Fashion Philosophy - Why do we wear what we wear?

What is the purpose of fashion? To look good? To attract a special group of people? To say who we are? To break some undefined rule? Or simply for practical purposes?

Try to take a few minutes and ponder on what is the purpose of fashion to you? You may have thought about this question many times, or this may be the first time that it has ever crossed your mind. Most of us are part of the latter group. The thing that we do every day, sometimes a few times per day, has never been a topic of question for us. Why do I put this set of clothes on, and not another? What purpose am I trying to achieve with my fashion choices?

I hope that at this point, you have already paused reading this article and have some answers. I will tell you now what “fashion” means to me.

Fashion serves me to cover my private parts without disabling me by being suitable for the weather, activity, and the eyes in quantities and forms that least harm the environment.

I will dissect my one-liner with one image per point:

Fashion serves me. I do not serve fashion. Basically, throughout history, we see that too often we are the slaves of our fashion choices. Sometimes dictated to us by the society and sometimes by ourselves. 

Kim Kardashian's Met Gala gown meant that she had to take breathing courses to be able to survive in that tightly fitted Corset.

Fashion ought to cover the areas of my body that are private to me. Of course, the term private has different levels. What I consider private parts with my husband is not the same as what I consider private parts with my friends, or colleagues.

Priyanka Chopra at Beautycon in LA wearing too little left for the imagination.

Fashion must not disable me from my movements and how I use my body language to communicate with others. I need to feel comfortable in what I wear and be able to do my daily tasks in a comfortable way.

Victoria Beckham wearing heel-less knee high boots. 

Fashion must be suitable for different types of weather and activity and there must be attention to its aesthetic value.

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynold looking trendy, comfortable, and Autumn appropriate!

Last but not least, fashion must be kept to a level that is environmentally justifiable.

How much clothing is enough clothing?

Unfortunately, most of the fashion industry tycoons don’t want us to ask these types of questions as they will be the biggest losers if we start thinking instead of purely following their dictated trends. There are some brands today that are promoting eco-friendly textiles and productions, however, the number of clothes we buy is even a bigger problem.

We follow some trendsetters that themselves may have never asked the right questions. They are promoting seasonal trends. Should we instead move towards more timeless designs rather than what is fashionable today? Environment is the most fashionable thing that I can think of.

In today’s world, the most important purpose of fashion should be to cut down the negative effects of our fashion choices on the environment. The fashion industry accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions, 20% of industrial water pollution, and a vast amount of waste. 72% of our clothing is made up of synthetic fibres which means they can take up to 200 years to decompose. We are simply destroying our planet with our fashion choices every day. Let's be smart and buy less! Less is rarely more, but when it comes to our fashion choices, less seems to be our only option.