The Planet is on Fire but We're Still Buying Shoes

2023-10-31

I recently read "The planet is on fire but we're still buying shoes", by Alec Leach. I've been going through a serious overhaul in my relationship with clothes (and fashion).

For most of my adult life, I've been busy getting a doctorate, working in the lab, discussing and thinking about science. I was never in or around the world of fashion. And for years I didn't pay much attention to it - in the "haute couture", consumerist and elitist way it was presented to me. Somewhere in the back of my mind I was convinced that fashion doesn't make clothes that look good on my body (so why bother), and I was heavily influenced (and confused) by what friends/family/coworkers/internet told me to buy.

When I first moved out on my own, and started making a bit of money (the below-minimum wage I was making as a master's student), I was "amazed" by all the options you had in fast fashion, and at a price tag that fit nicely within my budget. Needless to say, I had no understanding of what it takes for these brands to be so cheap. So I went, and I shopped.

I bought pairs of short-shorts that did not flatter or fit my body in the slightest (finally got rid of those last year).

I bought dresses that were too loose and too snug in all the wrong places (and at the same time) that made me feel out of place everytime I caught a glimpse of myself in a shop window walking down the street. ("Who is that and what is she trying to say?")

I bought many, many pairs of low-waisted, cotton-elastane blend jeans that felt like a cage for my belly - all the while wondering "why do we all wear jeans when they're so cruel to the body?"

Only in the past twelve months have I been increasingly interested in design and fabrics. I learned I feel comfortable exclusively in high-waisted bottoms, and it is non-negotiable. Nothing will ever look the same on my body as it does on the model, because of my genetics (and lousy digestion - whole other topic). For the most part, fashion does not make clothes that look good on my body, but I'm learning how to rule in or rule out cuts or fits to find suitable things for me (and yes, it takes time).

In a way, learning about which garments fit my body best and what textiles I feel good in has been an outlet to express myself. The new knowledge got me un-confused, untrapped. Things I invest in and wear recently, feel a lot more deliberate, and a closer reflection of who I am and what I care about. It has been such a fascinating process, that I decided to take a short course on fashion design in London at the end of this year.

This shift for me happened because I slowly realized what I didn't know about clothes, and began to learn. Leach's book is like a signpost, pointing to a gap, going "hey, this is the stuff you maybe don't explicitely know, and let's think about what you might do when you do know". Though it only scratches the surface when it comes to our relationship with clothes, it was a great little read.