As an influencer, do you feel conscious of that and not promoting people wanting to buy more?
I tend to not care what people think, and I have that attitude. I see it as my place to be me. If you want to be part of it, join and be part of my family, but I don’t feel like we should be worried about the pressure of everybody overthinking things. I treasure my clothes so much, and as I’m from a textile background I am so particular about the fabric and will really check every detail when I’m shopping, such as the quality of the seams.
Because of that, I want to make sure I’m buying and wearing things again and again. Also because I make clothes too, I really appreciate how long it takes to make a garment—one of my dresses took me three days to make. So when you think of a cost of a Topshop dress—and I love the shapes, prints and what they are doing in making clothes accessible and affordable—at the same time I don’t want or need to buy one every week, and I can’t afford to either. It’s much better for my bank balance to re-wear everything in my wardrobe again and again.
Expensive doesn’t necessarily always mean better, but I think if you’re smart—and you’re not buying six Zara tops—you can sometimes buy something from a brand you really love for a little bit more, will treasure and it will last longer because the quality of the fabric is better. Even if you’re buying from somewhere independent, you can support amazing places with a purchase, and that makes me feel really good too. It’s such a privilege to be able to buy something new, and we must not forget that. I think we have got into a bad habit and a bad culture, and it’s important to value what you have already and then think about where (and to who) your money is going.
