I dressed in only secondhand outfits for a week

Sustainability and fashion aren’t mutually exclusive.

Sustainable, circular wear has been having a moment for a while now. From pre-loved labels and curated vintage stores to ethically-produced designs reusing fabrics and materials, closed-loop fashion is clearly here to stay. And still, there are those that remain skeptical about making the move toward circular wear, in fear of being forced to compromise on their undying commitment to fashion.

So we asked the question, ‘Do you really need to compromise your outfit when purchasing consciously made pieces?’. Converse vehemently disagreed.

For more the circular fashion movement, head to our Fashion vertical. 

Converse has broken down the boundary between fashion and sustainability. Its new Renew collection retains the iconic, Chuck Taylor high- and low-top sneaker styles that we have all come to know and love, but the brand has included a twist. Each Renew style is crafted with recycled materials, with the chunky-heel Run Star Hike style featuring 100% recycled canvas upper, mesh lining, and laces.

To test the theory, we armed slow fashion advocates (and Goodbyes employees), Panda Wong and Jasper Hudson, with a film camera and a task. The brief? Document your a week of outfits featuring the Converse Renew 70s. The only catch, each featured piece of clothing must be pre-loved.

As a poet and editor on top of her weekend shifts at high end, iconic resale service Goodbyes, Panda jumped on the chance to clash prints, while mixing high and low end pieces. Brunswick-based creative Jasper explores his ever-changing aesthetic through buying and selling resale pieces, which he says, “adds to the energy of an outfit and how I feel wearing it.”

Flick through this curated, dreamy lockdown diary of expertly styled (and sustainable) looks, and find inspiration for your next circular, fashion-forward purchase.

Wednesday

P: Today I’m wearing a Moschino floor-length dress that says: ‘YOU CAN DRESS ME UP BUT YOU CAN’T TAKE ME OUT!’ I bought this dress from Goodbyes, and I wear it every lockdown because it’s a total mood. A friend has also described this dress to me as the best poem she has ever seen. I’ve been watching Paris Hilton’s new cooking show Cooking with Paris and was inspired by her supermarket outfits to wear this look to Coles, do some housework, potter… sometimes a bit of silly glamour is an appropriate coping mechanism.

Thursday

P: The sun came out today, so I wanted to wear a mini and get my legs out on my government-mandated walk around Princes Park. I’m wearing a Vivienne Westwood x Wolford cardigan and top (from Depop and Goodbyes respectively) with a Scanlan & Theodore mini. This Vivienne Westwood collaboration is one of my favourites because it was worn by Hilary Duff on Lizzie McGuire… it’s this iconic scene where she’s singing Atomic Kitten in a bathtub.

J: When the weather is neither hot nor cold, I find that layering with synthetic undergarments helps keep me warm while avoiding the need for heavy coats or jumpers. Mixing high and low, I put together an unbranded mesh long sleeve that has a sweet scalloped hem, my vintage YSL Homme button-up and a pair of Maharishi hiking pants. The audacious violet colour of the pants doubles up with practicality, these pants have adjustable cuffs and an abundance of pockets. I nearly always add a bright pre-loved garment to any look dominated by neutral colours. It keeps the aesthetic distinct.

Friday

P: I decided to do a contactless delivery of some herb pie to a friend and combine it with a bubble tea run. For this excursion, I’m wearing a Moschino bow blazer, Costume National suit pants, orange vintage fur vest, Vivienne Westwood bag and pink-tinted Carven sunnies. This outfit is reflective of my shopping habits (chaotic, bloodhound-esque and wide-spanning) – I bought the blazer from Buyee (which is like Japanese eBay), the pants and vest from Goodbyes, the bag from a consignment store in Bangkok, and the sunnies from a consignment store that used to be in the Nicholson building. It’s also a bit Asian auntie with the fur vest, which is an aesthetic that I hold close to my heart.

J: Today I incorporated my most treasured purchases from the Collingwood Goodbyes store. The first is a vintage Junya Watanabe top constructed out of panelled mesh, framing my arms and torso with black stitching. The coat (not pictured, sadly) is from Marni, it has a faint houndstooth print in both navy and black, making it suitable to wear with either of those colours. The sturdy Issey Miyake Pleats Please pants are tainted only by the fact that the silhouette they create is entirely dependant on the windiness of a day.

Saturday

P: The sun came back, and it felt like summer, so I wanted to wear something a bit Miami-rooftop-pool-bar vibes. I’ve paired this Joseph silk blouse from eBay over a pink silk dress that I found in an op shop in Budapest (you can’t see it in the photos, but it has these amazing crystal straps – I wore it to the Budapest opera!). I did the usual loop of Princes Park with my dog Toulouse – I love seeing all the joggers out in full force… there’s a regular jogger who runs in this Dragonball Z–style that I am particularly fond of.

J: I focused on simplicity for this outfit, feating only two items. The first is an Iceberg long sleeve tee. The tee is skin-tight making it warm and insulating, featuring a playful piece of cartoon embroidery. The vintage Comme des Garçons pants – constructed of lightweight wool with an inbuilt belt of frayed cotton and silver hardware – are versatile, allowing me to wear it in both casual and formal settings.

Sunday

P: I had a slow Sunday (felt catatonic in the morning) and desperately needed to get food from my favourite falafel place in my five-kilometre radius (Half Moon Café in Coburg). I’m wearing a Face Off bleached denim jacket and Baserange top that I copped from Goodbyes and a Pleats Please skirt from eBay. I love long trench coats – they have enough pocket space that I don’t need to bring a bag anywhere. I’m grateful that the weather stayed beautiful all weekend so I could eat a falafel wrap and chippies in my backyard, with the sun on my face.

J: My look was dictated by the weather of the day, the first 19-degree day of August. The singlet is comfortable and fitted, allowing the sun’s warm glow to penetrate the skin while also showcasing my favourite body art (my tattoos). The cardigan is a blend of cashmere and silk, providing subtle warmth and a flowy summer energy. The Levi’s silver tabs provide a utilitarian edge whilst remaining breathable and synergistic with the other colours of the outfit.

Shop the entire range of Converse Renew styles here.