Growing up, I wasn’t what I would consider to be “stylish.” Style wasn’t really something I even considered when dressing myself. I wasn’t too interested in style or fashion; I wore clothes that fit me and that was about it. Once I reached my early twenties, I became more interested in style and fashion. I found myself knowing the latest trends because I read more fashion blogs and started paying attention to what people online and in real life were wearing. I found that once I became cognizant of the latest trends, always in the back of my mind there was this worry that my clothing appeared “outdated.” Suddenly I had one more thing to be self-conscious of. Not only did I feel I had to worry about my skin, hair, and makeup; now I needed to worry about my clothing!
Now, as I’m almost out of my twenties, I find that I’ve let go of the power those insecurities help over my younger self. I’ve learned to love a more minimal collection of clothing and prioritizing comfort over flashy, trendy items. I’ve noticed secondhand shopping appears more fashionable in this time period than when I was growing up and that makes me happy. But I’ve also noticed the never-ending cycle of trends just keeps going and speeding up. It’s in our nature as humans to want to keep up with trends. We feel like we have to have the latest things as a social status indicator. Thinking if we just look a certain way or own the right things, we will be worthy of love and accepted by society. It’s these insecurities and pressures that cause us to replace perfectly functional clothing and buy new things every month.
Fast Fashion is a term generally used to refer to mass-produced clothing intended to be sold for a low price and to be replaced quickly. If you have an interest in sustainability or minimalism, you have probably heard of this term before and the environmental ramifications associated with fast fashion. However, growing up as I teenager, I don’t remember ever having it cross my mind that when I purchased a new item at a mass retailer, I was contributing to this horrible industry. I rarely shopped for new clothes before I was out of college, most of my clothes came from second-hand shops or were hand me downs from friends or family. When I shopped at the local Goodwill I wasn’t thinking about the moral reasons for buying secondhand. Instead, I just considered secondhand shopping being a savvy, frugal consumer. I’m not sure when it dawned on me that the fashion industry had a nefarious nature to it. But now that I’m aware of it, it has encouraged me to limit the amount of new clothing I bring into my life.
I encourage anyone reading this who doesn’t know much about the fashion industry to do a quick google search and you’ll find lots of articles and information on how horrible this industry is. To keep this blog short, I won’t go into the details but some of the major issues with fast fashion are the horrible conditions the workers work in and the strain on the environment that producing so much clothing entails. When the fashion world keeps churning out trends faster and faster, the production of new clothes has to increase to meets the consumer demand. What I find frustrating when I look at websites known for selling cheap, poorly made, trendy clothing, is that these trends are just repeating themselves. Poorly made clothes designed to be worn for one season and then discarded or fall apart in the wash. And then a year later the same design comes out just with a more trendy, modern twist. I’ve included below a few tips if you’d like to participate in the fashion world but not contribute to the fast fashion industry.
Ways to be more intentional with trends:
See if you can recreate an outfit at home:
Go through your closet and find items that look similar to a new trend you’ve seen. Use that trend to inspire you to try to come up with something similar at home. Maybe it’s not even the clothing the model is wearing but their makeup or hair style that you enjoy, instead. Try to style your hair or makeup differently and see if that satisfies your urge to buy a new item.
Shopping second hand:
If you can’t recreate a trend at home with what you currently own and find you’re still itching to have something new, try thrifting it! Goodwill and the Salvation Army are two thrift stores that are found in many areas across the United States. These two thrift stores can sometimes be overwhelming in how much clothing they have stocked, however. If you’re looking for a more curated experience, try a consignment shop. These shops are often more selective in what they put on their racks and therefore the experience of shopping is easier but sometimes pricier than other thrift stores. If you’re looking to stay at home and shop, try an online thrift store. ThreadUP is a great online consignment and thrift store where you can sort clothing by size, condition, material, color, brand, etc. This takes the headache out of sorting through overflowing clothing racks in person trying to find what you’re looking for. I’ll definitely be writing more about thrifting in the future, it’s a topic I love reading about and discussing with others!
Acceptance:
Try to sit with the feeling of not having something. I think this is so important to do in this age of instant gratification we’re living in. As I’ve written about in my blog post titled, “Treasuring the things you own,” try out a no buy or give yourself a set amount of time before you purchase the item you’re craving. Think about the longevity of that item. If you think you’ll only wear it for as long as that trend lasts, maybe pass on it. But if you see yourself wearing it five years from now then it may be a worthwhile piece to add to your wardrobe. Consider the material and see if you can purchase that item from a more sustainable brand that values quality over quantity. Look at it as an investment rather than a quick trend!
To sum up this blog post: Let’s take our fashion and style journeys slower. If you see an outfit you enjoy on another, see if you can recreate or try for something similar to it with things you already own. Visit a secondhand store in person or online if you’d like to find something new. And if you’d still like to purchase that new item, ask yourself if you’ll still be wearing that item a year from now. I think fashion and style are amazing ways for people to express themselves! But lets also acknowledge the insidious side to much of the fashion world and see if we can take steps to enjoy our clothing without impacting the environment or our fellow humans.
Totally love your minimalist philosophy! Very cool!
Thank you for reading! 🙂 Glad you liked it!