Rather than aiming to dress consciously, my found, borrowed and secondhand style happened sort of unconsciously. If I had to trace the steps though, it would go something like this ...
1984-2003 A rabid consumer of fashion; trends and shopping were my thing. A new season called for a new bikini, shoes, underwear a whole new look.
2004 A friend introduced me to op shopping while at fashion school in Dunedin. It was fun! I could dress as if from a whole different era. I became more adept and more obsessed over the years. I started buying less new clothes, which often seemed to break anyway.
2009 Time for a real job. I had the niggling feeling that my clothes were too shabby for the big city and snatched up a few cheap chain store buys. Each season I'd buy a small number of work pieces on the cheap, but continued to op shop and vintage shop, and frequent garage sales and markets. Foraging came naturally, too, from my mother's cupboard, a friend's pile she was about to throw away, a dress-up box at a party (it's not stealing if I see "vintage masterpiece" where someone else sees "ridiculous dress-up").
2010 Saving for travel came before designer clothes, except while I worked at Trelise Cooper, where the unofficial staff uniform and lure of a discount drew me in. My wardrobe was bulging.
2012 While backpacking for a year, I gave away more and more clothes until I felt completely unburdened. One outfit, no makeup, no pretenses. Seeing how the rest of the world lived, trendy clothes seemed unnecessary. Learning not to purchase because I had to carry everything, and needing to strictly budget, became a new way of life.
2013 My former mass of clothing seemed ridiculous on return to New Zealand. After seeing the poverty in the developing countries where these clothes are often manufactured, I couldn't buy things that weren't made fairly anymore. Without realising it, buying less, and choosing well had become my philosophy.
When I do buy something now, I try to make sure it is locally made, fair trade or secondhand. Even though I rarely shop, I seem to acquire enough clothes to get by an op shop trip here and there, one beautiful vintage dress for a season’s worth of occasions, gifts from family and the occasional essential purchase, or hand-me-downs and unwanted gifts from co-workers. I still have a few of my Trelise Cooper and chain store pieces, so old now I think of them as secondhand.
I know that my outfits aren’t always completely “chic”. If I owned more shoes or had a good set of basics I’d be far more put together. Many times I’ve worn an op-shop piece only to realise later it had a hole, tear or stain. But I don’t care. I love the stories behind my clothes the labels on the garments, the unusual shapes and fabrics, that they were found in places I’ve come to treasure Invercargill, Wanganui, Opotiki.
Sometimes I wish I hadn’t become so “conscious”. I’m envious of people’s chain store or designer looks. So easy, so on-trend. It would be far easier to walk into a store and purchase a new bra, rather than having to track down a fairly made one, or put off buying one until I happen across one that fits thanks, Mum.
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Advertise with NZME.But I can’t go back. When I go into chain stores now, all I see is rows of generic pieces made by someone anonymous. Cheap fabrics and cheap manufacturing even in some designer pieces.
However, I am a believer in Fashion Revolution's philosophy that instead of stopping the wearing of these clothes, we need to ask manufacturers to become more responsible. And so I will go inside-out on Friday, in memory of the victims of Rana Plaza, and to urge retailers to share the faces behind their garments, and pay those people accordingly.
I know that my philosophy is not perfect I should be better supporting the industry, buying more from local designers and fair trade manufacturers. And I will try to when I can afford it. But I’ll always love vintage clothes the most. And by buying less, I am encouraging less waste and less consumption something which now extends into the rest of my life.
There are certain things which are best purchased new though old shoes often break. So this past summer, I turned to Minnie Cooper, where shoes are handmade in Auckland. More money than I spent on the rest of my clothes all year, but it was money well spent.
