Wear or Worn

Wear. We destroy the things we love by constantly interacting with them until they break down. In fashion, we’ve been led to believe that luxury is fragile. Your new sweater cost $1000? Ya, I better be careful with it and wear it as little as possible. This is the image that fashion media often portrays. We’re constantly bombarded with style content of streeter pics and anal retentive wardrobe curation. In nearly every case it’s a fashion celebrity wearing brand new garments, which the tags are probably still attached so they can make a return later that day. The authenticity of this content could not be more disappointing. The whole point of street photography is to capture clothing being worn, not showroomed.

I’ve had these Julius boots for almost 3 years now and their destruction has added to their of beauty. I don’t wear them everyday, but I’ve never shied away from wearing them under shitty weather conditions or dirty environments. Julius makes a strong, heavy boot and black reverse calf leather not only ages extremely well, but their scuffs and marks look natural with the texture of the leather. They’ve been Vibram’d twice, insoles replaced, and the lining has been patched in several places. Recently a friend said, “I’m not sure if they are old biker boots or fashionably new and they’re suppose to look like that.”

It’s comforting to see someone wearing something that you’ve seen them rocking before. Call it a touch of reality through ownership or the attachment of a style to a person through repetition. Either way, embracing the wear & tear of the things you love is what craftsmanship should be all about. Not closet archiving or worn for a single photo.