I was an H&M junkie for a while…most of my tops are from there, a LOT of my denim is from there…some costume jewelry…couple pairs of sandals…I tend to style these items with some vintage pieces or otherwise, but the foundation of many of my ensembles are from fast-fashion retailers.
Don’t get me wrong – I always loved H&M’s selection – it’s fashion forward and the fit is pretty good (it’s gotten better in the last few years). Their quality is decent compared to similar stores and their prices are right – just a few examples of why they are at the helm of fast fashion.
As most of us know, I’m not buying any new clothes this year (2017), which prevents me from even stepping foot into H&M or the like. This results in wearing the things I already have more often, washing them more often, spilling on them more often…etc. I’ve tried to be resourceful with my closet, but after a while, it gets a little more difficult. Realistically, I have plenty to wear, plenty of variety and options – but sometimes you just wanna wear the same damn thing.
What I’m realizing, is my trusty H&M jeans I might now wear once a week instead of every other, are starting to look a little, well, worse for wear. The recovery isn’t the same, the color isn’t the same – they’re bordering retirement age.
Commence my fear that in about 1 year from now I will actually NEED to buy new clothes. Who’s going to be paying for this new wardrobe – I’m not so sure – but it is sort of refreshing in this time of fast fashion and wastefulness and greed and materialism, to actually shop for something out of necessity instead of desire or compulsion.
You hear about those girls (and guys maybe?) who have “capsule wardrobes” – a curated selection of clothing that they wear over and over with the ability to mix and match effortlessly since everything goes together . It gives you less of a choice when making outfit decisions and streamlines your closet. While this would be a dream come true – good luck getting me to part with the majority of my stuff. I get sentimental over my clothing so I have a hard time parting with things I think might come back in style or that have a sense of nostalgia. But I do think there is something to take away from this concept – I assume if you have a capsule wardrobe, you’re forced to invest in some pretty substantial, quality pieces. If you’re wearing the same black jeans every other day, they better be damn amazing and really stand the test of time in appearance and in craftsmanship.
This provokes feelings of excitement and opportunity about what my future wardrobe holds. Maybe I’ll make a shift into spending a little more money on a little less when I resume my shopping adventures. Maybe (hopefully!) I’ll start making more of my clothing again and utilizing my skills & fabric collection to avoid the shopping all together and to encourage some creative growth. I can’t say that I won’t ever buy anything from a fast fashion retailer again, but I think I will definitely consider the quality over quantity a little bit more.
People are starting to care more and more about where their clothing comes from, who is making it, what it’s doing to the environment and what they can do as the consumer to better the industry and themselves. As time rolls on & the consumer continues to become more educated, I think quality will seriously reign supreme.
DESIGNER'S LUCK 