What does the Slow Fashion movement mean to you?

It’s about curbing the—very human—impulse to constantly refresh, renew, and rejuvenate. I sometimes feel tired of myself, and my thoughts will inevitably wander to that new jacket that will tie my whole wardrobe together, or the jeans that will make me look effortlessly cool (something I’m yet to pull off!). Slow fashion is about loving what you already have and only purchasing items that you honestly feel you could wear forever. It’s a bit like the difference between a bag of Skittles and a hearty curry—one will give you a quick buzz followed by an inevitable crash, and the other will sustain you. You need to train yourself not to go for that quick sugar rush when it comes to buying new things.

You have such a remarkable personal style; what has inspired this?

You are very kind! I honestly sometimes wonder if I even have a particular style or if it’s actually just a confused pastiche of different moods and emotions thrown together in sartorial form. People sometimes tell me that they love what I wear but wouldn’t have the confidence to pull it off. And I think therein lies the answer: I have no fear of looking stupid, or weird, or different. I don’t care if people don’t like it, which is a strange thing to say as I very much care whether people like me! The older I get, the more I become convinced that personal style is about matching the inside, or who you are, to the outside, what you wear. As long as these two elements are not at variance with each other, you’re going to look and feel pretty good. Oh, and you need to develop a healthy ‘gives no fucks’ attitude to the people who don’t like how you look. Last year someone told me I looked like a member of Bananas in Pyjamas, and not in a complimentary way. I still wear that outfit with great pride!

We have been encouraged for years to separate ourselves from those behind our purchases; do you think there is a growing interest in the stories of makers? How do you generally choose which brands to support?

I would hope that people are becoming more interested in the people and stories behind their clothes. A few years ago there was a television show called Gok’s Fashion Fix where the host, Gok Wan, would try to replicate luxury clothing with high street knock-offs from places like Primark and H&M. The aim of the game was to spend as little as possible, buying crappy clothes that looked like expensive ones. I don’t think a show like this could exist today, as people are far more aware of the nefarious impact that fast fashion chains have on both workers and the environment. Hopefully bragging about how little you paid for a top from Cotton On is no longer a cool thing to do.

I like to support brands that have a heart. One of my favourite labels, 69, is headed by a designer in Los Angeles who has no interest in the narcissistic side of fashion and no desire to reveal their identity. 69 is a truly non-demographic label in the sense that it is made for people of all genders, ages and sizes. As I’ve become older, I’ve realised how pervasive ageism and body fascism is in the fashion industry. 69 uses models of all ages, ethnicities and body types. This, to me, is true progress, as fashion has long been about exclusivity and a ‘you can’t sit with us’ mentality. I love what 69 is doing to change this. They are a part of the re-definition of what fashion is and could be, if only we stopped using it as a tool of exclusion and a rather pathetic way of asserting our status.

What have been the greatest lessons you have learned since beginning your career?

I’ve learnt that it’s okay if not everyone likes what you do, and that there’s no point trying to be all things to all people. Some people will dig you, others won’t. I have made my peace with that, but it took a long time.