Happy New Year! I am sure you heard that like about a billion times already. Like children starting a new school year in September, I have always believed the New Year is that time for adults to refresh their wardrobe for work. Perhaps you have a new job, or a promotion, or you just received your Christmas bonus in December. January is always a good time for a new image. If you shop locally then most likely your work image already exists. A black pants and basic button up shirt, I’m guessing?
I don’t want to start the New Year off by complaining alone so I have a complaint and a solution compliments of Stacy Hope. I few months ago, I had a very long conversation with my dear friend Stacy. As per normal we covered a lot of hot topics but most importantly the availability of appropriate and fashionable working clothes in Guyana. Is there such a thing as options in Guyana? We personally don’t think so. I would agree that we do have expensive options made possible with the variety of online shopping companies, but we still don’t really have long-term feasible local options. Purchasing a pair of black working trousers from John Lewis for about $10,000 isn’t always feasible. Don’t get me wrong it’s pretty reasonable for some working pockets, but I’m going to go with the assumption that we don’t want to wear black trousers and a button-up shirt to work every day.
Stacy and I think that women in the local workforce don’t really get to express themselves through their clothes. Most women tend to spend up eight to ten hours at work. I think it’s where they interact more with the people and the public and it’s more than likely that they will want to feel confident in the place that gives them a daily bread. Some women just aren’t happy with their jobs and investing in working clothes is like a painful sacrifice. Who wants to make this investment? It’s like going on a date with a rude guy and offering to pay.
Since importing clothes has proven to be expensive and the Guyana offers a lack of choice, Stacy and I decided to create a capsule collection for work. It’s made of different looks for women in the workforce. From culottes made from simple tetrex fabric to light linen. The choice of material and styling is bound intermingle with your work staples and image. All without breaking the bank. Stacy thought it would be a great idea to reverse the expensive work wardrobe and transform it through conscious slow fashion. All materials and workmanship were also sourced in Guyana. Stacy tends to very ethical in her fashion decisions and journals them on her blog http://theconsciencecollective.blogspot.de/. Even her weddings bands are from ethical gold. It’s all a bit too much for me at times but I think it’s wise to know that your wardrobe can be sorted locally. I know it’s a bit too early to jump the gun but I thought I would share with you one of the outfits before the lookbook is published. The lookbook will be ready at the end of January and orders could be placed by contacting ashmajohn@online-runway.com.
Just remember, we all have different jobs and personalities in which we desire different cuts and styles. The term professional has this weird ‘office role’ feel to it and I think work clothes should not be stigmatized to look a certain way. I actually feel professional clothes can belong to the housewife, lawyer or civil engineer.
More details on the collection can be found on www.online-runway.com
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