Hello, Darlings!
Welcome to another blog from the Future of Fashion, a place where we get to impact the future of fashion, beauty, and creativity for all living creatures in a magical way. This week, we discuss an interesting and philosophical subject.
You may be wondering what OPTIMISTIC NIHILISM is.
“Optimistic nihilism is the ability of a person to create his own meaning after fully accepting that the universe is a large place of meaninglessness."
So that is what it means, but why are we discussing it? I had a very interesting conversation with two Gen Zers about fashion and their approach to it. The above term emerged from it. Their view of fashion was very different from mine.
Their lives have been filled with stories of doom and impending disaster. Climate change, war, economic troubles. Not a lot of hope, growth, and excitement. As it concerns fashion, they have both lived through an era of everything being available to them all at once, a life filled with social media and an overload of information concerning the fashion they can buy and the damage this fashion has on the environment. On top of that, just how doomed we are as a species, and that there is generally “NO HOPE”.
By contrast, my experience of life has been rather one of “capitalist naiveté”. We thought more was better. Growth was good. We experienced the era of iconic designers - Galliano, McQueen, Tom Ford, to name a few. The supermodels and fashion magazines. The colossal growth of fast fashion and the luxury goods industry. Everything was positive, and life was good until we saw the impact. Now, we feel our own sense of guilt and reason that “we didn’t know any better”.
I love to bring philosophy to fashion, and this conversation gave me an extraordinary opportunity. I have always been interested in new, better, cool, and exciting things others don’t have. I no longer follow that. Maturity and an awareness of sustainable fashion have shifted my focus. Yet my Gen Z friends have a different approach, one that I could say is more mature and empowering.
Using fashion as a tool is transformational and empowering. Crafting a persona or image you want to project to the world. Through fashion, I still have control over my impact on life and the environment. So, there may be terrible things happening in the world that we really cannot control, but fashion provides a place for optimism and fun. Precisely aligned with my philosophy, “have fun, love life, and joy fashion”. To be clear, they are activists in their own way. They are not burying their heads in the sand from the state of the world; instead, they are impacting through their own power and enjoying that.
Whilst this is not a conclusive view of this Generation, it does give some understanding of the behaviours of this group. The two I spoke with engaged in fashion in the following ways
Always secondhand/thrifted first, no cycling through trends
They both buy fast fashion but keep these items for years
They mend and alter clothes rather than buy something new.
They share clothes with their family and friends.
There is no sense of real ownership, which I found hard to understand. I find myself very attached to my own clothes. What I really liked was their clear sense of personal identity, as opposed to the need to be told what is cool, fashionable, or what they need to wear.
Recently, I have been bewildered by the massive growth of Shein and other recent fast-fashion groups, whose growth has been largely fuelled by social media platforms. I constantly wonder how consumers can mindlessly buy without concern for the impact on the environment.
“Major environmental issues associated with fast fashion brands like SHEIN, like water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, exposure to toxic chemicals, excessive textile waste and production of tons of carbon dioxide every year, are only a few consequences of SHEIN's unsustainable practices.”
Shein Textile waste, credit photo: Earth.Org
You can’t ignore this. Now I see that consumers must either choose to be blissfully unaware or consider that they cannot impact the state of the world and can just enjoy some cheap fashion while the planet burns.
I have found Gen Z very different and fascinating as a generation. As I have been writing this blog, I was reminded of something - my favourite stoic - Marcus Aurelius.
“You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realise this, and you will find strength.” Marcus Aurelius – Self Awareness
What a wonderful reminder of how fascinating the world around us is. Engage with fellow humans of any age, race and origin; there is so much to learn from each other. Always be prepared to have your own opinions and actions challenged. Explore new philosophies and ways of living.
As this relates to fashion, there are many ways we can learn from this conversation. We don’t need expensive brands to feel or look good. There are so many beautiful and valuable items in secondhand stores. We can take something, make it our own and then share it with others.
Most importantly, create and craft your own image—one that empowers you and one which you love. You are whole and perfect, just as you are. Enjoy being the best version of yourself.
As always, have fun, love life, and enjoy fashion.
Kate xx