Circular Fashion Content — Mood and Clothes

I have a confession to make: I don’t exclusively follow ethical/sustainable fashion influencers. Despite my minimalist tendencies, I can get bored with photos of the same capsule wardrobe pieces in endless combinations. I find myself excited at the prospect of watching “haul videos” on YouTube where influencers share their most recent clothing purchases. Quite frankly, it’s exciting to see what’s new in the fashion world. I like seeing new cuts and shapes and I love following the trajectory of an influencer’s style.

Some of the style influencers I love (Lizzy Hadfield of Shot from the Street, Anna of The Anna Edit, Jamie Lee of Mademois-elle) I have seen criticized for the constant influx of new clothing into their wardrobes. The expectation for style influencers seems to have shifted from simply sharing their edit of what’s new in fashion or in their personal style to only sharing pieces from ethical/sustainable brands. And while there are many positives to this shift, including an increased demand for ethical/sustainable clothing, it does put style influencers in an awkward position. It really is their job to sell you a curated selection of clothing by posting pictures on Instagram and videos on YouTube. And that’s often their defense for their shopping behavior: I need to have a lot of clothes because it’s my job. And I think that’s pretty valid.

If the clothes these influencers choose to wear are ethically/sustainably made, then everyone wins and has a clear conscience. But if ethical/sustainable brands come up short in terms of quality or style and don’t make the edit, then it’s possible that they need to step up their game. Because if the mainsream style influencers aren’t getting excited about the clothes, the general public won’t either. Maybe these influencers could even help responsible brands to see exactly what styles are in demand.

When it comes to ethically/sustainably-minded influencers, I wanted to point out the best of this group. My favorite content overall is that created by A Small Wardrobe on her blog and YouTube channel. She constantly cycles pieces in and out of her wardrobe, shopping primarily secondhand and reselling her castoffs to subscribers— a true model of circular fashion. The small size of her wardrobe keeps things focused while the constant updates maintain a good amount of variety, something I definitely appreciate. Another standout on YouTube is Alyssa Beltempo, whose slow-fashion approach involves styling older or secondhand pieces from her large wardrobe into looks inspired by Instagram. This provides a lot of variety and relevance without any fast fashion purchases.

Maybe good style content is not a matter of finding new clothes or even new topics to blog about. I think it’s more a matter of depth and authenticity. A lot of people who talk about capsule wardrobes don’t let you in. They publish a “list-icle” of “10 Tips” or “3 Looks,” but that’s as deep as it goes. The bloggers and YouTubers I love, I love because they show me who they are. They let me see their authentic, unique qualities, their quirks.

Sometimes that means having a day job— Karolina Zebrowska on YouTube is a costume designer and author of books on vintage clothing, and her profession contributes much to her content. Aside from her barely-edited, weird and hilarious sit-down videos on vintage clothing, she makes random short videos relating modern vines to historical costumes, something I doubt anyone else is doing.

But other times it’s not the day job that makes content interesting; it’s just about how connected I feel to someone. Lizzy Hadfield, well-known for her fashion content and unique style, posts a lot of vlogs on her YouTube channel. And I want to see every last minute of it. If she posts a “Testing Basics” video or a “Monthly Fashion Report,” that’s just a bonus. I’m already watching her make her bed and walk to the post office because I feel like I know her. I know how smart she is, how creative and thoughtful and funny. And I also love the way she dresses, so I want to hear all of her thoughts on clothes. So maybe it’s not the novelty of new clothes or the unique topics that make content good; it’s the people creating it.