Fashion trends come and go in cycles, like the wheels of a bicycle. With the internet, people are becoming more aware of the hazards and harm of fast fashion, not only to Mother Earth, but to the individual. Fast fashion belongs to the era of industrialization and cheap labor and is synonymous with environmental damage. Because of the information available, choosing to buy or not to buy cheap disposable fashion has become an ethical choice.

This is where the cycle goes back to bespoke fashion or custom fashion. Before the days of industrialization, clothes were made for each individual with the perfect fit and style. In the past, there were no malls overflowing with clothes and choices. You would walk into a clothing, hat or shoe store and you would pick everything, from the materials, to the cut, to the style and it would all be fitted and sewn especially for you. Waste is minimal. Stores do not end up with tons of unsold clothes.

It denotes a return to a more mindful way of life. If there is anything we have learnt from the coronavirus pandemic, it is that our old way of life is unsustainable. There is a need to live and make choices with more awareness and consciousness. It might be a radical idea, but perhaps the dismal levels of emptiness and high rates of depression can be attributed to the way we are living and consuming without thought, for the items we buy and the environment. As consumers, everything we choose to eat, use and wear has become something we don’t think about — fast food, disposables and fast fashion.

Using Technology For Customization

The coming of age of the digital world for everything from ordering groceries to our wardrobes has enabled bespoke and custom fashion to become more widespread. Rather than let technology move us faster than we prefer or can cope with, it can be used in more purposeful ways. Technology allows access to designers and artisans from all over the world. If the world is now a village, then cottage industries are just an email and a data call away. Bespoke is now espoke. Custom designs can be rendered with sophisticated drawing tools and viewed from every angle before it is actually crafted for the customer. Tools like 3D designs and AI can even show us what the fit looks like without having the customer try on the piece.

There is so much life, in these times we live in, that offers inspiration for special designs. The internet is a treasure trove of ideas. There are already so many designs out there, but we want something that is significant only to us, something symbolic. We can browse to our hearts’ content in an attempt to match the ideas we have in our heads. Then we can take these ideas to the designer who will then put all these ideas down on paper.

When it comes to men, it is all about bespoke tailoring. For women, it is about custom engagement rings and wedding rings. It is special not only to the couple who design the ring together, but will become a source of pride and even a conversation piece. It tells of the effort, that someone whom you love, and who loves you back in equal measure, took to plan something really special for you. When they do that, you know that they are taking it really seriously.

A Small Piece Of Meaning Everyday

Fashion may change but the customs and the rituals of life do not. Even in the midst of a global pandemic and its terrifying consequences, people will fall in love, get married and have children. It is the cycle of life and it is not going to change, even in an apocalypse. Remember Maggie and Glenn in the zombie movie, The Walking Dead? Love and life go on and in these tough times, custom symbols and icons take on a special meaning.

Jewelry and accessories have always been close to a woman’s heart. Jewelry is one of the oldest archaeological artifacts. Professor Chris Stringer of London’s Natural History Museum explains the wearing of jewelry, “The message may be that we are powerful, or wealthy, or sexy, that we’re part of a particular group, or to ward off evil. They’re not just decorative; we think they had a social meaning.” I think he missed out a point, that jewelry, as gifts, means that we are loved and treasured. More than clothes and even lingerie, a customized piece of jewelry is something that a woman would cherish and wear everyday. She might keep the special cutlery or heels for special occasions, but jewelry is something that a woman would wear all the time. It is not often that we find something so special it can be worn everyday, and still last.