Fashion is Identity
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Are there certain aspects in your culture that shape how you express yourself through fashion?
“In my culture (Chinese and Singaporean) we are more conservative so I would say I do not really like wearing clothes that are revealing. It is just the way I was brought up. It’s just my preference for my body.
What are your thoughts with fast fashion? And do you believe we can fix the issue of it?
“The landfills in third world countries filled with clothes scare me a lot. It is great people are thrifting and that wealth should not limit people from thrifting because there are a lot of people donating clothes constantly.” I think the issue cannot be helped because globalization and the internet causing trends to become microtrends very quickly. However, it is possible this issue can be curved.”
Do you believe your style can reflect your personality or certain characteristics of yourself?
“The internet is causing many people to go to the extremes by people feeling they must have a specific style which shows that people's style can reflect their personality. For me, I would say dress like Rory Gilmore because I resonate with her, and we have similar personalities.
When did you become interested in expressing yourself through fashion?
I became interested during the beginning of the pandemic when we were all in lockdown and I had more time to assess what I wear and update my wardrobe.
Is there a message or something you want to show through what you wear?
“I've never been as skinny as I'd like to be so I'd say my message is to show others that they can be comfortable in their bodies and wear whatever they want because that's what I am trying to be comfortable with as well.”
Interview With Carrie:
Interview with Miranda Guerra
Do certain aspects in your culture shape how you express yourself through fashion?
“Well coming from the Latin American culture, I have grown up surrounded by many elements that I have been able to observe have influenced the style of some people around me, maybe not so much my personal style but the way I identify with my culture and country.”
Do you believe current fashion trends play a role into your current style?
"I really consider that I do follow some very general trends in terms of style and I like the style of some micro-influencers of our generation, but in terms of specific trends or fast fashion elements do not predominate in my personal style."
What are your thoughts with fast fashion? And do you believe we can fix the issue of it?
"Fast fashion for me is the definition of the globalization of fashion in the wrong way, either because they use super polluting materials and processes or by the fact of all the exploitation that lies behind each garment; personally I think that as a society if we can get to solve this problem but only if everyone and especially those who have more public outreach do their part."
Do you believe your style can reflect your personality or certain characteristics of yourself?
"I do believe that my style represents some characteristics of my personality and above all my moods, there are times when I can be very extroverted when I dress and that's when I feel more confident and there are others when I prefer to keep a low profile."
When did you become interested in expressing yourself through fashion?
"I remember very well the precise moment when I decided to experiment better with my style, it was in 2019 in the middle of high school one day I woke up and I decided to either by accessories or some pinterest inspiration I would try to start experimenting more, probably because I didn't want to feel like one of the crowd and I wanted to stand out somehow."
Do you think people perceive you a certain way depending on what you wear?
"I feel that many times either through social networks or at a meeting I receive one or another comment about my style, some of my friends and family think that because I wear certain clothes or shoes I'm super risky and others that they like it a lot. Everyone's perception is something so personal that I really believe that we will never be able to fit into a single group."
Is there a message or something you want to show through what you wear?
"Living in a country where the fashion of others is not very accepted or sometimes pointed out, every time I choose an outfit I try to show my confidence and maybe say that it is not wrong to experiment and be out of what is considered "normal".
Interview with Clara Magnuson
Do you believe current fashion trends play a role into your current style?
“Somewhat, most of my style inspiration comes from early 00’s and 90’s but I like to incorporate current trends into it. Eg wearing low wasted flair jeans with a more current styled top. “
What are your thoughts with fast fashion? And do you believe we can fix the issue of it?
“I think that fast fashion has its purpose, with thrift stores becoming more expensive (in what I’ve noticed) it makes it easier to have nice clothes on a budget but I think fast fashion needs to slow down a bit and hold the collections for longer instead of the entire store being completely different every month or so. I do believe that fast fashion can be fixed but it will be a relatively slow process.”
Do you believe your style can reflect your personality or certain characteristics of yourself?
“Entirely, my personality changes around what I wear and is my main form of self expression, for me clothing is like the cover to my book, it gives people a first impression of me before I even say anything.”
When did you become interested in expressing yourself through fashion?
“At around age 2.5 I decided that I wanted to dress myself and argued with my dad that I could wear nylons as pants long story short he had to call my mom at work to tell me i was wrong. But since then I’ve designed and sewn many of my own clothes (didn’t always look good but worth a shot).”
Do you think people perceive you a certain way depending on what you wear?
“Yes, I’ve had many different styles over years some very extreme some more subtle and have noticed vast differences in how people treat me. When I had a more extreme style less people talked to me but were generally nicer now I have a more toned down style more people talk to me and can be ruder than before. Apparently I was scary “
Is there a message or something you want to show through what you wear?
“At times, not really to school or in the clothing I own (simply don’t have the money to fully express myself) but when I design clothing, I will show my different emotions and feelings through clothing, sometimes very abstract like I designed a dress that for me was to give off the energy of an airplane flying over clouds.”
Interview With Amberly Chung
Do you believe current fashion trends play a role into your current style?
"Not intentionally- I dress based on what I’m comfortable with and how I like to look.
What are your thoughts with fast fashion? And do you believe we can fix the issue of it?
I am very sad about the conditions in fast fashion and hope that people can make an effort into changing this. Some may argue about how lower class people have a harder time to afford clothes which is why they use fast fashion places but hopefully we’re able to upcycle and do things to help the environment."
Do you believe your style can reflect your personality or certain characteristics of yourself?
"Absolutely! I dress on how I feel and what I like which reflects how I am as a person. E.g I love my cats so I’ll rock cat earrings or cat socks I love dark academia so I’ll dress in that type of style which reflects the niche of loving coffee, cafes, and writing."
When did you become interested in expressing yourself through fashion?
"I’ve always dressed how I’ve wanted! I think everyone should follow their own style and how they want to dress vs following a trend that doesn’t necessarily fit everyone’s personality and in the end ends up in a thrift store or the trash- e.g flower pants and bleached clothing."
Do you think people perceive you a certain way depending on what you wear?
"Absolutely. Unfortunately most people judge based on appearances so if I’m dressed a little slacked out most people may give glares or not pay kind to me in stores / be more suspicious vs if I dress more presentable many people find me more approachable and better off in life."
Interview With Kennedy Pavao
Do certain aspects in your culture shape how you express yourself through fashion?
"I’m half chinese and half portuguese. However, both my parents were born in Vancouver so many cultural traditions such as the food they made and clothes they wore weren’t commonly practiced here. Typically, i feel that i’ve not been able to express my culture through fashion because garments of my heritage were not worn by my parents."
Do you believe current fashion trends play a role into your current style?
"Yes. For example, I love combining baggy clothes with more feminine silhouettes. Street style has become trendy for the past few years. As a high school student, the baggier fitted pants are appealing because they are comfortable and add depth to an outfit. Contrasting that with something more fitted on top brings the outfit together."
What are your thoughts with fast fashion? And do you believe we can fix the issue of it?
"Fast fashion is definitely a concern. Although more sustainable brands aren’t contributing as much to fabric waste and unethical conditions for their workers, it can be too expensive for the average middle class citizen. Getting rid of fast fashion would be hard to do. We should be promoting ethical and sustainable options that are more affordable such as thrifting and repurposing/up cycling clothing."
Do you believe your style can reflect your personality or certain characteristics of yourself?
"Yes and no. I feel like I am a very positive and charismatic person and my style is more muted as i gravitate towards neutral and earthy tones. However, I do like wearing pastels in the spring and summer so that side of my style could represent my personality."
Do you think people perceive you a certain way depending on what you wear?
I feel like sometimes my outfits make me look like I’m mean or dull because the colours i like to wear are often neutral or earthy tones. But other times i incorporate those colours into an outfit that makes me feel more confident and that probably has an affect on my demeanour
Interview With Sahara Kalafchi
Do you believe current fashion trends play a role into your style right now? if so what trends?
"Yes, I feel like everyone’s style, to some degree, is influenced by the fashion trends around them. Although I can’t say my style is solely influenced by one era or a certain subculture of fashion, I feel like I’m occasionally referring to trends coming back from the 90s and 70s. I also want to add that although it’s natural to be influenced by fashion trends around you, it’s also important to create your own style that is unique and genuine to you."
What are your thoughts with fast fashion? And do you believe we can fix the issue of it?
"I do believe we need to slow down our garment consumerism and ultimately minimize this huge industry. Personally, the environmental consequences of fast fashion are already reason enough to be against it. With mass production that requires unethical resource, shipping around the world, and leads to huge amounts of waste, there are so many negatives that can’t be overlooked. Not to forget, that the mass production of items almost always entails the exploitation of workers. As well, a factor many don’t consider in the debate about fast fashion is that many of these mass-producing brands are constantly taking designs from independent clothing brands. This leads to a huge issue of stealing opportunities from independent designers who put time and effort into creating these garments in more ethical ways. In terms of tackling fast fashion, this will definitely be an extremely difficult task to conquer as most of the Western world has become so used to mass consumerism. Even for myself, there are many changes I can make to my relationship with fashion such as learning to style with the same pieces of clothes, or buying staple/statement pieces that can style up or style down any outfit."
Do you believe your style can reflect personality, or certain characteristics yourself?
"Yes, I definitely feel like my style can reflect characteristics of who I am because for me, fashion is a creative form of self expression. An example that comes to mind when I hear this question is my obsession with The Simpsons a couples years ago. I would constantly find vintage Simpsons t-shirts at a local thrift or vintage store and style them into outfits. Soon, a lot of people came to associate me with my Simpsons shirts, and from that, a new small piece of my identity was shaped. This is just one, very specific, example of expressing my interest in the form of fashion but it can take place in the simplest ways of wearing a garment that has significance to you. For example, I get a lot of clothes from my mom’s closet because we are very close and both have a passion for fashion. So when I wear the pieces that I get from my mom and people ask about where I get them, I can proudly explain how my mom and I share clothes and how that’s another part of my identity."
