Global environmental organisation Greenpeace launched a campaign on Thursday in an effort to raise awareness in Hong Kong about the effects of people’s shopping habits. The campaign took the form of a 2.5 metre tall woman performer on stilts who wore a dress made of recycled clothing. She held a sign that read “100 Clothes But Nothing to Wear?”
The performance art was created to highlight findings from a recent Greenpeace study, which showed that each Hong Kong citizen owns around 100 pieces of clothing – yet 16 per cent of these items were seldom worn by their owner.
The study further showed that an average Hong Kong resident will shop ten times a year for clothing and spend around HK$10,000 on new clothes every year. Greenpeace urged the Hong Kong public to reflect on their habits and address the negative impact they can bring to the environment.
“We encourage the public to be aware of their shopping habits and to try alternatives such as wearing second-hand clothing, repairing worn items, and considering upcycling rather than discarding old clothes,” said Bonnie Tang of Greenpeace.
The performer’s dress was made by local artist Wong Wing-fung who used second hand clothing gathered by Greenpeace through online sources.
“I will not buy T-shirts anymore, as their lifespans are way too short,” said Wong. The artist added that he liked vintage clothes as they were more durable and carry with them a history from their previous owner.
