On the Rocks Magazine Issue 6 A/W 2017
I love this feature in On The Rocks magazine because I was asked to bring in some jewelry I already owned and along with other fascinating women was asked to explore my relationship with jewelry. I realize what I love about it is that the stylist and photographer used something that was not new, my jewelry, as a way to present me in a new and interesting way. This got me to think more about the notion of “new” and why there seems to be such an obsession with it in fashion.
In every article I read about the business of fashion, there is the idea that there must be a constant flow of “new”. From the turn away from mass market retailers and move to experiential retail, direct to consumer business models or capsule collections and “drops”, these market moves are all designed to allow for fast and flexible movement in the service of producing something new, next and special. Brands have been told innovate or die and consequently we see a rapid turnover of creative directors, frenzied and expansive fashion calendars and consequent damage to emotional and creative health. To me, “new” is becoming irrelevant because it is still conforming without thought and thus all “new” begins to look alike.
Sadly we have recently lost one man who did everything in his own time and in his own way, Azzedine Alaïa, He remains an example to us all that we do not have to conform and that creativity in fashion is collaborative, experiential and can be slow (and in his case involves preparing sumptuous, hours long, meals for your friends). He understood that to fully digest, a concept or a plate of food, takes time. He surrounded himself with young people, supported them and he collected vintage couture for inspiration. He worked on his own clock and calendar, defied every “rule” in fashion, appreciated the importance of intimacy as a significant part of the presentation of new. He appreciated the value of the “old” when innovating for new and next. The tributes from his many devoted friends attest to his continued relevance in the fashion world, despite his refusal to play the game. He was in some ways like a very wise parent knowing that sometimes what your children want is not always what they really need. It has been my experience in life that setting a limit, when done in a caring way can make the person you are setting it with self-reflective and allows them to self-correct. The way Azzedine Alaïa, lived and worked is a good template for thriving in a world that is overfeeding us with “new”.
I have benefited greatly in just two short weeks from my re-set and it has helped me to press pause and continue to question is what I want really what I need? Do I want to be held captive by others telling me what I should want? As I kept getting email after email and looked at post after post about Black Friday and Cyber Monday I felt almost nauseous, like I had overeaten and spent too much time at the Thanksgiving desert table (which I did not BTW because my healthy eating survived Thanksgiving). I made a decision to not shop during this time. Rather I spent some of the time re-looking at all the clothes and jewelry I already own, gifts I have yet to feature and thought about how I could make them new and exciting. Does this mean I am not going to shop? Of course not. But it means I will be thoughtful about the kind of experiences I want when I am doing so. I want time and opportunity to engage with the people I will be meeting and I will continue to ask myself my three questions. I will maintain a balanced, sustainable diet best shared with friends in beautiful spaces. I suspect I will feel newer than new, more unique and innovative than ever and more “next” than I could ever imagine.
What do you do to re(new)?
I reorganize my closet mid-season by color or by separate or by texture. I am always delighted to find another way to wear my garments and I love this type of refresh or as you wrote, re-new. A piece will pop out "hey look at me…did you forget me?"
Items that have history with me, items that have signed up for another tour with me, provide me wth the physical and emotional platform to dress my day.
That is a really innovative way to organize. Thank you for sharing that, I am going to apply that to my next project of going through my clothes.
I re-fashion the pieces I no longer wear ,if possible ,which not only prolongs their life but also stimulates my creativity. I am also re-using my Issey Miyake ( and other designers) patterns from the 80’s – sometimes tweaking them to give them a point of difference. Renewal is proving to be such great fun!
Best of both worlds! Being sustainable and creative.
Indeed- looking forward to your sewing creations!
I’ve been reading up about the huge amount of clothing that ends up being thrown away rather than re-cycled. I believe the figures in the UK are similar to the US in that about 90% of clothing is just binned.
https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2016/aug/07/clothes-recycling-second-hand-waste-landfill-textile
Sadly I think it’s because far too much is produced in the first place. I’ve helped out in charity shops (thrift shops) and we used to get loads of donated clothes that still had the sale labels attached so presumably had never been worn. We need to keep passing on the message to buy less but buy better.
I think it would be really creative to style looks and make very unique one of a kind pieces with clothes that are recycled.
PS: Love your hair in these photographs.
I am an avid thrift shopper. I love it. I discover items I never would have considered if I were shopping retail. It stimulates my creativity and imagination.
Our addiction with consumption is destroying the earth.
We are told if we buy we will be happy. But are we?
"What is the purpose, the end, the terminus of consumption? Of course it is happiness. But what if consumer happiness is like the proverbial carrot on a stick, always within sight but never within reach? Then there is no purpose or end to consumption; there is only perpetual anxiety." – Brandon McGinley
"Peaceful self-acceptance is part of overcoming, and perhaps even transforming consumerism; but it must be an acceptance that we are more than a collection of personal choices, that we have a purpose that transcends the material world. Otherwise we will not have conquered consumerism; we will have been conquered by it." – Brandon McGinley
Suzanne
http://www.suzannecarillo.com
If I feel I need an injection of something "new" into my wardrobe, I head to my favourite thrift store. I recently had a very depressing "retail" shopping experience that left me feeling depressed about the changes that have happened to my body in the last few years, and I find that usually doesn’t happen when I shop secondhand, so it just renewed my conviction to find more joy by looking at what I already own, and figure out how to present it in a fresh way.
I come from a long line of women who have always loved to shop. I love to shop too but I am in the process of losing 60 pounds, with 30 already gone. Part of me is very sad to know that I won’t fit into most of the clothes in my closest anymore. But I am thrilled to be healthier at my new weight, and to lose that dreaded apple shape that I have carried around for so long. I will definitely be more conscious of what I buy in the future, I’ve certainly made my share of costly mistakes. I love thrift store shopping with my 25 year old daughter, she has a good eye for treasures. I don’t think you have to spend a fortune to dress well, you just have to know yourself and your own style.
Thanks for your amazing inspiration here, you make me want to be a better me.
I just stumbled upon you! What a treat:) I use an app called Stylebook to organize my digs so I don’t forget about those gems lost in the back somewhere. I also make lots of trades and I mostly buy second market or re-make in order to remain sustainable