Thrifts Don't Lie
A fashion exploration on free will and living with given clothes, which has happened organically.
To many of us, clothes are our means of self-expression. What would happen if such option were taken away from us?
I do not have a full chronology of this as I seldom take photos of myself. Instead, I take photos of funny/weird/pretty things.
Happy Sunday! Scarf from a friend, 2019; backpack from my mum, 2020; shirt from a friend, 2017
5 am airport escort for exchange students due to COVID-19. Sweater from a friend, 2018--> 2019
Receiving birthday gift. Jacket from a friend's grandpa, 2014; pants from my mum, 2020; overly cute plastic bag from a friend, 2020
Process
Background
Ever since I was little, I have been surrounded by clothes - gifts of good-conditioned second/third/forth-hand clothing and work samples from our family fabric embellishment business.
Being the youngest one in the family meaned used clothes were passed on to me all the time. As a kid, I hated it. Yet, influenced by my mother's virtue, I have developed a sense of appreciation towards materials and clothing.
My high school exchange in Finland was a turning point of my perspectives. The Finnish vibrant secondhand culture was simply a huge contrast to Hong Kong’s consumerism.
Procedure
Fortunate enough, nice clothes have simply flocked into my life even as an adult.
Pretty ones, branded ones...I have become an individual thrift shop, having a wide array of clothes, with some apparently not my style at all.
It takes time to assimilate.
At some point, my closet had even became full that I no longer accepted 'donations'.
Thoughts
What is fashion? What is self-image?
Is it created by ourselves or imposed by society?
What are we trying to attain? Which kind of attachment do we have towards our possession?
Even more questions have popped up since I inherited my mother’s clothes.
In short, fashion is personal and relevant but also something that I am flexible about.