Most people are familiar with what it feels like to put something on simply to notice a mood change right away. A well-made jacket aids in our thinking and standing a tiny straighter. We are inspired to work out because it inspires us. The noise in our hectic minds is softened by fabrics that let us breathe. This phenomenon is referred to as enclothed cognition, according to researchers. Simply put, what we wear affects how well we feel, how we feel, and yet how we think.
Finding that clothing is a regular expression of who we are and how we want to move through the world, research from the Institute of Medical Science at Banaras Hindu University found a relationship between it and stress, confidence, and personal regulation.
In her project” Garments as Healing Spaces” at the University of Texas, designer Maria Vidal Meinert questioned what could be done with clothing when we consider it to be extensions of our personal landscapes rather than just as objects. According to Meinert, clothing can help us feel more at ease, more embodied, and more grounded in our everyday lives.
Just because of health concerns, it is worthwhile to reevaluate how we relate to what we wear. Researchers Vivian Pinto and Meital Mizrachi’s review of Yale University points to growing concerns about microplastics, PFAS coatings, and dyes in normal clothing. Some fast-fashion items rely on PFAS chemicals, PFAS chemicals, and finishes that can irritate skin and physiological changes to prevent organ stress. Researchers have discovered that artificial fabrics produce microplastics that can be absorbed or inhaled. Repeated cases of skin irritation, rashes, and textile-related allergies are linked to toxic substances in clothing. Artificial fabrics even have a tendency to trap odors and bacteria, so they need to be washed more frequently and hotter to stay clean.
Clothing even provides a link between us and the Earth in ways that we hardly ever take into account. Jennifer Inaba, a researcher, TEDx speaker, and board member of the Las Vegas Fashion Council, believes that clothing is one of the most visible places for people to reconnect with the natural world.
” Everything that people feel, whether it’s a cotton T-shirt or a polyester jacket, originates from the Earth,” she says. ” All fibers are both grown or extracted. They are a part of our biological systems before they actually reach a store.
Influencers who sell low clothing are everywhere on social media. The real cost of clothing is usually moved somewhere else when it is unusually affordable. It might be reflected in low wages for employees, polluted waterways, or communities managing the waste we send their way worldwide. Some donated items always get repurposed. Rather, they are shipped abroad and accumulate as a negative impact on the environment in locations way from the places where they were worn.
Inaba’s research likewise reveals something about the clothing that women wear for the longest. People frequently use the exact language to describe their most beloved items of clothing for the natural settings that matter to them. Words like grounding, comfort, nostalgia, and yet awe are used.
Jennifer Inaba
She claims that everything is a kind of daily extension of our relationship with nature. It’s a visible way for people to rediscover their connection to the Earth through a process that has previously taken place in their lives. People’s perceptions of sustainability are affected by that personal pull. It begins with tiny, common choices.
Nobody feels more connected to the planet by purchasing something that is labeled green, wearing it again, and tossing it. But do you have to wear a fast-fashion shirt fifty times, fix it when it breaks, and take care of it with care? That is actually much more responsible in practice, she explains. What matters more is how much we care about what we now possess, he said.
Understanding how clothes are made even alters how people value things. Inaba stressed the value of being aware of a garment’s history. When you are aware of a garment’s origin or the hands that were used it, she says, adding meaning to something that might otherwise seem pointless. This is what psychologists and designers refer to as personal durability, or knowing that we are much more likely to retain something in our lives when it feels significant.
The future of responsible fashion may look more like the day. There were many lives again lived by nothing. It was cared for, shared, worn frequently, and mended. But, perhaps the actual invitation is to return to older ones: Slow down rather than try to adopt a new green habit. Use what you have, please. Love what you possess. Use just and purposefully. In some ways, sustainability is more about remembering past than learning ahead.
