After spending so much time at home, haven't we all started to think about what really matters?
People now more than ever are starting to re-think, do I really need everything I own?
During this pause in life, we have noticed the change in the ways we dress. We have had the opportunity to reflect on the amount of clothes we own as well as the damage that over buying can do to our planet and ourselves.
Morning after morning feeling the monotony of these (quarantine) days we ask ourselves what we should wear and if it really matters. This trend where we pick from our closets the one beautiful dress we have used hundreds of times rises, and then we question ourselves why we own so many. Have you noticed that instead of choosing what to wear according to its attractiveness, we now look for clothes that make us feel our best? Since the longest of times we have started dressing for ourselves and our comfort and not for the rest of the world. This has made us think that maybe we've been fooled for years. This growing industry that seems so beautiful and luxurious on the outside has maybe been filtering us into a buy, use, throw system when really we can buy less that lasts longer. Wasn't the point of dressing to feel comfortable this whole time?
So if you have asked yourself if fashion is changing due to the pandemic, we would say: Abso-fucking-lutley. For the first time in history humans are starting to worry about the well-being of the planet. The future of the fashion industry is in natural fibers: Cotton, Linen, Silk, Wool, Hemp and the development of others like pineapple, coffee, banana, grape skin, and more.
Within the past decade and the birth of fast fashion with Amancio Ortega (founder of Zara, Inditex, Bershka and more) who brought up the brilliant idea of selling fashion for the price of a croissant, and who has made us consume more than any other generation ever will, we now face the fact that we have a unnecessary amount of clothes in our closets. Minimalism is what the future is made of, in the “less is more” ideology. Timeless items made by the hands of artisans, with the purpose to last a lifetime are in the rise. This does not mean they are low quality products, on the contrary, it means that they are so carefully crafted that with the proper care they can last forever.
Due to the extreme circumstances we are facing and the need for the economy to survive, we have been obliged to work from home and have been introduced to the “home office”concept. Many will come to the conclusión that home office is actually better than an actual office, so speaking in fashion terms, a new dress code will be born: “comfortable casual attire”, focusing on the comfortability of the wearer.
The colors that will stand out and be used the most are warm neutrals and earth tones. Tones like camel, champagne, beige, bamboo, for their calming effects, it's softness and our need for a closer relation to earth. There will also be other groups that prefer brighter and vivid colors, as staying at home will give them a greater sense of self expression and personal style.
Our priorities have definitely shifted, how we dress, how we buy, how we think. We now aim for functionality and comfortness instead of any impression giving effect. Coronavirus has definitely given us a silver lining: trueness. After living in a money oriented society, we have been given these horrible circumstances to open our eyes, and for real this time, to see what really matters and for life to give us an opportunity to prioritize what's important. Comfort is the new cool and self love is the new hype. May we find comfort in how we dress and feel and become conscious of how much we consume.
Remember, less is always more.
Stay safe.
Xoxo, Stella & Wtf.isfashion.