By Veronika Makovey

Previously in my life, and by previously I mean a few months ago, I was known to have been described as a ravenous shopper. A harmless scroll through Instagram would result in switching on ‘desperado mode’ and launching into a hungry binge in search of one key piece that my mind narrowed into. My brain would self-prop the blinkers up so that reality dissolved and nothing else existed but the journey ahead which would see me reach my end goal… *cue* visual of me with an ear to ear grin plastered on my face as my hands gently caressed the patent black Balenciaga Blade Bootie in a size 39.5 EU circa 2012, which I am yet to get a hold of (if you do manage to spot one in the wild, please DM ASAP).

If locating cool unique fashion finds was a sport I would be racking in the accolades. I had a strategy of course; typing up key descriptive words into google search and my trusty go-to sites (which I won’t reveal just yet as that is a right of passage, and also I’m not about to give away the test answers if you haven’t bothered studying) which would lead me through a trawling process through hundreds of thousands of images and websites before, almost always (time depending), I could be awash with that sweet sensation of locating said item. The feeling was so immensely satisfying to the point of even fulfilling the desperate void within my soul that I wasn’t even remotely aware I possessed.

“it fulfilled the desperate void within my soul that I wasn’t even remotely aware I possessed”

Of course this process is entirely exacerbated by Instagram and Influencers, whereby exposure to new and exciting play things occurs daily, if not hourly. Prior to Instagram, this madness would only arise one a month, if that, upon noticing a passer-by’s attire and capturing the mental image. Although this fast-paced fashion is exciting and the eruption of micro-trends penetrating the market is fantastic for the economy, what is definitely not so fantastic is its effect on the environment. You see, once a particular piece is deemed the latest must-have people flock to the label’s front door and swipe it off the shelves faster than you can say Gucci. But for the fashion lovers in the house without the bottom-less wallet, they may drool and drool and eventually settle for a similar ‘7 points of difference item’ or head on over to the Chinese market where a great deal of knock-offs are reproduced due to licensing overlaps. This is where the problem lies relating to practices that aren’t sustainable and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and landfill.

“the latest must-have encourages people to flock to the label’s front door and swipe it off the shelves faster than you can say Gucci”

Today, many consumers are completely oblivious to the construction of a piece. Can they starkly see if it’s of a high calibre of quality? Will it last at least a decade? I’ve always envisioned myself being Uma Thurman in the movie Prime saying to her toy boy hunk-a-spunk “I have t-shirts older than you!!” Sorry, getting side-tracked… We also need to consider where was the material/garment created? Is the material durable? It can be easy to assume that just because it is a designer piece, it will last the test of time, but unfortunately that isn’t always the case. In fact many of your beloved designer items are made in exactly the same factory as your high street labels. So you yourself need to be educated and know what real quality actually feels like. Like a wine connoisseur minus the spitting.

You’re freaking me out! What can I do?

Follow the latest fashion trend darling…. Slow fashuun. Slow fashion is just so-totally-hot-right-now, in my opinion. Why? Let me break it down for you:

1. Purchase less and invest in key pieces. Rather than buying an item a week, treat yourself to a big purchase or a few designer pieces a year. I would spend the big guns on accessories like a bag, belt, or shoes as these items can literally turn any outfit into a standout. Check out my lust-haves below:

2. You can begin to get back the joy of re-wearing your clothes and mastering the mix-and match. Gone are the days of only doning your brand new items for the crispy fresh feels, but rather have the feels of immense pride that you conjured up this new and psychedelic look on your very own sans stylist.

Look into labels that are proudly ethically and sustainably made. We have a few, right here in Melbourne and in Australia that we grew with our very own soil or just provided the hospitals to birth the designers.. same same.

Arnsdorf
KowPow
Kitx
Courtyard_la
Mother of Pearl
Lara Krude

4. Raid the op shops. Yes the clothes may give off a whiff of unidentifiable scents or more so scents that you’d rather not identify. But you can really find some incredible gems in op shops. Fashion is cyclical, trends pop up over and over again, so rather than splurging a cheeky $2,276 on an oversized Vetements Houndstooth jacket you can stroll over to the men’s department and I’m sure you can spot a similar variety.

*Hush hush.. secret: the key is to go to Op Shops in higher social-economic suburbs. I managed to find Yves Saint Laurent, Isabel Marant, Acne, Proenza Schouler and Rag and Bone pieces on a recent trip to Chelsea and Brussels.

Furthermore to continue to advocate op-shops, you will 100% be rocking a unique piece that is entirely unlikely that someone will be able to find easily and you’ve donated to people in need, and found a bargain, and are being a sustainable shopper… BOOM.

5. Find yourself a tailor/seamstress and get creative. Whether you’ve purchased goodies at an op-shop or found a winner in the sales aisle, only to discover that it’s a few sizes too big, this last point is the business. A tailor is your port of call as they can alter the piece to fit your body to the T. And if you are presenting a garment that’s a sizes too big for you, it will just mean they have more material to work with. If you want to get creative you can re-design, dye and cut pieces you’ve found…I’ve recently had size 14 woollen (I’m a size 8-10) suit pants re-designed to flare out like the Ellery pants and boy do they look schmick.