Could You Go A Whole Year Without Buying Anything New?
How one of Australia’s leading street style photographers is redefining her relationship with fashion by buying nothing new.
For Liz Sunshine, one of Australia’s most respected fashion photographers, capturing the essence of personal style is both an art form and a means of communication and historical record. Liz has become the go-to photographer for documenting the energy and beauty of Australian fashion, with her work frequently appearing in Vogue and collaborations with some of the industry’s biggest names, including Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Mercedes-Benz, and Cartier.
After years of documenting style across Melbourne, Liz began to rethink her own relationship with clothes. Fashion has always brought her joy, but she couldn’t ignore its environmental toll. This led her to make a significant change: first by cutting her clothing purchases from 56 items a year to just 15. But she didn’t stop there. On the 1st of August, she embarked on an even bigger challenge—a whole year of buying nothing new.
The rules of Liz’s “Nothing New” challenge are strict. She’s committed to not buying any new clothes, shoes, or accessories, including second-hand or vintage items. This even extends to basics like socks, underwear, and scarves. The challenge also prohibits buying non-clothing items such as books, magazines, personal art supplies, and homewares. Even excessive makeup, skincare, and toiletries are off-limits. However, Liz has made an exception for treasured heirloom pieces gifted throughout her career, like diamond earrings or designer shoes. While she may still wear certain branded clothes for work, she’s also declining any new commercial partnerships involving clothing unless the items can be loaned.
It’s easy to assume that this challenge is driven by financial reasons, but that’s not the case. While saving money is a nice perk, Liz’s real goal is to bridge the gap between how we dress and how much we consume. By cutting down on our impact on people and the planet, she hopes to inspire a more thoughtful and creative approach to fashion.
Learning about Liz's relationship with clothes has also made me pause and reflect on my own shopping habits. My wardrobe is overflowing, yet somehow, I always feel like I have nothing to wear. I’m constantly torn between wanting more and craving simplicity. Some days, I dream of being the kind of person who has a minimalist wardrobe filled with only timeless denim and crisp white tees; other days, I’m tempted by a crystal-studded, chainmail Rabanne mini dress for a night out. My fashion choices often depend on who I want to be that day—sometimes it’s about following the latest trends (are we supposed to dress like a demure, tomato or brat girl this summer?), and other times it’s about standing out with a signature bag (…or six) or a pair of sky-high heels (not that practical at 5'11"). The result? A full wardrobe and a lot of mental clutter.
Curious about how Liz is redefining her style during a year of no shopping, and how she’s embracing the freedom of having space from wanting more clothes, I reached out to her to learn more about the project.
Sarah: Where did the idea for the "Our Relationship With Clothes" project come from?
Liz: “It was early 2022 when I realised I had a bad relationship with clothes. Figuring out what to wear was often a negative process, and as I stood in my wardrobe with hundreds of beautiful and basic pieces around me, I had an ah-ha moment which saw me really start to explore why.
For the first month, I tracked what I wore every day. I realised I wore and bought the same clothes on repeat. An oversized white shirt, white and black t-shirts, blue denim, black loafers, white sneakers—honestly, the most basic and minimalist fashion clothes. All good quality, all bought from expensive labels I trusted, and no fast fashion.
The next thing I tried was taking a month off shopping. For me, the thing about not shopping for short periods was that I started to ‘pre-load’ (buying things in advance of the month, or writing long lists to buy after). I realised this didn’t work for me, and it must have been months later that I started to reduce what I was buying by creating long-term goals. The first was 26 items in a year, approximately half of the year before and half of what the average Australian buys.
To be honest, this was the key that started to repair my relationship with clothes. A journey I have now been on for two and a half years, but has completely changed how I live and shop for clothes.”
Sarah: Could you describe what your relationship with clothes is currently like and what you hope it will become?
Liz: “When I look into my wardrobe, I see lots of beautiful clothes—that has been the case for many years, and I’m sure it is a product of working in fashion for the last 15 years—but at the beginning of changing my relationship to clothes, I really valued newness. A new white t-shirt to replace one that was only 6 months old. A new pair of blue jeans, a practical wardrobe staple that I thought was a good investment—but honestly the same cut and colour as my last.
My relationship with clothes is ever-evolving and has been since those early days. Where I would have once described it as negative, I would now describe it as mostly repaired. I now look at clothes in connection to my values, thinking not only about what my clothes say about me but where they were made, the fabric, how long I will own each piece, how I’m going to take care of it, and what purpose it serves in my wardrobe.
Clothes still do define me in a way—I think they define a lot of us—so taking this next 12 months off buying is about creating space to appreciate and define my style, getting creative with what I already own.”
Sarah: What do you anticipate will be the most challenging part of this project?
Liz: “Taking a year off felt like an exciting prospect at first, an idea that I started to think about mid-July and started two weeks later. Now, 24 days in, I couldn’t be happier with the decision. Setting out the rules and committing to telling the story on Substack via Nothing New #1: writing the rule book—I am taking time off all shopping, in an effort to ensure I don’t replace one shopping habit with another.
I’m not sure what the most challenging part of the project will be, but I’m sure that will be worth it. Taking a year off anything is bound to be life-changing—a change I am 100% ready for.”
Sarah: You're frequently exposed to brands, designers, and trends. How do you maintain intentionality in your shopping habits despite this exposure?
Liz: “Being a documentary fashion photographer has always been about celebrating other people, not looking for new ways to dress myself. I believe personal style is personal and have a really broad idea of what good street style looks like—and what I’m hoping to cover in my professional work.
Participating in fashion and not shopping will be challenging in other ways, but I am committing to borrowing clothes when I need to and have otherwise removed all shopping apps and muted all social media accounts that once tempted me. The thing about not shopping is once you break the habit, it’s really easy to continue. The hard thing is facing the reasons you used to shop before—the feelings of disconnection or loneliness, inadequacy, and fear that you are not enough without new clothes. These won’t be so easy, but I’m looking forward to getting to the other side and re-embracing myself and shopping from a new perspective once the year is over.”
Sarah: Can you tell me about the community you've built around this project and how people interested in participating can get involved?
Liz: “I think there are a lot of people who feel the same disconnect with fashion that I have, and there are a lot of people who love clothes but are struggling with addictive shopping behaviour. My larger body of work, Our Relationship With Clothes, questions fashion in the hope of encouraging self-reflection, and our community is coming together very naturally. No two people have the same relationship with clothes, the same reason for shopping, the same budget, needs, jobs, lifestyles, etc. So there is no right or wrong way to dress, and no right or wrong way to live with clothes.”
Sarah: For someone looking to examine their clothing consumption and explore their feelings around choosing clothes, where would you recommend they start?
Liz: “I would start by tracking what you wear for 30 days. Write down the individual items and ask yourself the question, “How does this outfit make me feel?” You never know where this simple question will lead you.”
Sarah: What are your goals for the future of the "Our Relationship With Clothes" project?
Liz: “To spread awareness about textile waste in Australia—we are the largest consumers of textiles in the world—and empower people to connect with their clothes in a meaningful way. The more we love our clothes and think about them in connection to our values, the happier we will be.”
To follow Liz’s journey to explore ‘Our Relationship With Clothes’, check her out on Instagram and dive into her newsletter for regular updates and reflections. It’s a great way for anyone wanting to rethink their fashion habits to get inspired and see how a year off from shopping can shift their perspective. I’m certainly planning to give this a go myself and become more intentional with my shopping habits and can’t wait to follow along with her journey.
Cover Photo Credit: Liz Sunshine
I’m about the begin month 9…the first “event” and then the first season change was the hardest for me but then…the freedom and new creativity for my existing wardrobe triumphed. It’s actually awesome to feel myself in control!