To start off the new year I’ve partnered with Vibhati from South Asians for Sustainability to run the first session in a two part series – East and West: Sustainability and Personal Style. We’ll be exploring how identity, culture, and conscious fashion choices intersect through a South Asian lens. And with this in mind, I wanted to share some of the things I’ve been learning when it comes to making more conscious choices in my wardrobe. I guess my own conscious Style Story.
I wasn’t always a conscious shopper. When I was younger, definitely in my early twenties, I shopped like my life depended on it. I always wanted the latest trend, constantly bought items in black and needed a new fit for every occasion. It was such an unsustainable way in which to shop. I didn’t really know what my style was, how I wanted to express myself through my clothing or how I could really connect to my sense of identity through it. I had this distinct difference of two wardrobes. One with my eastern wear and one with my western wear which rarely, if ever, crossed paths. Although I loved the creativity of fashion, I didn’t really know how to make it my own.
And over time, through my own personal experiences, getting to know who I really am (which, btw, is a never ending process) and by working with clients all ready to discover their true sense of personal style, I’ve adopted more conscious actions towards my own wardrobe.
1. Shopping Habits
Realising how I was shopping was a really huge factor. Almost seeing it as a hobby, frequently wanting the latest trends, buying a piece and then falling out of love with it. It was a really viscous and unhealthy cycle. I know they say that shopping is a form of therapy but I really think it can do the opposite when not used constructively or with goals in mind.
But the thing is, it became exactly that, a habit. And unlearning our ingrained habits can be tough thing to do. What I found though was that as I began to learn more about myself, my likes, my dislikes and also began educating myself on the fashion industry, I realised I could slowly break the habits.
My shopping habits aren’t perfect and I’ll be the first to admit I’m still tempted by trends or buying new for a special occasion, but as the awareness of more conscious and responsible shopping has grown and I’ve become more conscious of where I spend my money, it’s become easier over time to break the cycles.
2. Buying Motivations
Moving from an impulsive reaction to having more strategy, thought, intention and conscious awareness in what I was investing in has been a huge shift. I definitely used to be the person that wanted something new for every occasion. Not only was this costly but it just wasn’t sustainable in any sense. Especially when it just looked like another black piece in my wardrobe, was only ever going to be worn once and was made from the majority of synthetic materials. Not to mention how you even begin to store new items all the time.
Becoming more strategic with what I was investing in, doing the regular wardrobe declutters, creating shopping lists and finding alternative means of shopping like vintage, second hand or rentals has been a brilliant alternative.
I don’t really have many fancy places to go to, but I know that if I wanted to wear a killer piece, I would most likely rent as the options out there are so much better than buying new. My new best friend has also become Vinted, both for selling and for sourcing pieces that I really want to try from brands I like. It can be hit and miss and you might still question the ethics of buying the latest fast fashion piece on Vinted, but I guess thats a moral/values based conscious decision.
3. Bigger & Deeper Picture
This has to be one of the biggest and deepest shifts. Really understanding yourself, your values, your real sense of identity and how you can express this through how you dress has been the biggest turning point for me and has begun to influence so much of my work. This is a huge part of what we will be covering in the workshop with South Asian’s for Sustainability as I believe this is often the missing piece when it comes to creatively using your wardrobe as a tool of self expression.
Trying to create more of a conscious blend between my east and west wardrobes has been really significant. Learning more about the crafts and artisans from countries like India has been really rewarding. And wanting to invest in smaller brands that support these crafts feels special.
I’ve begun to see my personal style as the biggest display of who I am, what I stand for and how I want people to perceive me. But only by understanding myself more am I even able to do that. It’s a much bigger and deeper meaning to unravel.
A lot of this has led to what I share in the book that I have been writing and we’ll also be covering similar topics throughout the online webinar with South Asian’s for Sustainability. I really hope you can join, Wednesday 14th January 2026, get your tickets here.
Want to chat more? Book in for a free Style Discovery Call here and let’s help you make more conscious choice.
