Emotional durability, the least advertised way of sustainability. Our capitalism would not be able to handle the slowness of sales and project ways of buying less. (To be honest it is hard for me as a brand owner to strike a balance with the reality of economics and the global urgency of prioritizing sustainability).
Every second, we are bombarded with images and fashion week news informing us about the change of season, even before the birds have migrated. Capitalism focuses on what we ‘don't have’ versus what ‘we have.’ Making us feel deprived, they capture our greed and highlight our use-and-throw culture. We want it, we want it bad, we juggle our credit cards and rearrange our priorities.
Today, clothing is not given much of a thought in our everyday lives, to explore our individuality. Apart from first impressions, they play a role in expressing our personality, displaying our moods and even projecting a social statement. Since everything is short lived, there is no adhering to a closet that you can build over time. The notion of collecting only exist in the art world or haute couture that only a few of us could own. Sustainability has become a commercial term that only a few can afford, again dividing us under definitions that only algorithms can judge when brands have to target an audience on social media to advertise their agenda (i.e. maximizing sales).
Our closet is dictated by the changing trends and seasons advertised to us in a curated and orchestrated manner by the capitalists (and everyone else follows). We don't look left nor right, just center, glued to our phones telling us to swipe right landing us on the so-called ‘buy now’ button in bold letters that underlines their desperation. Until the cycle begins again.; the endless cycle of WANT.
We need to hold on to moments and cherished memories - a summer dress that you wore for the first time you met your family after the end of a lock down or that beach dress leading to a date or that winter jacket that felt like a warm hug when you dropped a friend to the airport. This is emotional durability. Our garments need to withstand the test of time, to be carried forward, focusing on ‘who next’ instead of ‘what next.’
So, as I strike a balance between being a brand owner and and a responsible consumer, I vow to create garments that are meant to be lived in, aged and passed on. There is a lot to accomplish but we must begin somewhere. We, at Whying, want you to savor the love and effort put into designs produced in small batches that have taken years to brew by the learning and relearning from direct customer feedback we've received over time and not by adhering to a fashion calendar. We focus on maintaining accessible price points by selling directly online to keep our overheads at a minimum.
To fall in love with your wardrobe again and again, you will need the following ingredients that are found in abundance within you and your surroundings:
A playful attitude
Music that speaks to your mood
A beverage that lets you flow
An open mind
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