My client and I were on a hunt for a pair of shoes to match her incredible dress for a gala dinner at a Milano Design Award Ceremony. We have planned a sufficient budget and literally spent hours trying to find a pair in the right color and size, that would be also some sort of comfortable. Tired, devasted, and disappointed we were passing by some mass-market shoe store that was way below the entry-level for us. In desperation, we gave it a try and to our surprise found what we were looking for. A perfect pair of shoes for less than a tenth of what we were intending to spend.
As she was about to pay for them, I told her, “From now on I appoint these shoes to be your Manolo Blahniks. Please treat them as if they are.” She still does, and they serve her well. Carefully cleaned and wrapped in tissue, with wooden shoe stretcher they rest in a box waiting for their next special event.
This story sounds like a fairy tale. More often what I face is slightly different. Garments, often of decent quality, end up in the bottom of a wardrobe in a miserable condition. And as we go through the pile of clothes many of them go to a garbage bag because “they don’t sparkle joy anymore”. In fact, they don’t sparkle anything.
We often blame it on fashion, especially the fast-fashion. On one hand, who of us isn’t tempted to buy a trendy T-shirt or a pair of jeans on a winter sale for the price of espresso?! On the other hand, we are encouraged to be responsible consumers. Fast-fashion is grouse! Local, sustainable, eco-friendly… We need to consume wiser, smarter better, and from chosen sustainable brands. I don’t mind. In fact, I am all for it. But at the same time, I often get annoyed, because the hidden message is the same – “Consume more!”.
So, as consumers, we are the ones who have to either buy “the non-evil” (read local-eco-whatever-sustainable), or make purchase loaded with guilt, or pretend that it doesn’t matter. Amazing!
At the end of the day we come to Marie Kondo who indulges us with her magic tidying method helping to get read of mountains of clothes (among other things) that do not sparkle joy. Not anymore. Every stylist offering a service of wardrobe sorting comes to share the burden helping to “say goodbye” to clothes. Sparkle – sparkle me not… It doesn’t sparkle – it has to leave. How come?
I don’t like “sparkles of joy”. I like the flames. You can make so much more with flames – you can keep yourself warm, cook food, scare off the beasts, and have as many sparkles as you want. I’m talking metaphorically. Yet there is a challenge – one needs to keep the flame burning, make sure that the sparkle is there. It takes time, it takes effort, sometimes it takes money.
Throughout my life, I have helped my friends and clients to return the sparkle to their clothes. Sometimes it would mean almost a resurrection – many have seen me running around with an iron, needles, paints, and lint-remover. Sometimes keeping the flame – the magic and the function of a garment – means passing it to a better owner who would love it and take care of it. I have seen items becoming a sort of Olympic fire that is being passed from one person to another.
So, here is my statement – dare to care.
It always brings change. It fills with love.
Let’s tackle this challenge together. For the love of beautiful things, or for the sake of keeping our wardrobes organized and running smoothly, in order to save some money or save the planet… Lets’ dare to care!
DARE TO CARE is a part of Stylelabs dedicated to taking care of clothes for clothes’ sake that explores care rituals and procedures to keep your attire in great shape and serve you well.