Minimalism is a word we are hearing nearly everywhere, every day. From interiors to fashion to winemaking, the minimal way of life seems to be the coolest way of life. But why are we so obsessed with minimalism?

WHAT IS MINIMALISM?

Minimalism is an idea that we’ve seen slowly growing in popularity over the last couple of years. The simple, pared-back concept has most likely been brought into our lives by the obsession with all things Scandi. No one seems to do minimal as well as the Danish or the Swedish. It’s also likely come into favour recently because of everyone’s favourite generation – the millennials.

Research has shown that millennials have come of age into global financial uncertainty and turmoil and as a result, they tend to live on the less cluttered side of life.

The average millennial would rather spend their hard-earned money on experiences in place of things (which probably explains why we like food so much) and as a result, are buying less physical things.

IS THERE MORE TO IT THAN JUST BUYING LESS?

Buy less = minimalism is a pretty easy way to explain it, but the trend is perpetuated when you consider that things you do buy have to work extra hard and do more. This means buying clothes in neutral colours and clean lines (so that you can mix and match) in really good quality fabrics that are built to last. Minimalism focuses on quality rather than quantity.

SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS

There’s also a casual social awareness aspect to the minimalism trend. A higher awareness of the environment means that people are buying less junk that they’ll inevitably end up chucking out at some point, which ends up in landfill. Minimalists look to natural materials for their sturdiness and resilience, but also because natural fibres are easy to style.

One more possible cause of minimalism’s popularity is the technological age we live in. Remote offices are so common nowadays that often peoples’ homes double up as their workspaces, which means it needs to be functional and conducive to productivity.

While trends may come and go, here’s hoping this one sticks around. There’s an air of anti-consumerism, environmental awareness and a move to sustainability that we can all get on board with.

Interested in embracing this way of life? Check out Nourishing Minimalism where they’re challenging readers to declutter by getting rid of 2018 things in 2018. Are you up for the challenge?