This week I have been thinking a lot about the reason behind my love for fashion. What drew me in? What about creating an outfit makes me so happy? Yes, there are pieces of the fashion world that I love but do I truly love the culture that an obsession with clothes provides? Nope. So why is this the passion I have chosen to pursue and make a career out of? Here is my reason: I love taking pieces that seem unusable and making them beautiful.
My friend, Maddie, just recently traveled to Europe and brought me home a present. It was a linen jumpsuit. I instantly love it. But little did she know, she had just gifted me a perfect image of why I fall in love with fashion daily. The label on the jumpsuit reads, “This experienced looking and ‘crumpled’ fabric, with dye’s particular effects, has been selectively realized to archive the beauty of the garment. These features should not be considered as defects.” Now, these two sentences may not mean a lot to the normal person but, to me, they brought goosebumps instantly. Let me unpack this for you.
I have always struggled with feelings of unworthiness and wondering if God could ever use someone like me. Could someone so broken be worth anything to anyone? Am I damaged goods? Will I ever amount to anything? These questions circle my mind constantly and must be battled with truth on a daily basis. *Enter my love for fashion* One of my favorite projects is going somewhere like Goodwill and picking out something that looks like it has little potential and it was thrown out as someone else’s trash. I take that piece home and integrate it into my wardrobe. I hand select that piece to become a part of something bigger and it becomes a beautiful outfit.
God has done this same thing with me…and with you. We all have our baggage and the things and experiences that have broken us at one time or another. Maybe when you look in the mirror, you see the same person I do: Someone who looks bruised and dirty and unworthy and you wonder if anyone will ever be able to love you. God looked at that mess of a person in the mirror and whispered quietly into your ear: “I choose her.” He chooses that broken person to love endlessly and unconditionally. He chooses her to not only love but to use for His kingdom. He sees her and thinks “Yup, that’s her. That is the one who is going to move mountains for Me.” I don’t know about you but that is about the craziest thing I have ever heard and it is more than true! We cannot even fathom how much He loves each of us and our broken messes.
So back to my jumpsuit that my sweet friend brought to me all the way from Europe to deliver a very important reminder which even she was unaware of. Its creator says, “Yes, this fabric looks experienced. It is a little crumpled and a little broken. But don’t you dare think that is a defect and anything is wrong because I, as its creator, CHOSE it to be this way. It was hand-selected and carefully chosen to be a part of something beautiful. I saw the beauty in its mess and you will dare not do anything but see its mess the same way. So don’t you dare try to steam the brokenness out of this garment’s image because this how it’s meant to be.”
This is why I love fashion. It is not the glam and the sparkles and the culture. It is the meaning behind taking something overlooked and giving it a purpose. It is changing someone’s perspective of how they see an item of clothing. It is revealing beauty in flaws and brokenness. And maybe, just maybe, hoping someone can see the same thing and make the connection to a much deeper meaning to something beyond clothing.
With love and grace,
Olivia Mars
LiveGrace 