With 2020 now in the dust and many of us hoping a change of calendar means a change of luck in 2021, is there much chance for a slower fashion world? An article by the New Statesman from October last year broke down why a pandemic alone wouldn’t leave too much of a dent in the fast fashion industry. Even though there was a dip in online retail sales in April, people soon had the urge to spend, and by July online stores recovered quite significantly. Kate Nightingale, a consumer psychologist, says a reason for this may be that the COVID pandemic leads to “mortality salience” which can cause us to act and, of course, buy more impulsively because we’re faced with the idea of death. Who hasn’t indulged in moments of retail therapy at points of crisis in their life?
If you’re going to splash out on some new threads then why not say goodbye to carbon footprint filled, sweat-shop manufactured goods in 2021? Vintage sites like Beyond Retro, as well as second-hand clothes from depop and eBay are great alternatives. If you miss being able to support your local charity shops then Oxfam have their own online store which is still active through lockdown, as well as Age UK and others now using eBay to sell their wares.
The UK is in lockdown once again and many of us are experiencing those familiar quarantine blues, especially after a socially distanced Christmas season. Somehow the 120th drinks over video chat don’t quite hit the same anymore, and a lot of us have taken to brooding like moody teenagers who can’t go anywhere, although instead of our fake IDs not being convincing enough it’s more we can’t buy a Scotch egg accompanied by ten pints in our local, or even congregate in parks for stealth tinnies in state-approved groups of sixes. Even with the vaccine seemingly just in sight, lockdown is dragging more than ever. I especially can’t go anywhere apart from a few exciting hospital trips a week until vaccinated as I’m halfway through 6 cycles of chemotherapy for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, so do or don’t worry about the lavender-pink ombre being my real hair.
Speaking of moody teenage years, mine weren’t especially different to anyone else’s; insisting on collecting Smiths albums on vinyl, thinking Pulp Fiction was totally the greatest film ever and, of course, updating my tumblr blog of the soft/pastel grunge variety. If you remember anything about this genre of tumblr fashion it was a lot of pink/purple hair matched with combat boots, oversized jumpers/shirts with crop tops and the shortest shorts- essentially grunge- but make it pretty. A near modern day equivalent (now I suddenly feel ancient) is probably the ‘e-girl/e-boy’ style which is popular amongst the youth of today- hermit teens with a semi-ironic aesthetic to express. In my case the powers that were parents and Catholic school would never have allowed bright hair dye and upside down crucifix necklaces, so while my fourteen year old self merely admired the soft grunge aesthetic, these e-kids are out here really doing it, even if it’s just mostly in the confines of their bedrooms for TikTok videos.
Hair loss from chemotherapy is pretty unavoidable for the most part so a month into treatment when I started shedding everywhere I decided to shave it off and embrace the whole wig thing. Immediately I was drawn to pink as it’s a colour I’d never actually commit to with my real hair. I wanted to make the shade pop with a dark clothing base, so I went for this men’s black Hugo Boss blazer, appropriately oversized for that grungey vibe:
Price breakdown (including delivery for online purchases):
Hugo Boss Blazer- £2.50, Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Charity Shop, Colchester
Pin stripe suit- £16.99, eBay
T-shirt- £19.10, eBay
Boots- £14, eBay
Earrings- £2.50, Vintage St Helena Hospice, Colchester
Thrifty Things 