For this month’s fashion segment I knew I wanted to write about the impact of fast fashion on our planet. But what is fast fashion really? To me it’s less about explicitly buying from SHEIN, and more defined by the invisible need to keep up with the Joneses. There’s a desire to fit in, to stay on trend, and to know “which sandals we’re wearing this summer”. It’s an energetic lack of individuality and self confidence.

If you’ve never taken the time to discover your taste– to figure out which fabrics, colors and cuts you like best, then you’ll just keep consuming and eventually discarding. So at what point do your consumption habits start rotting the soul inside you? I think it’s closer than a lot of people think. If you take the time to view it from a higher realm, you’ll quickly realize that though the burden of fast fashion shouldn’t fall on the individual, energetically it absolutely does. 

There’s a karmic debt passed down from clothing that’s made unethically, woven by neglected workers from plastic that will never biodegrade. These energies linger, they follow you into your home, and seep into your skin, your cities water supply, and most potently your self worth. The Earth feels your participation in its suffering and energetically sensitive people can feel it too. If you struggle to give a shit about the planet, I encourage you to give a shit about your own aura enough to see how dark it can become just by your purchases.

I’ve noticed that people who are aware and intentional about what they buy are often aware & intentional about everything else in their lives. They make better friends, colleagues and members of society in general. To put it plainly, my friends that shop secondhand also care about the people of Gaza, about immigrants in our community, and about women and children. If you show me someone who doesn’t ponder the world around them, I’ll show you someone in Princess Polly or Aritzia. The article is called All My Homies Shop Secondhand, because all my homies really do. The closest people in my life have made thrifting and vintage-sourcing a part of their personal style. I think this is why I’m naturally drawn to certain individuals, despite not knowing this about them until later. 

People who thrift just seem to have brighter auras and older souls. Thrifting builds energetic points, and personal style is like a language only certain people understand. Individual style is what makes fashion so iconic. You can be fashionable and not have personal style but the reverse is simply impossible. It’s why Tiger Woods’ fashion choices were revolutionary and why early-day Emma Chamberlain was so heavily replicated. They dressed like themselves, and unlike anyone else.

It’s what micro-trends try so hard to manufacture. Why we have aesthetics like “coastal grandpa” or why we see a random uptick in people buying Hunter boots. They’re trying to replicate something organic and personal, while failing to realize that the originality and practicality is what made it fashionable in the first place. Kate Moss wore Hunter boots with a mini dress because she was at a music festival with rain and mud. It was cunty because it was functional and chic. She made it personal.

When I see someone in a mini dress and hunter boots here in Scottsdale, I know it’s a cheap replica. There’s no functionality and certainly no mud in sight. When someone is that easily influenced to consume it’s a complete energetic repulsion for me. I don’t find myself making friends with people like this, and I certainly don’t find myself connecting with them spiritually. 

If an individualized sense of style builds aura points all on its own, then an eco-conscious personal style is like an energetic grand slam. The beauty of shopping vintage is there’s no trend forecasting or pre-curation. It’s pure creativity and freestyling.

People who can walk into a Salvation Army and trust themselves to build an outfit for any occasion are the people I really fuck with.

Which brings us to our very first fashion feature, Miss Veronica Baker! V and I met working together in retail almost 8 years ago. At just 19 years old she was easily the most fashionable person in the building. To this day, she’s still the same hippy, turquoise-wearing, thrifty goddess she’s always been. Her style, no matter the aesthetic, is uniquely hers. It’s one of my most favorite things about her. And the gag is, it’s almost always thrifted! So now it’s time for a little Q&A with the Icon herself:

Q: At what age would you say you truly began to develop your personal style? How has thrifting changed you as a person?

A: I was fortunate enough to be around thrifty women my entire life. We went to antique malls. We went to the thrift stores, we went to Plato’s closet, we went to Buffalo Exchange. To me, it was always the cool thing to do. I’ve never felt ashamed of it. It started from an early age. What’s the saying? Maddie knew who she was from a very early age. That was me and thrifting. I really kind of understood what I wanted my style to be at 19 or 20. That’s when I really honed in on it.

Q: Do you feel more confident when you’re wearing an outfit that feels truly you?

A: For sure yes. It boosts my mental and my desire to talk to people. It’s a conversation starter if I’m wearing something different or fun. The intention behind what we put on our bodies is important and the more I slow down and dress for how I want to feel, the better I perform.

Q: Do you notice the energetic weight of overconsumption/fast fashion?

A: Yes as an adult I’m more mindful of what I’m spending money on and what materials I’m putting on my body. I think the biggest thing is asking, does this piece already exist in the thrift store? And it’s usually eight times cheaper, better quality and couldn’t be found in a retailer today. That’s a prevalent thing right now, you see the same thing on every girl. So I think as a thrifter, you’re unique and people don’t have a lot of what you wear. It adds that extra layer to how you show up in the world.