This was first read live by Karlya at Meow in Wellington, at the sold out Verb Wellington event In Your Dreams: Letters Aloud, curated and commissioned by Pirate & Queen. The event’s theme was ‘Letter to The Future’, and also featured letters from Clementine Ford, Paddy Gower, Anthonie Tonnon and Emily Writes.
I feel uneasy when I see the prefix ‘former’ before someone’s title. Former mayor, former television host, former Olympian – it’s hard to carry a title into your future that is so defining, yet no longer current. No longer this, but not yet something else.
I’m a former fashion editor. In the process of writing this, I updated my biography. But as I wrote the word ‘former’ in front of my old title, something clicked.
‘Fashion editor’ was my job title for nearly 20 years. I specialised in that, as well as styling people, objects and interiors, which I still do.
To become a fashion editor, I moved to Tāmaki Makaurau, but I grew up and studied fashion design here in Pōneke. In those days, sustainability was not something we considered. In the four years it took me to earn my degree, I don’t recall hearing that word.
What I did learn was some basic science to do with fabrics. We learned about differences between natural fibres and synthetic ones – how they’re made, how they behave and how to care for them. I gained a love of materials that are grown, rather than extruded by machines.
While I knew there were environmental and social problems with textiles, it took many years before I realised the scale of over-consumption in the fashion industry – the waste, the volume of water, the working conditions, and the never-ending push to buy more garments. I wasn’t blind to the problems, but I didn’t realise how quickly things were becoming worse.
Over the 20 years I have worked in the industry, consumption of new clothing has grown by 400%. I am guilt ridden that I was a participant in, and a promoter of, something deeply unsustainable.
I did try to make changes. The first change I made was to focus on New Zealand designers who sold well-made clothing. But it was never easy – the comments each week would be full of shock at the prices. There was always pressure to include more options from fast fashion brands.
I stopped writing about trends, like puffy sleeves or wide legged pants. The truth is, trends are a tool to encourage you to buy more often.
I turned to my love of fabric. I devoted columns to garment-care, and how to make a treasured item last longer. I wrote a lot about natural fibres: I talked about wool in my column so much that my Mum started suggesting I call the Wool Board for a job. What she didn’t know was that the Wool Board was dissolved the year I started as a fashion editor, which says a lot about the time I was working in.
My journey to moderation has been gradual, and paved with unflattering trousers and high heels I could barely walk in. But in trying to find ways to continue a lifelong love of clothing, without excessive consumption, I’ve learned some simple actions to take today that will impact the future. I'm not absolutely there yet, but they are actions I'm reminding myself of:
• The most ethical and impactful choice you can make is to wear the clothes you already own.
• The next best thing is to choose clothes someone else has owned. Maybe that’s by visiting a well-curated vintage store, but maybe it’s a clothes swap with friends or family.
• I have a tradition: I wear the shoes I was married in to every wedding I go to. I like to think they carry the energy of my happy memories into a new joyful occasion.
• If you do need to buy new items, be mindful of why you’re shopping. Sometimes it’s as simple as slowing down and asking yourself if you really need something before you buy it.
• Pay attention to quality. Look at the fibre content on the tag. With rare exceptions, the more natural fibre content, the more sustainable the life-cycle.
• Be mindful of how you store and care for your clothing. Take note of the washing instructions, but aim to wash them as little as possible.
• Address stains immediately. Learn how to sew on a button, mend holes and alter the length of garments. A needle, thread, and clothes brush will take you far.
If you treat clothing as a treasure, you’re more likely to purchase items for your wardrobe that hold great value to you, and in turn make you feel more valuable yourself. As for me, for now, I wear my title – ‘former fashion editor’ as a badge. It acknowledges the journey that I’ve had with clothing, and that I’m entering a new era in the way I work with it.
