Every visit to my grandma’s house always felt like Christmas, as she would hand me some printed polos she was tired of wearing. The prints were so intriguing as they would range from faux art nouveau to classic geometric shapes. No two were ever alike. I would stand there like a puppy awaiting its treat.

The same goes with my sister whenever she would open up her luggage filled with her old clothes. I’d constantly ask her, “Are you gonna wear that?” And I would eventually end up with a new pair of jeans or a pretty blouse. So, it’s safe to say that about half of the clothes in my closet aren’t even mine. And there’s beauty to that.

Over the pandemic, there has been an influx of Instagram shops that capitalize on their own treasures, from thrift stores that sell rare hoodies, to reworking services that turn their old clothes into something trendy and marketable. People want their clothes cheap, and instead of going down the easy and comfortable path of fast fashion, the industry has found this sustainable alternative.

Lose some, gain some

At the outset of the pandemic, I took the time to segregate my clothes and list down new articles of clothing I wanted to have. My main goal was to find a nexus between the two so I could lose some and gain some.

I wanted a funky headband with no particular pattern that could hold my hair because the thin ones wouldn’t manage, and it turned out that all I had to do was peer over my shoulder. I looked at the clothes I would be discarding and I found an old paisley off-shoulder top and used its fabric. It was definitely cheaper than paying for a P7 headband with a P40 shipping fee, and I bet no one had the exact same one.

Creativity’s root word is create. I think that fashion exudes a whole lot of creativity, but many believe it to be true only for those established fashion houses in Paris. In reality, you can create fashion at home. On TikTok, I was in awe whenever I came across this certain fashion student’s creations. She makes the prettiest pieces from scratch, and she adds her own personal touch to it, such as embroidering her favorite flower onto some denim or fabric painting a self-portrait.

Sighing in exasperation became routine for me after watching her TikToks because I knew I didn’t have the talent or skill to create. But with loose white pants that were just lying around in my closet, I decided to just trust in my intuition and turn a blank canvas into something personal. In a way, creativity is like a storm. Sometimes it hides behind a cloud, eager to pour and once it shows itself, it’ll be raining cats and dogs.

An accidental single spill of bleach on a black spaghetti top might be disastrous, but add a little more, and it will give off a tie-dye effect. Perspective matters.

When it comes to what you wear, know that the only perspective that matters is your own. Fashion, indeed, is considered to be art, because its beauty lies in its beholder. In “Forrest Gump,” someone said that you can tell a lot about a person by their shoes—where they’ve been, what they like, or even who they are. Let that be true for everything you wear, too. —CONTRIBUTED