If the average shopping website is to be believed, the apocalypse is upon us, and only those wearing discounted lacy-pink mini-dresses and matching wedges will be saved. For years, fashion magazines, too, have grandly announced their monthly lists of “essentials” and “must-haves”, gently urging you to “invest” in another pair of sequinned pumps that will show that no-good ex of yours what he’s missing.
In the age of consumerism, when ‘buy now, think later’ is the message, and fashion marketing (like with anything else) is on overdrive, a small but growing movement is taking back control. Minimalist fashion is a trend that takes a cold, hard look at the clutter and chaos in our closets, and attempts to pare down our possessions to what we need and cherish.
“In fashion, there’s a saying — less is more,” says Daniela Degrassi, founder and creative director, Annaborgia Vegan Couture. Her designs, which she describes as luxe minimalist, include bridal wear and capsule wardrobe elements that never go out of style. “I’ve always liked simplicity. It stands the test of time,” says Daniela, who believes that fashion is as much about editing as it is about what you put in, and that minimalist fashionistas need not compromise on glamour, style or variety. “As a designer, I like to add little twists to classic forms, so they really stand out. That’s what I did with the Stella dress — it’s a classic shape, but there are these long strings at the back, adding something flirty and feminine to the design.” The former wedding photographer, who speaks out against fast fashion’s use-and-throw culture, also designs wedding dresses that can be reused in casual settings, and speaks of how being creative with your accessories is a great way to give the same clothes a different look every time you wear them.
Another firm believer in owning a small number of very versatile things is author and international speaker Colin Wright, whose blog about minimalism www.exilelifestyle.com gets a few million visitors every year. He speaks of how he could visit 60 places over the past seven years with ease — “You can carry everything that you own, without paying for storage space, without check-in luggage; you don’t have to leave anything somewhere and worry about it.”
He now lives in what he calls a Minimum Viable Home (MVH, inspired by the term Minimum Viable Product in technology) in Kansas (U.S.), where every potential purchase is analysed carefully before it earns a place in his house. He recalls his pre-minimalism lifestyle of many years ago with a laugh — “I had a huge walk-in closet when I lived in LA, the size of some people’s bedrooms. You feel the need to fill it up or else it looks weird. But, I’ve found that I wore the same number of things then as I do now. The rest are almost like museum pieces… to be looked at and never used.” He observes that accumulating stuff in your closet means that a lot of money and effort are spent on something that isn’t enjoyable. Colin also draws attention to the problem of wastage that mass production creates, since most plastic packaging ends up in rivers and other natural bodies. “In five or 10 years, minimalism could be the dominant culture. The movement to live simply and own fewer things is a lifestyle choice, like eating healthy,” he says.
He’s not alone in finding that downsizing your closet is incredibly freeing. Japanese author Marie Kondo’s book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up , became the Number one New York Times Bestseller, with a cult following of readers who have now begun to ask if the possessions in their closets really ‘spark joy’ (the title of her follow-up book). Apart from being easier on the physical spaces we occupy, minimalist fashion is also seen as a way to promote ethical practices in the apparel industry — brands such as Annaborgia design high-quality pieces that last longer, provide fair wages to garment workers and avoid animal products and toxic dyes.
In the meantime, sustainable fashion movements such as ‘make do and mend’, where clothes with minor repair needs are fixed rather than discarded, are coming back in style, while apps and websites like thredUP (in U.S.) and Elanic (based in Bangalore) let people swap their gently-worn clothes for those of others.
Colin reveals that being a minimalist made it possible for him to be a local rather than a tourist, during his journey. “It lets you explore what the locals do, rather than walk around with your house on your back,” he says.
Putting together a Minimum Viable Closet could also be your insurance against the cacophony of flash sales and the false sense of urgency they create, while freeing up precious time, space, money and energy for a wardrobe you love and experiences that matter.
