We often hear people arguing that fashion is futile or secondary. That’s one way to look at it. Fashion may be absolutely secondary, yet clothing, I’d say, is quite essential. So are accessories, especially bags, which carry our stuff, or shoes, which support our body weight and allow us to walk.
Our clothes and accessories can either help us or hinder us. I consider this to be an essential aspect of fashion. They can be costly, or they can be cheap. Organic, or synthetic. They can last long, or be dead after two washes. But clothes should irrevocably serve us.
A Personal Statement
To me, however, fashion, or clothes — however you’d like to call it — also serve another purpose, a rather more subjective one, and likely secondary, but nonetheless important: to state our principles. Clothes are a personal statement because fashion is communication.
That said, it’s not just clothes. It’s what you say through clothes and, more importantly, how they serve your life, your wallet and your soul.
Dressing For Oneself
It’s not uncommon to see people dressing for others, rather than dressing for themselves. Especially when it comes to luxury brands, people want to get access to them, so they can belong to that restrict group of “high status” individuals and be considered wealthy, relevant and worthy of whatever they think they’ll be worthy of. Seasonal trends dictate what’s “in” and what’s “out” and people usually buy according to those trends, rather than purchasing clothes they like, from brands they like, and wear them a long time.
Well, is that bad? Not necessarily. We’re allowed to follow trends if that’s our thing. We don’t need to be into minimalism, or capsule wardrobes and interchangeable items. What we should reflect a bit on is if that really is harmless for the planet and future generations or not. And, perhaps question whether we are following trends for fun or for the external validation they give us.
It’s Way More
I love fashion. Clothes and accessories. I appreciate the craft, the care put into the making of clothes and the design. I love to know how they’re made, to see how they fit and to feel good wearing them. I love to let my clothes show, instead of tell, who I really am. So, to me, it’s not just clothes — it’s expression.
Image: The Row