sustainable fashion & ME

In the moments of silence comes clarity. As the topic of slow and fast fashion became more mainstream, I started to analyse my own consumer habits and I learned to my surprise that I have been practising slow fashion for a while.

But getting there has been a long journey, which had a lot to do with budget constraints, not understanding my style and chasing fashion and trends instead of defining who Leanne was.

Growing up, I had clothes for occasions and my mum was buying them all, so there was no real appreciation for the value of money or the clothes, which heavily influenced my relationship when I was in charge of buying my clothes.

I’m sure I’m not the only one, but being in London for university and having all these parties, myself and my friends embarked on what felt like one big shopping trip. In 2002/3 Miss Sixty dominated my wardrobe and it was a constant race to have the coolest, newest outfits to go out, plus to look cool at uni.

Then I started to work, so starting out I couldn’t afford Reiss suits and LK Bennett shoes, so my focus was on being fashionable, my wardrobe became a high street mix and Primark. The university purchasing pattern still continued and it meant new outfits for the weekends all the time.

My wardrobe was too full, I couldn’t find anything and the pile of clothes that I didn’t like anymore started to grow.

Then came the turning point. I saw a programme detailing the benefits of a capsule wardrobe and I also saw another programme that talked about the cost per wear and then I knew I needed to actively change how and what I bought.

Then came my decision to slow my fashion down and that meant I went higher on the quality and lower on the consumption. I made this decision in 2012 and haven’t looked back. At the time, I wasn’t thinking about my carbon footprint or sweatshops or saving the environment, although now I understand the connectedness of it all.

I started to intentionally buy items that reflected Leanne instead of what happened to be in the shops. Buying better meant upping the care of my garments, but it also meant I knew my wardrobe and could buy items intentionally because it made sense.

I love silk blouses from Sezane, coats and blazers from Max&Co and nearly all of my boots come from Russell & Bromley and this will also be blended with Zara and Levi’s. I used to look in boutiques near to where I lived, to see what was local.

It isn’t always possible to buy from a clothing brand that is completely sustainable, but it is just as important to me, that I don’t continue to consume for the sake of it but I invest in the quality.

I have a complicated with secondhand purchases, just in case you are wondering. I am a Brit-Jamaican and being brought up the way I was, secondhand isn’t happening, the closest thing that would come to it was sibling hand-me-downs. I also didn’t have that as an only child.

My method may not be perfect, but it is mine.