, one black knit jacket." D'costa even fulfilled her wanderlust -- without cheating even once.

"Friends and I drove through the clouds to a little hill station out of town," the Andheri resident said. It was a short trip requiring no laundry, and theu00a0 clothes survived.

Next, was a gig and stay-over in Bangalore. "Normally I would have packed dresses, casual wear and spares. Having just six items was liberating; I didn't have to bother about what to pick, neither could I care less about looking underdressed," she says.

Travelling with a smaller bag was every bit worth it for D'costa who spent another three days in Hampi. "The best way to travel there is on bicycle, which meant my solo pair of leggings were used every day. The locals probably started recognising me as the girl who rides up and down the mud paths every day in a uniform!"u00a0

At the end of the experiment, on July 21, Davies realised, "It's amazing how little other people care about the clothes you wear. Most regular folk don't even know you're on a fashion diet -- even close friends, husbands, wives, boyfriends."

One of the main reasons the project worked, according to her, was the strong bond between all 'sixers'
participating. "The sense of community and support from other sixers when you are feeling down or having a
wobble is fantastic," she wrote.

Lakshman's experiment has inspired her colleagues. "They are planning to strip their wardrobes, put together items they don't wear regularly and give it away to others. They are planning to donate it all together -- there's a big donate box at the studio now!" she said.

A year without new clothes
Then, there is The Great American Apparel Diet (GAAD), a movement started by a group of American women who decided to go a full year without buying a single new garment of clothing.

Since its inception in September 2009, the group has grown to represent members from 17 states and six
countries. "Some are sick and tired of consumption in general while others are concerned about the environment," said Sally Bjornsen on the GAAD website. "Who are we without something hip and new in our closets? We shall see."u00a0

The admission that many of these women feel intense anxiety in the absence of materialism, is a crucial and revolutionary first step that more women should feel safe taking. And not buying is, by definition, free, meaning that anyone with motivation enough and a desire to say no to the status quo can participate in this form of soul-searching.u00a0

The clothing embargo is evidence of a progressively non-traditional movement of women committed to replacing elitist, consumption-based models of spiritual salvation and existential peace with bids to do a lot with a little.

Buy Nothing Day
Hobbit-eyed Varun Lulla is the CEO of Nothing ufffd in India. Media foundation Adbusters, responsible for introducing the world to Buy Nothing Day (BND), has appointed him to the "post".

From Xalapa, Mexico to Valletta, Malta and New York, USA to Kyoto, Japan -- people across the globe participate in Buy Nothing Day: A 24-hour Moratorium On Consumer Spending, once every year,u00a0 simply by opting not to participate in the annual consumer spectacle.

Buy Nothing day posters

Last year, some devoted the day to a small personal challenge while others joined Reverend Billy at the memorial for Jdimytai Damour, the man trampled to death at Walmart in a bargain-hungry Black Friday crush in 2008.

After almost seven years into advertising, Lulla's thought turned first towards anti-consumerism and finally towards sensible or informed consumerism. After a diploma in ecology, conservation and sustainable management from Ecological Society of India, Pune,u00a0 Lulla was a changed man. He organised the first Indian chapter of Buy Nothing Day in Mumbai, and even made a short film about it in 2008.

"We conducted pirate and guerrilla marketing campaigns, and spread the word for daring ways to spend the day, buying absolutely nothing. About 150 people turned up, and the press followed suit," he told Sunday Mid Day. BND even inspired his friend Shiladitya Chakraborty to start the Batti Bandh project.

His Ecocentric (.in) provides ecological solutions to water woes, theme-based gardens, and conservation (adopt a forest). "In short, BND led to a BNL (Buy Nothing Life), which affects my lifestyle and my livelihood."

Do the Green Thing
Instead of pushing your typical guilt trip, UK-based sustainability outfit Do The Green Thing (.com) is using clever humour to promote Buy Nothing Day and the idea behind it.

They have launched Buy Nothing, a tongue-in-cheek campaign against the idea of buying for the sake of buying.

And because, we've all been powerfully conditioned by the media to want and buy, Green Thing is helping us exorcise our shopping compulsion by offering a full-blown e-commerce experience in their Amazero mock-up store, where you can literally buy Nothing, complete with a Buy It Now button, a checkout cart, and even a
confirmation email after your purchase.

Stick with what you got
Buy Nothing ufffd reflects one of Green Thing's seven sustainable actions -- Stick With What You Got, the idea that our purchases are often the product of advertising and peer pressure, rather than genuine need. The campaign features a dozen clever, irreverent testimonials by celebrities -- from indie bands like We Are Scientists to actors like Sadie Frost -- all vowing to Buy Nothing ufffd.

For those most severe cases, Green Thing has enlisted Dr Will Powers, retail therapist, reachable via email and Twitter for professional help in "fighting off your strongest shopping impulses". You can also test the degree to which you've been "ad-washed" by playing the All Spin No Substance game, where you get to guess the brand advertised based solely on its visual communication and iconography.

Say hello to creative consumerism!

The handbook

How to keep clutter out
Keep clutter out of your closet by sticking to Sally's (GAAD) 7 shopping rules:

>>Never buy something just because it's on sale. Don't buy it if you wouldn't pay full price for it.
>>Don't buy anything you don't try on first.
>>Don't buy anything that doesn't fit you at that moment.
>>Don't buy anything on impulse -- it's usually all wrong.
>>Don't buy it unless you have at least two things in your closet that will pair nicely with it.
>>Don't but it if you are not comfortable in it right now.
>>Don't buy it because it's 'in'. Instead, buy it because it's magical.

The trend forecast
Non-consumerism movements that are breaking ground:

Diva swaps
Diva swaps are fun and philanthropic events that allow you to refresh your wardrobe on a dime, while having a blast. Bring all your unwanted but fabulous items in great condition (clothing, shoes and accessories) that you no longer wear or never got to wear. Swap and bring home your favourites for free. All unswapped clothing is donated to charities.

Large-scale clothing recycling
Starting in September, New York City will launch one of the largest textile recycling initiatives in the nation. The aim is to make it easy to donate clothing, almost as easy as throwing it away. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans pitch almost 10 pounds of socks, jeans, shirts and sheets per year, per person.

In New York, where 190,000 tonnes of textiles entered the city's landfills in 2008 alone, the plan would place 50 collection bins in high-traffic areas.

The city is taking bids for a 10 to 15-year contract with a nonprofit company that will be responsible for the bins. Officials say that if the campaign is successful, it could lead to a nationwide movement to recycle clothing.