Join me in celebrating the tenth episode of Redressing Fashion! It has been a long journey, filled with constant changes—including the major transition I’m currently navigating. So today I take more of a reflective stance to share personal milestones, my recent career shifts, and a bunch of not-so-loose thoughts about the importance of fashion history in shaping the future of the industry. I talk, in particular, about the need for deeper engagement with historical narratives to avoid cultural appropriation and promote inclusivity at the broad industry and public policy level. At a more personal level, I share insights on how personal experiences with fashion can inform identity and resistance, guiding our path when embracing our values through style choices.

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RELEVANT LINKS

Style coaching program: https://laurabelru.com/style/

Advent Calendar post on the pollera: https://www.instagram.com/p/DSFbGrgjBuE/

& same video on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@laurabelru/video/7582247361427115294

Find me on:

https://www.instagram.com/laurabelru

https://www.tiktok.com/@laurabelru

https://www.youtube.com/@laurabelru

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CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome back!

01:36 Let's start with a mini celebration!

06:08 Our agenda for this episode

08:51 How I got here

09:55 What a researcher can bring to fashion

16:14 Returning to dreams long lost (and tearing up!)

17:23 Why I left academia

20:31 What does fashion history have to offer for the industry?

21:13 On academic judgement (and more tears!)

26:26 Fashion history in the real world

32:42 Research-turned-fashion

35:59 On wearing my own research

36:38 Styling and fashion history

38:40 Fashion history applications at a personal level

41:38 Three little things

In this solo episode, I discuss the importance of mindful shopping, especially during the holiday season. I emphasize the freedom of choice in shopping and the impact that each of our shopping habits can have on the world around us—immediately and more broadly. I talk about the reasons for wanting to shop (or not), the significance of budgeting and planning ahead, and share a few practical strategies for shopping more mindfully. I also talk about gifting, touching on some history, the emotional aspects of gift giving, and propose the idea of reclaiming gift-giving as a sacred practice.

The episode is meant to be a tool for listeners to reflect on their shopping habits and consider the broader implications of their purchases. And, if you ask me, it’s full of gems!

RELEVANT LINKS

Adventures in de-styling: https://destyling.substack.com/

Blog - Unshopping on Black Friday: https://destyling.substack.com/p/issue-2-unshopping-on-black-friday

Blog from 2023 on Holiday Shopping: https://laurabelru.com/fashion-practices-on-holiday-shopping/

Style coaching program: https://laurabelru.com/style/

Find me on:

https://www.instagram.com/laurabelru

https://www.tiktok.com/@laurabelru

https://www.youtube.com/@laurabelru

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TAKEAWAYS

Gifting is important and should be meaningful.

Mindful giving can reduce waste.

Many gifts end up in the trash shortly after purchase.

Encouraging thoughtful gifts can lead to better choices.

Consumerism often leads to meaningless gifts.

Mindful gifting reflects personal values.

Sustainable giving is a growing trend.

Gifts should resonate with the recipient.

Awareness of waste can change gifting habits.

Mindful gifting can foster deeper connections.

In this episode, Laura talks with Dr Georgia Ennis about plastic-free living, sustainable fashion, and the close connection between plastic-free fashion and language ecologies in the Ecuadorian Amazon. They share insights on how to conduct research as allies of Indigenous peoples worldwide, embrace slower approaches to fashion, and bring scholarly research outside of academia. Tune in to learn about culture reclamation among speakers of Amazonian Kichwa and practice-based strategies on how to realistically live with less plastic in a plastic world!

Relevant links

AMUPAKIN’s website: https://amupakinachimamas.com/

AMUPAKIN’s instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amupakin/

AMUPAKIN’s TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@amupakin.achimamas

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Georgia’s website: https://www.georgiaennis.com/

Georgia’s instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plasticfreephd/

Georgia-s book: Rainforest Radio: Language Reclamation and Community Media in the Ecuadorian Amazon (Tucson: The University of Arizona Press, 2025)

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References & further readings

Chef Sean Sherman (The Sioux Chef): https://seansherman.com/

Susan Strasser, Waste and want: A social history of trash (New York: Henry Holt and Co., 2000)

Kyle Whyte, “Settler Colonialism, Ecology, and Environmental Injustice,” Environment and Society 9, no. 1 (2018): 125–44.

See also Kyle Whyte’s website: https://seas.umich.edu/research/faculty/kyle-whyte

Michel-Rolph Trouillot, Global Transformations: Anthropology and the Modern World (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003)