When I was a little girl, I constantly wanted to have new clothes. Even though I wasn’t a typical girly girl, I did long for colourful dresses. There was no such a thing as colours back in communism days and dull uniformity seemed to be the main inspiration for all the clothes sold back then. My aunt from Paris used to send us some clothes from time to time and our schoolmates were super jealous. Still we did not have much clothes, nor we had the money to buy them. I was wearing clothes that were passed onto me from my sister and I hated the fact, that I can’t have a closet full of fancy outfits just like the girls from BH 90210. Wearing second-hand clothes was everything else but not cool and I was constantly trying  to find my way out of it.

With my teenage years came my first income. It was the golden years if the 90s and the Obchodna street was booming with hip stores. All my money went into clothes and I finally had a chance to feel like the cool girl. We always looked for sales and made shopping trips to Vienna, where we could finally experience the true western shopping experience (lol). The term “fast fashion” wasn’t invented yet and we were rushing home with plastic bags full of hip clothes that would be finally different from what the whole school was wearing. H&M had a completely different quality and the pieces I bought back then are still lying in my closet. The old clothes were not interesting anymore and we either threw them out, or gave it to friends. “This will never come back to fashion” was a very much used statement and now I’m crying over the fact how much treasure we have thrown away.

Being an 80s kid, I was trying to compensate my lack of clothes during my childhood with an obsessive shopping during my adulthood. We had no idea back then what impact will a retail overproduction have on our Earth, not to mention the conditions in which workers making these clothes have to work in. It was IN to have a full closet and if it wasn’t staffed with cool clothes, you were not a true fashionista. It took several years for this stop and start having a reverse direction.

Now I buy max 2-3 pieces of clothes a month and I’m clearing out my closet on regular basis. I found out that a staffed closet bothers me immensely and even though I love to have options, I hate having a mess in my closet. I have so much clothing that I still have stuff to get rid of. The world has finally come to an understanding that a massive production of clothes leads to an ecological catastrophe and that the vintage stores are the new black. What is also trendy again is wearing clothes with stories – just like the one I am wearing. It is the only piece of clothing I have after my mother and I totally remember when she bought it. She was a size 42 and it was nearly impossible to by a dress that size back then. She was super frustrated for weeks and and then we have finally found this one. It being made from a quality material she wore it a year after a year and now I do too. It’s a real treasure and I hope it will be passed onto other generations after me.

“Buy less for ore” has never been more on point than now. Not only it is more economical, but also ecological to buy quality clothes, that will last decades. If you cant buy such pieces then go for thrift stores, or look in your grandma’s closet and I guarantee you, you will find treasures most of us could only dream about.

Love,

OUTFIT: dress – after my mom <3. shirt – Silvian Heach, shoes – Zara, bag- bught in local market, glasses – Fendi / eyerim.com

PHOTO by ADAM SUCHANEK