Very Minimal, Not Too Much

Kye Lea

In fashion there are always trends emerging, they come and go. Fashion is a fickle lover, and only some trends/aesthetics/ideals are able to stand the test of time. One being Minimalism. Which has a deep history in the fashion industry, spanning over decades. The concept is as its name states, minimal and definitely has its space in the primary working of creating your own style, which is what we promote here at The Velvyt. So let's get into shall we.

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Granted our main focus is to help you see fashion in more creative and wondrous ways, we can’t do that without providing some historical context. Basically, minimalism originated as a concept in the 1960’s amongst artists like Agnes Martin, Donald Judd, Carl Andre, Dan Flavin, Sol LeWitt and Robert Morris. Their art styles inspired so much innovation in the world of creativity, with simplicity. The style is rooted in small details like lines, shapes and basic geometry, while using lighter neutral colors. This was a shift away from the complexity and depth of popular art styles at the time that focused on spontaneity and free-spiritedness.

Where art had thrived on more gestural brush strokes, splatters and markings, to create the impression of raw emotions. Minimalism rejects that at its core. With light colors in neutral palettes, fine lines and crisp geometric shapes, its basically the antithesis of what was popular. Now how do we correlate this to fashion? Hold on, I'm getting to that.

In fashion, minimalism is specifically about finding simplicity in your wardrobe. Which can be simplified into good, useful and solid basics. Some main ideas of minimalism are neutral colors, clean lines, and very timeless silhouettes. In regard to silhouettes, Yohji Yamamoto played a very big role. Yamamoto, a Japanese fashion designer who’s designs were avant-garde, and very atypical of common trends in the industry at the time. Long, flowy, oversized silhouettes reminiscent of drapery are trademarks of Yamamoto’s.

Silhouettes are key here. And Yamamoto, decided to make them interesting. Minimalism has a strong base in this. Especially when creating a bare bones wardrobe with silhouettes that can go along with everything. All of your clothes go with all of your clothes basically. This creates something that we like to call a Capsule Wardrobe. What is a capsule wardrobe you ask? That's what I’m here for, a capsule wardrobe is the barest most simplistic base of a wardrobe.

Less is more. Simple is better. Neutral, clean and tailored. Sophisticated and elegant. These are all words and phrases that are used to further define minimalistic style. I know you're wondering, how can I achieve this style? You're getting ahead of me, but I guess we’re here now. Let's start with just decluttering your closet and keeping all of the well kept basics, and items that bring you joy. Most people embrace minimalism due to the idea of adding sustainability to their wardrobe. Pieces that create solid outfit repeatability. Oh no, outfit repeating. Yes, outfit repeating. Sustainability is an important factor in minimalism.

It's popular to practice some form of sustainability while subscribing to the minimalist aesthetic. Not only is it outfit repeatability, it's also good quality pieces. Pieces in your wardrobe that hold up against time, and multiple washes. So you know, the opposite of fast fashion. Fast fashion typically is attributed to flimsy, undurable clothing that falls apart after a few washes. Having to constantly replace clothing because it falls apart is literally the opposite of sustainability. I can understand how this can be overwhelming, so lets create an easier guideline for this whole minimalism thing.

Explore, Embrace and Experiment. The three E’s, that will basically provide you good guidance into how to create your ideal minilasit wardrobe. Alright, so lets follow along here while break these down for you.

Explore, this is basically just exploring your wardrobe and what you already currently have. Then decluttering and clearing out what you feel you dont identify with, nor even wear frequently. This will help you identify the simplest basis of your style.

Embrace more neutral color palettes and classic silhouettes in your clothing pieces. Items such as statement longline coats, tailored blazers and trousers, and well fitting jeans. I personally like to have a good neutral t-shirt that will last simply because its an easy piece to dress up or down. You dont have to limit yourself purely to neutral color palettes, play around with others too.

Experiment with color palettes, silhouettes, shapes, and textures. It creates depth to an outfit when you mix and match textures, making things more interesting to look at. Like knitted wear, leathers etc. Play around and see what works for you.

To wrap all this up, cause I dont wanna have you here forever. Minimalism as an art form is all about neutrals, fine lines and crisp geometry, which carries over into minimalism in fashion, centering bneutrals, clean lines and silhouettes. As a whole minimalism is the antithesis of loud bold, spontaneous expressions, and lack of durability. The objective is to achieve the simplest and most re-wearable outfit that you can, by creating a stable capsule wardrobe. You can do this by following the three E’s concept of Explore, Embrace and Experiment. I still implore you still get as creative as you want on your minimalism journey. Define what neutrals mean to you, and build from there. This was just a basic lesson, to give you a working idea of the general concept. I cant wait to see the outfits that you come up with

Thanks for joining us, we cant wait to talk to you soon!