by Andria E. Paulo, Spruce Clothing + Lifestyle Brentwood Bay –
More and more we are seeing thrifted and up-cycled clothing come into trend. Not only are we being educated with more transparency on the environmental impacts from the traditional fashion industry, but we also believe people are falling in love with the art and creativity of finding and reusing quality clothing.
The manifesting, dreaming, curating and altering of a piece – the process of it – that is where the deep satisfaction comes from.
It’s about understanding what may be in style and working with what you find— what already exists. It is fundamentally keeping your relationship with your clothing personal because you felt your way there, hand picking the piece out of a sea of many without any influence of specific branded guidance or pressure.
Taking more responsibility for the clothing you wear and how you wear it can in my experience have a very positive effect on your self-confidence. Thrifting and altering leaves room for individuality and includes hands-on curiosity and positive stimulation.
I enjoy first having a vision. Almost a goal set: “this is what I’d like to find today” being mostly general, and letting the specifics fill in their own blanks. This way you are always open to opportunity. Then the hunt – almost meditative as we cruise through the aisle – often with headphones in listening to something that gets us in a flow state of mind … fingertips moving along fast because they know what they’re after. Colour tones and materials stimulate senses and with practise become easier to finetune and collect. Then comes making it yours. Why was a piece possibly thrifted in the first place? Was there a mark on the bottom? A missing button? A stretched-out pocket? Pants too long? Too short? This is where we play. Holding the piece up and in my mind redesigning it. Could I replace the missing button, even intentionally having it be different from the rest? Could I crop the top to remove the stained portion? Could I remove the pocket that is the only “flaw?” Could I live with the small paint splatter and call it beauty marks? Weren’t clothes meant to be lived in anyway?
The financial aspect is a bonus, but never the lead. We thrift because we believe in abundance while simultaneously caring deeply for the environment. Thrifting gives you freedom: to explore a style you otherwise wouldn’t risk investing in; to rotate your closet more frequently, donating or consigning a piece with each purchase; and for your pocketbook – not spending a fortune on pieces you’re bound to feel uninspired by eventually. We’re not suggesting fast fashion habits here – just flexibility. Truth be told, I’ve had thrifted items in my closet longer than big-ticket new purchases because they had more meaning. Who was I with when I found a great treasure? Was I on an adventure? Was it what I was searching for? Did I explore altering it?
It feels more like mine than any new piece ever could because there’s a story.
For more information, visit www.spruceclothing.ca.
