I became obsessed with owning the next big thing, I honestly liked the disposable fashion idea inspired by wealthy Japanese kids in Harajuku, I couldn't afford it so the high street was the next best thing, Top Shop, Urban Outfitters & especially cheap as chips Primarni.
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| Fast Fashion Primark Sunday haul from 2014 blog post |
Previous to the high street obsession, I ran my own label and made my own clothes, many of them were sustainably sourced & upcycled from old garms, so why had I fallen so far from the DIY/make & do ethos I had when designing from my own fashion label? It was time. I had two small children & seriously had no time to make my own garms anymore, I was tired & frankly penniless! The fashion business came to an end & cheap, fast fashion was my only vice, I could just afford it. I then got a job at Venue Magazine, which I loved, so I had some extra money to buy more garms & could buy everything I needed online, just sitting at my desk.
So, I still had no time to make my own garms, I had become a lazy shopper, just consuming whenever I wanted to at work. I started to discover new, independent labels like Lazy Oaf, who I still love, the prices weren't cheap but the garms were unique, good quality & on limited runs. I still buy a select few Lazy Oaf garms a year, I have to be honest, they are my ittle treat to myself.
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| One of my treat Lazy Oaf garms with a slogan that is, very much so, in context! |
In 2015 I was invited along to a fashion salvage event by sustainable fashion activist & now good friend, Helen Brown, I was there for the blogging really, I wanted to get an article out of it. The team at Bristol Textiles Recycling completely woke me up out of my fast fashion haze, what on earth was I doing mass buying from Primark?
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| No Debutante & Helen Brown at a BTR fashion salvage event 2015 |
I wasn't completely cured from fast-fashion at this point. I filled my bags with fashion salvaged clothing, loving every moment of trawling through the bins for more fashion items! I was hungry for it, I felt awful. Helen made me feel a bit better by saying I was saving them from landfill, but in reality it was just contributing to my fast-fashion problem. However, I am also a massive clothes hoarder and Helen knew it! I still have most of the garms from that fashion-salvage event back in 2015, except for a couple of items (one of which I shrank in the wash).
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| Helen Brown & No Debutante styled up in fashion salvaged garms 2015 |
I am happy to say that, even though I am still really too busy to do so, I have started creating my own garms again, inspired by all the amazing fashion designers I have met as a writer but also to start up again, where I left off, creating sustainable fashion in small runs to limit garment waste & save myself from fast fashion.
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| A sample garm from the Fruit Salad fashion label by No Debutante |
As a fashion blogger who used to mainly write posts about my latest outfits, my fave high street shops & the latest fashion trends, it has come to my attention that I am no longer that blogger. I don't have enough new items to share, I am buying less. I am enjoying the challenge to only buy garments that I really love & styling up as many different outfit variations as I can with the items that are already in my wardrobe.
I write about sustainable fashion & fashion independents, I still love fashion! My instagram posts are beginning to reflect this personal change in fashion, I no longer post 'What I Wore' every day (yes everyday, I was obsessed) I take little snap shots of outfits with the occasional WIW full body shots. I will, of course, still follow & promote fashion, it has been a real challenge for me to turn away from fast fashion but I feel I have grown up & realised what is actually more important to me as a fashion journalist & fashion advocate.
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| No Debutante instagram images |
Fashion has always been fast, it still is, but we can all change our ways, get a little bit wiser & consider a bit of slow fashion. Instead of focusing on trends & the next big thing, why not move our focus on to working with what we already have?
Do you really need to own these things? Get a bit more savvy, it's not just about the fashion item or the label, its about how you wear it. I am not saying stop buying fashion labels & new garms, I still do it, treat yourself but slow down; the fashion labels will still be there but perhaps this will help to stop crazy, weekly fast fashion drops, that brands like Supreme are known for, it really is not necessary, if we slow down, they will too.
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| Independent and sustainable fashion brands in Bristol inc She Shirts, That Thing, Laa Woof, Duvet Days & Tezla Designs |
Consider buying sustainably made, quality clothing that will last longer, or maybe, now that you are buying less, you can support local & independent designers, (many of whom promote sustainable fashion) keeping our fashion industry moving & your threads lookin unique, as independent designers only create small runs of their garms, keeping waste to a minimum.
It is estimated that Britain will spring clean & de-clutter their wardrobes sending an astonishing 680 million garms to charity shops & landfill each year, (that is in just Britain!)with many of the charity shops passing most of their donations onto landfill too. Perhaps give a second thought to your de-cluttering & fast-fashion obsessions, if repair & remake isn't your thing yet, why not make a start by buying less & resale/pass on good quality items. Stop now, save the planet, get involved! I'd like to say it's never too late but that isn't true is it?
Thanks to this interesting article from The Guardian for the stats!
If you are having a fashion event, a new collection or fun event you would like No Debutante to promote please get in touch!
No Debutante promotes fashion independents, new designers & sustainable fashion.
Check out my work with Bristol 24/7 magazine here under my name
Emma Gorton-Ellicott
If you are interested in collaborating with No Debutante or getting featured on the No Debutante blog please contact me nodebutanteblog@gmail.com
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Thanks for checking in Fashionistas
ND xx
