It's not just a trend, but a lifestyle. Kim goes 'eko'.

Within academia I have heard some comments that all this sustainability, no meat or any animal product, and green thinking, eco etc is just another fashion trend and it will go away as everything else. I smirk and want to really discuss their own label cliche why they think they know better than anyone else? Because they have certain academic labels around their name makes them to be examples of how to be and live better? Do they go out and experience life, do they LIVE to think what is good and bad for themselves? Or if they did it, they would call themselves with another academic philosophic label and would fear that now they are in some bubble trend! :)

Anyhow. I have been one of those who had a smirk on a face on someone who fought for more green thinking lifestyle few years ago (even I have showed interest in vegetarianism since 2004). I also thought it's just another group where to put the "new outsiders of 21st century" to belong to something together. As we need these group labels, we need those hashtags of ourselves so we belong to a certain group, and have a tribe! But what mainly gets my attention to this is that I do not understand 'those' who attack to 'others' for their choice how to live and what drives them to feel alive, curious on life and world around them. 

A while ago trough instagram I met this young lady Kim in Malmö. She has a blog about "going eco". It started based on fashion that for a year she will not buy any fast-fashion product, it's still more about fashion industry on green friendly lifestyle, than other stuff (I'm way far from "eco" fashion, have no clue much) so to me it is interesting to follow on her stories about what is this environmentally friendly fashion? Personally to me the word "fashion" gives me shivers, as I have never been good at it or had an interest to it. I love my comfy jeans and big man size jeans shirt as a "coat" on my city cloth and nature cloth, oh, and give me comfortable nature sandals, please, but I also own one nice pair of city "sandals". And my understanding of "fashion" and "please not shopping" gives my mother second thoughts on "I wish I had another daughter!". So, "learning" through her blogposts and instagram comments on sustainable, modern-green-thinking fashion helps me to understand more about it, that "fashion" is not that "evil" as I would have thought with my childhood stereotypes. 

She discusses about second hand shopping/burrowing and swapping clothes and some causes on environmental issues too. The swapping thing is not so new method, right? But also I still remember that time when I said that "I bought this in second hand shop" sounded like I am poor (in my home country). Well, it is another topic as my interest to seocnd-hand shops grow since I moved in High school to UK, where it was a fun common thing group of British girls did. Later buying cloth at maybe "shady" shops and markets became a trend - to find the weirdest, funniest blouse and be cool and fashionable. After the economic crisis things changed in Latvia and this sort of "fashion" was acceptable. NOW. Now with my personal observations it is accepted as norm and mixed with also going to buy some expensive brand clothes with "ecological, sustainable" hashtag to it. I might have gone to that sort of attitude too - quality better than quantity - philosophy. And also now Kim after doing her one year project has gotten interest in much wider "eco" topic than only clothing/fashion. 

I've read her blog from the start, doing that, her personal project seemed exciting journey that I thought I should have done it too! To share with my new knowledge how to start think greener! As since a year ago, before 2016 I made next years resolution to focus more on environmentally friendly things and lifestyle. To think what I consume. Firstly it begun just to improve my health, because I "finally" caught up that my health problems hides in modern industry food. I have written here a bit about environment topic. Anyway, that's another topic, but here look at this wonderful blogger Kim, we did photos for her "Xmas outfit from second-hand shops".

If interested, follow up her on Instagram as it might be much easier way to follow her updates https://www.instagram.com/kimgoesoeko/. But after all I do not think it is JUST a trend. Yes, for some it is, we all have met those kind people without their own personality who switches to one "group" to another, but some people start to think about food or clothing, or what products they use for building house, or their design shop, or everyday at the home, office, cafe, etc. It is called more of self-awareness/being conscious and actually questioning things than accepting what we are fed to think, do, buy. She is fantastic person with her own style, wisdom and meaning to her life. Brave and colorful!

So, yeah, go green! As we know that one tiny simple step is towards a way better and amazing journey. To me being green was about "being curious on food" and this curiousity grow into "animal cruelty free" hygiene products too. We all start with one certain personal "interest" and it spreads to the other parts of everyday living. For my 2017 I want to try to be more aware of ' sustainable fashion', indeed. And for you?

Portraits of Kim by me at Malmö Konsthall.
Instagram: @kimgoesoeko
Blog: kimgoesoeko.com
Artwork: RITA ACKERMANN

The Aesthetic of Disappearance

Rita Ackermann’s work first appeared on the New York art scene in the early 1990s with her refined yet evocative representations of the female form. Her large paintings of nymphetish girls depicted with lines evoking both beauty and ugliness brought her widespread acclaim and made her a part of the cultural scene of the time. These early works are the point of departure for Ackermann’s recent body of work collectively titled The Chalkboard Paintings. 

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ELINA NOMAD PHOTOGRAPHY

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