I was browsing YouTube the other day and came across a video of H&M promoting the notion of re-fashioning and re-wearing the clothes in your wardrobe. Of course this is the ‘the current table talk’ for most fashionistas as many of us find it hard to re-wear and even photograph ourselves in the same outfit twice.
However, I found it to be a bit ironic coming from a company that has profited and continues to profit from the production and concept of ‘fast fashion;’ a company that creates the need to purchase something every week because this is how often it gets new arrivals.
Sure, it does the whole conscious collection thing, which is basically clothing that has been ethically produced but this too is just conveniently and cheekily stuck into its PR strategy. What is the purpose of lobbying for something you don’t truly believe in? What is the purpose of lobbying for something and still contributing to the problem on a grand scale? These are multinationals, so it’s just for the sake of a good name I believe.
I found buying new clothes during this past summer period extremely difficult. Fashion has become redundant. Perhaps this is why H&M came out with the new marketing promo; to keep its name in the current “talk-talk.” The styles that are currently being thrown at us can be easily found in a thrift store or perhaps the closet of an older stylish relative.
Though the concept of re-wearing an entire outfit may be foreign to some of us, styling is like new fashion staple. If you can style well then it all makes sense. You don’t need to buy as often, you can switch and improvise quite easily. You can process your closet and potential buys faster with less buyer’s remorse.
If you can’t style properly, you probably wouldn’t get the video. Truly being able to re-wear and feel comfortable in the clothes you are in is a personal thing. I am starting to think it’s only the really frustrated people who buy all the time. Everything has to be prepared and handed down to them, they can never actually be really and creatively independent when it comes to style.
I am one of these people at times. I think it’s because I have been raised in such a ‘uniform’ fashion setting. You know, I have had church clothes, supermarket clothes, house clothes and so on. I didn’t have clothes for who I actually am, but rather the extremely controlled ideology of who I should be.
As fashion month approaches and we see the supposed new styles and trends from New York, London, Paris and Milan, I think it’s really high time and truly try to up our styling skills. There are only so many ways a pair of denim jeans can be transformed. Try your best not to go crazy for anything that looks similar to something you already have and most importantly, buy the things you honestly love and not the things that make it to the popular page on Instagram. You know how we live in a popular culture state of mind. For the current season I have only tried one 70s inspired look.
