Crimes of Fashion: Declaration of (Stylish) Independence

Here’s my declaration – Indie fashion is fabulous!

There are soooo many talented, creative people out there creating beautiful, unique things for us to wear! I’m sure I haven’t even scratched the surface, either. I’d sacrifice a pair of Manolo patent pumps (if I actually owned a pair) for the chance to drift down the narrow alleyways of Paris, discovering every fashion free-spirit to set up camp, gypsy-like, in some tiny low-rent shop-front, peddling their wardrobe wares.

Unfortunately, that ain’t gonna happen anytime soon. But there are so many independent designers out there to discover! How do those of us who can't quite claim membership in the jet set make such fashion discoveries? The virtual answer to window-shopping, the good old internet. There are tons and tons of beautiful things to be found there, thanks to the inception of sites like E-Bay, Indieshopping.com, and Etsy.com. These sites have truly opened up a world of opportunities for creative fashion free spirits – creators, buyers and sellers alike.

I guarantee, once you start surfing these sites, you'll find something (or, more likely, many things) that sing to your very personal, very individualistic fashion soul. It might be a pair of pumps adorned with tiny skulls and crossbones; hand-knitted leg-warmers with pom-poms; a 40's style sweater sewn from all sorts of vintage bits and pieces... The thing is, for each of our style souls, there seems to be a style soulmate out there on the web, making beautiful things that seem absolutely made for us!

There’s so much allure in sporting something that someone has poured themselves into creating…something unique, something that, in many cases, was stitched or soldered together by an Indie designer’s own hands. This is not to disparage the efforts of mainstream designers whose clothes and accessories are obviously beautiful and well-made. Yet, there’s just something great about a playful daisy or an exotic orchid in a greenhouse full of perfectly-petalled roses. (Forgive the terrible analogy).

I really encourage anyone who’d like to support independent designers, or who’s looking for a spark of colour and creativity to add to their wardrobe, to visit the sites I’ve mentioned above. One more thing I'd like to mention - in alot of cases, these designers aren't just artists, but activists. They create for the sake of making beautiful things, but also for the sake of subversively protesting sweatshops and environmentally unsustainable practices. All the more reason to declare your fashion independence!