Slow Fashion — an alternative lifestyle
I love shopping, or at least I thought I did. Like many other women, I loved shopping for handbags, as unique as possible. I loved the endless possibilities that came with designing outfits, In fact, I still do.
However, something inside me has shifted. I no longer desire to purchase as many items as I once did. Perhaps it was a phase that many teenagers go through as they try to find their rightful place in society. Chasing trends and trying to fit in was all I could think of as a teen. It wasn’t until I hit my early twenties that I realized where I went wrong. It wasn’t the purchasing of items that were wrong but the intent behind it. It was as if chasing something that could never be attained. Truth is, like many kids I was lost. I was losing myself further, by trying to fill the void with meaningless items instead of trying to find the peace within.
The truth is fast fashion changes quite frequently, in fact, most stores change their collection every week. This amounts to a total of 52 seasons in fast fashion as opposed to the 4 seasons that existed 100 years ago. As production rose following the industrial revolution, so did the demand and supply for clothing items (and material possessions). The contemporary consumer shops more and own more items than the average consumer 50 years ago.
Like many, I was lost in trying to keep up with trends and lifestyles that didn’t suit me. In fact, instead of relaxing me, as a shopping trip would, I would come back even more stressed. It wasn’t until one specific shopping trip that I came back with the realization that I didn’t need anything. In fact, like a lot of other people living in a middle-class family in the west, I had everything I needed. I was running out of closet space in trying to fill the void within. Slowly but surely, I began limiting my purchases, practiced self-control, and began an inward journey to understand what caused me to purchase items in the first place.
Truth is, with fast fashion, one can never really win. It moves too fast. Instead, it’s better to be mindful of your purchases. Understand your personal style and learn about yourself. You’re more than the way you look, despite what’s society tells you. Fashion will constantly change but so should you. Take a journey within yourself and focus on your persona. The latest handbag will just be that, a handbag. But you’re a person, a complex human with emotions and a heart bigger than the ocean. You’re filled with stories to tell and connections to make. You’re so much more than what you own and how you look.
