'Good Morning America': Why Ginger Zee Won't Buy New Clothes Any Time Soon
Good Morning America meteorologist Ginger Zee is not planning to buy new clothes any time soon. Earlier this week, the ABC News host said she is taking the "No New Clothes Pledge" and will wear clothes she already owns in new ways. If she buys any clothes in the next 90 days, they will only be "new to her," as she might borrow from others, use ThredUp or shop consignment.
Zee, 41, pointed out that a 2016 McKinsey report showed consumers keep clothes only about half as long as they did in 2000 and buy more clothes on average. This inspired her to change some of her buying habits. In October 2021, she wore the same La Petite Robe Chiara Boni pants five days in a row on GMA, but few noticed because she had a different look each day. She then loaned them to her colleagues to keep the pants in use. In May, she wore consignment and vintage pieces on GMA.
"Since when do you always have to have something new? We have the power to change that," Zee wrote in a new GMA essay. "The industry will keep making it. We have to resist. We have to invest. We have to choose and make outfits from Goodwill, or our friends' rummage sale."
"When someone says, 'Oh, I love that dress!' No longer should the triumphant response only include, 'You'll never believe how cheap it was!'" Zee continued. "Instead, the most fashionable response will be, 'Thanks, I got it at ThredUp and it's been worn by at least two people and the carbon footprint is now a third of what it was originally.' THAT is chill."
Zee is taking her efforts to a new level by taking the "No New Clothes" pledge from the environmentally-conscious brand Remake. For 90 days, she will not buy any new clothes, although she can still use sites like ThredUp, borrow from others, or shop consignment. At first, she did not think it would be difficult, but then she realized how much she buys. "The average person purchases 16 new items of clothing over a three-month span, according to Remake," Zee wrote. "If we pledge to not do that, the impacts are significant, even just for one of us."
Although Zee acknowledged this is not the "ultimate solution," it is "helpful" to make a personal commitment. "We need widespread, societal and industry commitment to change. Unfortunately, those words spell 'hurt the economy' to many and the capital impact might be more attractive for some than the benefit to humans and the earth," she wrote. "By taking this pledge, I hope it will make us all a little bit more aware, start a conversation and perhaps help to shift our habits."
Zee also wrote about her "No New Clothes" pledge on Instagram, where she shared three photos of her wearing a yellow dress she has worn many times since she bought it in 2007. "We need the fashion industry to change, but we can start a conversation and tell them what we want," Zee wrote.