“What I Wear In The Life I’m Given” is a moving image project that explores the cultural and emotional significance of supporting small, independent fashion retailers.
Individuality and style once held real significance. Buying a new fashion piece wasn’t merely a transaction but an experience, a way to express identity, a holder of memory. The Highstreet was a cultural hub that leant itself to connection. A place of interaction, discovery, and community. But the rise of online shopping, the decline of independents and endless accessibility has diluted that value, fostering a post-modernistic culture where the majority chase the same look.
Having grown up in a small independent fashion retail business that has been passed down through my family since 1992, this subject is incredibly important to me. Not only does it ground the project in genuine passion for preserving small shops but equally the sense of self and locality they provide within the fashion landscape.
Grounded in existential themes of purpose, identity, and meaning. “What I wear in the life I’m given” draws on Sofia Coppola’s dreamlike visual language and the candid imperfection of photographers like Robert Frank and Davide Sorrenti to challenge the notion that fashion is pretentious and unimportant. Reflective and nostalgic, it invites a shift in perspective, acknowledging life’s fleeting nature and how the clothes we choose can honour our precious moments. Rooted in pride, memory, and intention, it asks us to treat our moments with care and reconsider what we stand for.
The concept of the video is shaped by conversations with customers, revealing how clothing can act as a vessel for memory, personal narrative, and lived experience.
I have observed that for some, buying clothes is simply a necessity, a way to fit in, to get by and that’s okay. But for many, it is art: a form of self-expression, a uniform, and even armour and this video acts as a love letter to those people. A world without small shops is a world where capitalism and homogenisation have won and style, community and subculture are out.
When watching my video I want people to ask themselves: buying this garment, will I remember purchasing this in 6 months time? How long will I wear it? Am I supporting a billionaire or a family? Do I value life’s moments enough for these values to become part of my story?
In a world where trust in brands and businesses is more important than ever, the video positions the independent store as a site of storytelling, connection, and authenticity. Where people can buy from people. In response to the dominance of fast fashion and mass consumption, the project acts as a quiet resistance encouraging a slower, more intentional engagement with clothing. It draws parallels between shopping small and recognising beauty in the mundane, reframing everyday moments as meaningful and worthy of attention.
Creatively, everything in the video is real! The project embraces experimentation through candid, imperfect home videos so that the visual language prioritises spontaneity and intimacy, capturing genuine interactions and real customer stories. And the integration of real voices and lived experiences strengthens this, celebrating how fragile our life’s moments are and how the clothes we wear should honour them!
This approach challenges polished fashion imagery,
If our clothes carries our stories, then choosing where we shop becomes a reflection of the kind of world we want to support.