Minimalism has changed my life in many ways. I am sure many are bored to hear the same thing. But it is true, this lifestyle will not only change the way how you live in general but it will change the way you think. Individuals who have converted to or casually followed this lifestyle can easily tell you how it has impacted them in how they see things now. One of the major change in us minimalists is ethics.
At least to me, the ethics in the clothing making industry - or simply fast fashion - affects me greatly. I am in no way an expert in this topic nor I have the figures to argue with you, so I will leave the floor to the people I follow on YouTube to provide some insight on it:
For now, I’ll give you two of my favourite channels - there are more, but you can start with those. I am not necessarily an avid fashion-oriented consumer, but I used to be in that fast and cheap fashion trap. After learning the things involving how a single garment is made - I recently have changed the way on how I shop or obtain wardrobe items. I started to accept hand-me-downs and go to thrift shops.
In case you are curious, the thrift shops I mainly shop at are Beacon’s Closet and No Relations Vintage in Brooklyn, NY.
Now, the reason why I brought up this topic is because I enjoy cosplay. For readers not familiar with this term, a cosplayer is simply a person who dons a costume of fictional character. And the term “cosplay” refers to the exhibit of the costume - it comes from the words “costume” and “play”. This hobby is mainly appreciated and practiced by audiences who like Japanese animation, a.k.a. Anime. In the early 2000s, cosplay was steadily on the rise, especially in Japan. However, it wasn’t as popular in the west - it was not surprising that the availability of these costumes are non-existent. The only way to have access to a costume was to make it.
When I first started cosplaying, I did what most in the cosplay community would now frown upon, closet cosplay. Which is to use what you have in your closet or ready made clothes (bought from stores) to wear as a costume that in a way are similar to the character you are intending to portray. From what I have heard, most have started like that - so I did not pay too much attention it. After my first closet cosplay, I decided to invest in a sewing machine and start to make my own costumes from then on - that lasted about two years - and resulted in 10+ costumes! What a ride!
Now that my views in regards to cosplay has changed, it certainly made me question my hobby a lot. Cosplay has definitely made me a more skilled person, I can mend my own clothes, know how to operate a sewing machine and a serger, alter clothing items, make cloth items, etc. It has given me fun and sad memories. The list can go on, but I digress - the point I want to make is that cosplay has made me hoarder for keeping around all the unused fabrics, scraps, mock costumes, buttons, two sewing machines, wigs, costumes, makeup, etc. for about 4 years.
I live with roommates, and in the past, I was told multiple times that I have way too many things for one person. Why I didn’t listen to them? To a person who lives on his/her own, collection of things and hoarding things are practically a dead weight. It is hard to move around with a mountain of things. And living on my own, even without the hobby, there are other things that are essential in my life that I still have to keep with me whenever I move. To tie this in with fast fashion, this hobby also creates a lot of waste - textile waste is one of the major pollutants on the planet. Therefore I do not want to add on to the pollution problem... or at least try reduce the amount of waste I am producing.
I live with roommates, and in the past, I was told multiple times that I have way too many things for one person. Why I didn’t listen to them? To a person who lives on his/her own, collection of things and hoarding things are practically a dead weight. It is hard to move around with a mountain of things. And living on my own, even without the hobby, there are other things that are essential in my life that I still have to keep with me whenever I move. To tie this in with fast fashion, this hobby also creates a lot of waste - textile waste is one of the major pollutants on the planet. Therefore I do not want to add on to the pollution problem... or at least try reduce the amount of waste I am producing.
I am in no way trying to condemn the hobby, I LOVE cosplay - the hobby sparks a unique joy in me that no other hobbies can - but now it is time for me to think of other ways to compromise it with my new lifestyle and values.
Currently, I do not cosplay often. It is simply a hobby I only enjoy with friends and attending conventions. I used to own about 10+ costumes and possibly 20+ wigs - and since I have started practicing minimalism, I have donated or sold most of my handmade costumes and wigs. I freed myself from the ones I am not satisfied with, ones I do not want to wear anymore, and ones that I have bitter memories of. I have only kept the ones that are my favorite ones and comfortable ones.
Here are the methods on how I would want to approach cosplay as a minimalist:
- Purchase second hand costumes from other cosplayers;
- Closet cosplay;
- Thrift and alter clothing into cosplay (in Japan cosplayers used to be very creative and make their own version/interpretation of a character); and
- Re-use old favorite cosplays.
I have also been looking into @fabscrap on Instagram - FABSCRAP is an organization in NYC (yay! it's near me) that provides pickup and recycling of fabric scraps from design, fashion, and entertainment companies. I believe one can volunteer and get some of the fabrics fer free :D I may give it a try one day!
If you have other suggestions - please kindly let me know!
