Psychologically, consumers like to own their pieces in a brand new condition. First of all, the
hygiene of the product wouldn’t be concerned if itself is firsthand. In addition, catching up with
the latest trend requires getting the fresh source for the wardrobe. The spirit of minimalism
pursues the simplicity of the wardrobe collection. They call for eliminating the clothing that is out
of style, quality, or simply not fond of anymore. However, this rule doesn’t apply to everyone.
The fact is people usually having hard time throwing out stuff, but more collective in what they
have on hand. Thus it’s not difficult to understand why some people says the concept of “
circular system ” seems very distant from the modern fashion industry.
Eileen Fisher talked about some numbers of how much of clothing were taken back last few
years in her speech. Only 3% were recreated or resale. The number was a shock to me. When
she said about the fact that people have no idea about “the limited source” we actually have,
that reminds me of the old days tailoring. We always think of resources as an infinity. So we
urge to have more fresh and new creations, and giving up on the old.
I watched an Japanese movie called “ A Stitch of Life”. The story presents how one piece of
garment could be designed and fitted to one person even throughout decades. I was very
attracted to the bond between the very special garment to the specific person that owns it. It
should’ve be the perfect one for him/ her; with the pleasing quality; and amazing flexibility of
size change according to the condition of aging and other reasons.
In my creative tech 1, my professor mentioned some techniques of old day tailoring. There are
some excess that fold in darts just for flexibility. The nowadays clothing is a capture of the time,
which doesn’t follow along. And those designs were designed for this feature at the first place.
The society has forgotten how to cherish the clothes, protect it so it’s always bright as new.
Beside keeping one piece as personal treasure, passing it to the younger generation was
always another great option. I have heard about a lot of times how my relatives shared their
clothes with siblings, children and cousins. Sometimes the clothes could be tweaked for small
decorations, length, etc. People live in last century or earlier understand the source of living is
limited, so they use up every scrap to add on the original piece. The clothes back then have a
longer usage and surprisingly adapt well for the family from financial perspective, or the problem
of shortage in resource we have right now at the moment.
The trend of vintage and the thrift shop clothing are saving the situation of excessive clothing by
a certain degree. Differentiate the early days and now, the understanding of the clothing has
been underestimated by the fast fashion market and massive demand for shopping. This would
be beneficial to a better sustainable system on the planet.
People need to take a moment stand still and look back at what they have already. I believe in a
pause of demanding for the new is greatly needed for the fashion industry to heal from the
shortage and learn what it really should have been.
