I love the budding movement towards local and organic foods in my city. As someone who used to have a toxic relationship with food, and a series of ill-health that came from an unconscious and unhealthy lifestyle, relating to food and the Earth was part of my journey to vibrance. As a natural next step, I started to become aware of household and personal products, swapping them with natural alternatives over the last many years.
I did all this for health and wellness, not so much for enjoyment.
The enjoyment part came when my choice in clothing changed. It happened quietly and surprisingly, so I didn’t realize it at first.
We all have moments of impulse shopping and I was no different, especially because I had a history of using shopping to fill emotional voids.
Purging your closet is one thing, but intentionally bringing in new ways to relate to clothing, fabrics that are new to us, or even styles is a bit of an adventure.
I say adventure, because we don’t know what we are in for when we start this.
Learning my Truth with Jeans
I grew up in the 80s and 90s, so I always had a couple of pairs of jeans in my closet – loose baggy ones when they were in style and really fitted yoga jeans as well.
Everyone had jeans.
I never questioned it.
Fashion is something we are sold, often unconsciously.
Some of us are lucky and have a strong sense of what we like and dislike at a young age, regardless of current styles of the season.
Others, like me, are followers of fashion, often imitating others in at attempt to fit in or look good. We do this until we realize we have to do a little work to figure out who we actually are and what we truthfully resonates (or doesn’t) with us.
Turns out, I don’t actually like jeans.
I feel restricted in movement and the texture and heaviness of the fabric doesn’t feel good to me in any season. They look great on so many people and I absolutely appreciate denim as a fabric and jeans.
Around the time I was purging jeans from my closet, I also learned about the industrial process involved in making your average pair of jeans and how resource intensive and environmentally unfriendly it can be.
We don’t often think of it, but a lot of our clothes have massive cultural, social and economic impact, as well as environmental, from the moment they are produced until well after we throw them out. Fair warning, this is a massive and deeply upsetting rabbit hole, which I will leave you to explore.
It’s weird when you purge your closet of a certain type of clothing. Because, then you have to figure out what replaces it, in different seasons, settings and occasions.
Turns out, I’m a skirt and flowy frock person. Winter goes down to -40 Celsius where I live, but an understanding of fabrics weaves and how they combine to maintain warmth while staying breathable, allows me to don my choice of comfortable clothing that’s true to me!
Intimacy & Expression
What lies in our closets (literally and symbolically) is a reflection of our choices - conscious or unconscious.
I once heard that Steve Jobs’s closet had every shade of black you could think of. Apparently, ‘what I should wear’ was not something he wanted to expend brain power on. He was also a person who didn’t care much about the opinions of others.
While this is absolutely opposite to how I relate to clothes, I love that he knew this about himself and chose it.
Clothing is an outward expression of who we are. What hangs in our closets, touches our skin and is intimately with us all day, is much beyond the vanity associated with seasonal fashion.
This can be something we can judge in ourselves or others, but what far more interesting is to truly know what we want (desire), what we buy (action of purchase), how it feels (self-intimacy) and how it represents us (expression).
So it is what we choose to present to (or hide from) the world.
How aligned we are in our beliefs, thoughts, actions, desires, inner truth and outer presence is big truth we can find in between our closet hangers.
If we switch to organic food for the health of our bodies, then would the intentional switch to natural, organic, well-made, intentionally sourced, ethically funded clothing makes sense too for our Spirit and our expression?
Mystical Garments
Eventually, I had a much better sense of what felt good on my skin and body and had just come out of the aforementioned rabbit hole of environmental, social, economic impact of the Article from Forage & Sustain.
My rabbit hole taught me what I did not want, and I already started to switch to natural, ethical fibres and brands. It was work - constantly researching certifications, digging into farms and brands and processes. There’s so much to know, it is overwhelming at times.
That’s when I came across Nomadica Clothing.
In addition to sourcing high quality and gentle-on-the-Earth fabrics, their production team ensures mindful and intention-filled processes, and each piece is blessed in ritual ceremony. I had the joy of wearing their famous and beloved Rose petal fibre dress, which is extraordinary in touch and feel.
Nomadica’s Rose Petal Fibre Inanna Dress. Photo Courtesy: Neighbourhood McGoo.
Mystics are very good at being perfectly happy in the face of that which is unknowable.
It’s a more feeling and sensing way of life, rather than consciously and intellectually receiving information.
When I received this particular dress, I knelt on the floor of my living room and sobbed. It wasn’t entirely sad. I’m still not sure why I did it. Every time I’d reach for it, I was overcome with great emotion and every time, I felt lighter and more grounded.
Over the next few weeks, I wore it at home and let whatever emotion that rose to come and go.
Eventually, I was able to wear it outside.
I don’t know how the designers, the weavers, the makers and the mystics at Nomadica do what they do. But I know they do it. I feel it in the wear of the fabric and the winds blow through its luxurious folds. It’s more than just feeling and looking good. There’s something truly delightful from within that garments like these capture and radiate out in the world.
What’s fun and interesting is how others react.
It’s not just the compliments I receive, it’s how I receive them.
I’ve had people stop in their tracks, rather dramatically, to ask me about these clothes. It has led to incredible conversations and connections with perfect strangers.
In my city of over 3 million people wrapped together in a jungle of concrete, the days I wear a Nomadica piece are indescribably different.
Looking good in clothes is a great feeling.
Feeling good in our clothes and actively knowing that we are beautiful in a way that is eternal and constant is a whole new blessing. This is not something that is easily taken away by fashion fads or the opinions of others.
I have come to know that when you dress in what truly, deeply and fully reflects you, you are stunning beyond that the eyes can see and the mind can judge. And, who you are changes day to day, so every day is powerful new intention and choice to align.
Nomadica is one such brand that has helped me realize this.
They aren’t the only ones. There are tons of amazing brands that do incredible work to elevating our relationship to fabric, clothing and consumerism in general.
Sometimes I think we have the concept of shopping wrong.
It isn’t a transactional purchase of things we do not have that will make us feel better.
It is finding what was always and already ours and bringing it home in way that creates vibrant economics, joyful exchanges, artistic delight, grateful appreciation and weaves the world together one thread at a time.
If you don’t care about clothes or fabrics or closets, that’s fine too.
Maybe you care about food, farms, energy or technology or something else.
I love the practice of weaving consciousness and our Spirit into seemingly mundane everyday choices. It can taught me that great power lies in the choices of what we consume – be it food, clothes or our internet provider.
Because our outer world choices reflect an undeniable truth of the inner Self.
A Word on Price & Cost
Price is a piece here as well.
If you are used to buying $10 top and the average slow-fashion, consciously-made top costs $60, that is not insignificant change to your wallet.
But price and cost are not perfect synonyms.
Price is what is on the tag.
Cost, reflects details of how to it sourced, made, manufactured, traded, stored and it extends to its disposal as well.
You pay the price.
We all pay the cost. Every one of us and the environment at large, whether we choose to know it or not.
So, yes, ethically made things cost more, because often they include a much wider economy, including how something can (or cannot be) disposed of.
And yes, this is about choice as well – taking one step at a time, and choosing where our time, effort, money and resources go, bring us into alignment with our own radiant, beautiful, luminous Spirit.