Do you have a good relationship with clothes?
by Liz Sunshine
What is a relationship with clothes?
A relationship with clothes is how you feel about clothes and how they make you feel.
It’s nuanced, complex & complicated. Even if you love getting dressed and feel clothing has a positive impact on you, the clothes you choose change how you see yourself and your body. They show who you are and are the silent conversation we have with those around us.
The Problem
Most of us weren’t taught how to have a healthy relationship with clothes.
We were taught to buy, to follow trends, to fix ourselves through newness.
We weren’t taught to listen inward to our inner voice, to challenge the system or question social expectations.
The result?
Anxiety. Overconsumption. Shame. Overflowing wardrobes. Planetary strain.
And a quiet sense that something feels off… even if we can’t name it.
IDEAS.
A disordered relationship with clothes.
Alternatives that carry meaning without pathology:
an unbalanced relationship with clothes
a complicated relationship with clothes
a strained relationship with clothes
a tense or confusing relationship with clothes
a relationship with clothes that doesn’t feel supportive
a relationship with clothes that’s out of alignment
It could look like:
Shopping addiction.
“Many of us have been shaped to feel this way.”
“We’re figuring this out together.”
“I’ve been there too.”
“For years, one bad outfit could ruin my day. I didn’t realise how much emotional weight I’d given my clothes.”
Many people feel shame, confusion, or secrecy around their habits with shopping, dressing, or consumption.
Most people don’t realise:
their buying isn’t about clothes
their stress comes from identity expectations
they’re emotionally tied to consumption
Many people buy out of:
habit
fear
identity confusion
social pressure
unresolved emotions
overwhelm
Instead of:
“I’m bad with money.”
“I have no discipline.”
“I can’t stop shopping.”
It becomes:
“I have a relationship with clothes that’s out of balance.”
Most of us have never been asked that question.
We wear clothes every day, but rarely stop to notice how they make us feel.
This is a philosophy. An invitation. A simple way of thinking that could change a fundamental action in your day - the why, how and what you dress yourself in.
Projects
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My Relationship With Clothes
Melbourne, 2024
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![Reflection Cube]()
Reflection Cube
Melbourne, Ongoing
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![An image of Greenspacing.]()
Future Fashion
Melbourne, 2023
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![An image of The Float House]()
Outside
Paris, 2022
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Grounded
Scandinavia, 2024
Explore
A relationship with clothes is how you feel about clothes and how they make you feel. It shapes what you choose to wear, how you care for your clothes, and how they reflect and influence your identity.
Soft activism is the power of change within you. It reflects your beliefs and emphasises listening, learning and making informed decisions to drive change in a subtle yet impactful way.
Small changes by many are more powerful than significant changes by few.
What your clothes are made from and how each material feels, functions, and impacts the world is important to your relationship with clothes. Explore the full index to connect with the foundation of your clothing.
Participate
Get in touch
We don’t shop for clothes.
We shop for confidence, for connection, for identity. Sometimes we’re searching for clarity. Other times, for comfort, belonging - even a sense of worth.
Often, we find ourselves stuck in cycles we don’t believe in - chasing newness, feeling guilt, and losing our sense of self.
This community invites you to pause, to reflect, to reconnect.
Because it’s not about buying the right thing - it’s about becoming the person who knows what feels right.
The Our Relationship With Clothes (O.R.W.C.) project is a space for everyone. Whether you’re already on the path to understand your relationship with what you wear, wanting to repair it or just beginning to explore how clothes make you feel. This community is here to meet you where you are, normalising asking questions, having conversations and listening from a place of love and respect.
We believe in progress, not perfection.