What is P333?

This project is an attempt to reduce our clothing consumption. It’s a 3-month challenge in which you wear only 33 items, and put the rest of your closet in boxes, not to be touched until the 3 months is up.

Why do P333?

Lots of reasons! The fashion industry is fast rising in our consciousness as one of the most polluting industries in the world. Human rights and labour violations in the fashion industry are also rampant. There are personal benefits to reducing our clothing consumption too: the original creator of the challenge was looking to reduce stress in her life. For me, I plan to increase my awareness of how much I own and consume with this project. While there is no formal moratorium on purchasing during this challenge, practically there’s not much point since I’m limited to the 33 items I’ve chosen. More philosophically, I hope that Project 333 will help me to move one step closer to voluntary simplicity – a real challenge during one of the most acquisitive times of year. Owning things isn’t the problem: we all need to wear clothes or we’d be rejected from society (and probably very cold). But we can transition to owning things that are beautiful, durable, and practical. I don’t plan on sacrificing aesthetics and wearing a hemp sack for the sake of sustainability, as I believe that beauty in our lives does matter. Project 333 should demonstrate that you can have your cake and eat it too!

How do I do P333?

Check out the Be More With Less blog for rules, inspiration, and support! I’ve paraphrased the “rules” of the project here for your convenience.

  • The challenge takes three months, and you can start anytime
  • You get to have 33 items to wear. That includes clothing, accessories, jewelry, outerwear, and shoes
  • Don’t count jewelry you never take off, underwear, socks, sleep wear, in-home lounge wear, or workout wear during a workout. Find more here fire opal jewelry
  • Choose your items and box up (don’t give away yet) the rest of your wardrobe
  • Feel free to replace any items that you realize don’t fit, or that wear out, during the challenge (from your wardrobe or the store)

My P333 Challenge

I’m running this challenge from November 1, 2016 until January 31, 2016 – or at least, I intend to. I’ve modified the rules a bit to accommodate for my newbie status and the cold, though many P333-ers get through cold winters without these tweaks! I’ll be excluding outerwear and shoes, as well as my sunglasses, backpack for carrying work things, and everyday purse. I don’t need help reducing these items as I’m down to the minimum I’m comfortable with already (except for that one “back-up” rain jacket…).

For some context, I live in Winnipeg and expect this challenge to see sun, snow, and rain; temperatures ranging from +10 to sub-minus-25; and wind. I commute on the bus, so have to walk and wait for it at each end of the day. I enjoy outdoor winter physical activities (but that counts as a workout, so the clothes I need for that don’t ‘count’ towards my 33), and work in an environment where I need to dress tidily but not in suits. I’ll be getting through Buy Nothing Day (Nov 25), all of the holiday “shopping season”, a week-long trip home for Christmas, and the coldest month of the year during this challenge.

I’ll be checking in a few times through the challenge to let you know how it’s going! If you have any questions, or want to participate too, why not join me? It’s easy to join me: just decide, make your list, and start on any day you choose! I encourage you to do this project and think about simplifying your life, reducing your consumption, and choosing voluntary simplicity. Let us know in the comments below: have you done this? Tried something similar? Got questions about fast fashion or resources you’d like to share? Let us know!

Want to know how it went? Check out our followup post here!