It's many years ago that I started working in ethical & sustainable fashion. I feel like I really hit my stride this year with defining my career.
Today I'm going back to basics. Back to my first and original eco styling messaging and ethos of getting off the fashion trendmill. It means personal style (individual preference, lifestyle) alone should be the premise for choosing our clothes and NOT TRENDS. The concept is psychological, environmental, spiritual and also rooted in social justice, self-awareness and confidence.
This ensures you're likely to love, keep and wear your clothes for much longer. As opposed to following the wear once-disposable throwaway culture that has resulted in Aussies sending 6000 kg of textile waste to landfill every 10 minutes!
Invest in timeless pieces that are ethical, sustainable and ones that you know you'll wear for a very long time to come. Pieces that give you joy when you wear them.
Throughout our lives, fashion has taught us that we're not enough. And that we need to stay current with the latest trends. This brainwashing is the JEDI MIND TRICK that has grown and kept their profits super high for years. That’s because it keeps us in a hamster wheel loop of buying consistently to fill that void of not feeling enough. To get out of this loop, we need to step out of the fashion trendmill.
Meanwhile, fashion trends are the root cause of many of fashion's evils. They do nothing good for the self-esteem, body image and psychology of the consumer. They fuel waste and overconsumption. The fast trend culture also influences the exploitation of garment workers. While many of us don't wear trends, the notion of constant consumption is a CULTURAL TREND we need to address.
This will require shifting our individual and collective psychology, relationship and behaviour around clothing consumption. It's not just about whether or not you have a lot of clothes. It’s about acquiring clothes with a specific plan of keeping and using them long term. And ultimately, how we will dispose of them at the end of their life cycle.
STYLING
The flower on this preloved skirt inspires love feelings. Inspired by its beauty and elegance, I paired it with plain black tops so that the focus remains on the hypnotic beauty of the flower.
To restyle an elegant skirt like this one into something more casual, I’d wear it with a t-shirt and a pair of sneakers like the ones below. I’d also wear less blingy jewellery or no jewellery at all.
Outfit sourced from:
Preloved black top - Salvos Op Shop (thrift store)
Preloved floral skirt - Marketplace
Red, vegan sneakers - Etiko
♥ Nina Gbor
Instagram: @eco.styles