As 20-something college students, we can collectively agree that our brains are constantly cluttered. Between classes, work, internships, clubs, and God knows what else we try to jam into our incredibly busy and borderline unmanageable schedules, avoiding stress is not happening any time soon. I know what you’re thinking: “WTF does this have to do with clothes, Alex?” Perhaps I’m the only one whose hyper fixations are a constant rotation between denim, tops, shoes, accessories, and my Reformation shopping cart that I won’t ever pull the trigger on. I can’t be that financially irresponsible!
While I fell into a daze, dreaming about the next fashion investment I wanted to make during the lengthy walk to my European film lecture, I realized that I didn’t need any more items of clothing. My closets, both at home and in my apartment, are full—why do I need to buy more? The answer is quite simple: my generation has been programmed to over-consume. Aside from my constant panic due to the increasingly tight job market I’ll be forced to enter within the next year and a half; I can’t stop thinking and worrying about clothes. I find that I am constantly opening social media to discover a new trend or specific brand that’s gone viral. I’ve thankfully developed better judgment when it comes to falling for microtrends, but the issue now is that everything is trending.
Rather than one microtrend circling everyone’s feed, I’d argue that we’ve established micro-categories of fashion (each of which is “trending”). 2014 has made its comeback, but has the 80s and the 2000s. Keeping up with the current cycle is unfeasible, which is why we’ve seen such an emphasis on the importance of building a capsule wardrobe, especially in the past few months. Owning and investing in a few quality pieces will take you significantly further than constantly spending money on poorly made garments that are often guaranteed to be either out of style or in poor condition in as little as a year.
The big question: how do we combat overconsumption? It is a challenging fix, especially in the world we live in. Shopping secondhand, whether thrifting, Depop, or even The RealReal, has helped me save money and positively contribute to the environment and the fashion industry. A few of my favorite thrift finds include Timberland boots, a grey Merino wool sweater from Aritzia, and two pairs of Citizens of Humanity Ayla jeans (my biggest flex ever). These three pieces are obviously great investment pieces, and purchasing them at full price from a retailer wouldn’t be that crazy, but something about thrifting them just feels better. Not only is it economically responsible, but I also feel less guilty about buying them, knowing they could have ended up in a landfill.
All of this being said, I’m not expecting overconsumption to disappear habitually from my life. I’m always window shopping online. That’s likely not going to stop. My main point and realization is that clearing my closet directly correlates to clearing my mind. Instead of throwing money at the problem when you’re convinced you have nothing to wear, take the time to explore the depths of your closet and fall in love with something you’ve already made an investment in again.
opinionated. 
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