How I Broke Up With Fast Fashion and Found My True Style

When I first got into fashion, I was obsessed with learning about the upcoming fashion trends for each season.

I would watch New York Fashion Week online, and read all the fashion magazines to see what was up and coming.

Once I knew what the trends were, and was going to be the trendy items were going to be, I would pick my favorites and make my shopping list of what I need “to be in fashion” for that season. This would create my urge to own every “in trend” item that I could afford — be it the original, a knockoff, or for me to sew my own version.

Eventually this would lead to fashion burnout.

I didn’t know what my own personal style was, I was conforming to the people around me and what they deemed fashionable. I had a closet full of clothes, but felt like I had nothing to wear. My body had also changed from my twenties, and I felt disconnected from the clothes in my closet.

The world was changing too. Social media was transforming how trends were created. Fast fashion sites like SHEIN encouraged people to spend their paychecks on new outfits every week. TikTok made everyone a content creator, and fashion trends started shifting almost daily as micro-trends.

Trends started changing weekly as micro-trends.

Keeping up became exhausting. That’s when I realized: I didn’t want to chase trends anymore. I wanted to find myself again.

It was time to rediscover my love of fashion.

A few years ago, I decided it was time to rediscover my personal style. I was working out more, balancing my health, and exploring the power of living out my feminine energy.

Fashion became a way to reconnect with myself rather than impress others.

I started wearing whatever brought me joy. Gradually, I reintroduced pieces I had once loved. As I became more comfortable in my own skin, my personal style began to emerge naturally.

My love for vintage fashion came back. I embraced my nerdy side and rediscovered the joy of cosplaying characters from my favorite stories. I surrounded myself with art and took inspiration from my travels, observing how people express themselves through clothing. I also started experimenting and becoming bolder in my styling choices.

Of course, there are days when I throw on a basic t-shirt and shorts — or even just sweatpants when motivation is low. Being human means embracing those moments too.

Along with my personal style, I also embarked on a journey to find my signature scent. To me, fashion and fragrance go hand-in-hand. Finding a scent that fits my body chemistry, matches my personality, and draws compliments became another layer of self-expression.

All in all, fashion is a journey.

Like in life, we are always learning, growing, adapting.

The best part is, when we stop dressing for others and start dressing for ourselves, style becomes something much deeper: a reflection of who we really are.