By: Kristen P Ahern
Kaitlin (light skinned woman with dark hair, gold hoops, printed black shirt) standing in front of a mural of the Earth with text “We All Live Here” Photo Credit: Tommy Kennedy
Conscious Costume is all about looking at the issue of sustainable and ethical production from different perspectives. December’s #ConsciousHeroOTM is Kaitlin Stewart of Windy City Thrifter! Kaitlin is a multifaceted theatre artist turned Eco-Stylist. With her overlapping skills in theatre and passion for bringing sustainable style to people’s personal wardrobes, she was the perfect fit for our last Conscious Hero of 2020.
Kaitlin brings a sense of joy to finding and using second hand clothing, she has a passion for social justice issues, and sees Eco styling as a way that combines all of her different loves and passions. When she is performing, she identifies most strongly with her character when she gets into costume, she doesn’t fully feel like the character until that moment and examines how the clothing influences her performance.
Kaitlin wearing a red dress and red boots. Photo Credit: Tommy Kennedy
Windy City Thrifter was founded almost three years ago when Kaitlin was looking for a focus for her Instagram account; a story to tell through her posts. She loves the challenges created by other influencers and sees them as an opportunity to create a “character” by shopping out of her own wardrobe. Recently Kaitlin participated in a “Wear your Weird Shit” challenge (by Amelia Hubry) which she particularly liked because it encouraged participants to wear things they don’t often wear, to look into their closets and create from what they already own. Kaitlin’s “Intention Haul” series is similar and she unpacks why she is picking items and how many different ways she can style it.
In fact, in closet shopping, or “Closet Remix Sessions” are where Kaitlin starts with many of her clients. Currently, Virtual Remix Sessions are how she is operating exclusively with clients. With a closet remix, Kaitlin helps her clients see the potential in each individual garment, more than they realized before. She wants her clients and audience to see how they can be more intentional with their clothing budgets and what they bring into their closets while achieving a sense of ownership over their personal style. Clients find joy in realizing they can do so much more than they realized with what they already have, that creating a new style doesn’t have to be tied to consumerism.
Kaitlin is a hero because she is bringing conscious consumption and costume design approaches to real world clients. She sees thrifting and conscious consumption as activism against the consumerist, fast fashion, capitalist system. Styling is a branch of costume design where the character is the client’s goal self. They seek out stylists because they feel stuck in their wardrobe or maybe they’ve experienced a major life change. They enlist the help of Kaitlin and WCT because they want to make this journey with intention. Thrifted clothing is one of the most direct (and often cost effective) ways to make a shift to more conscious consumption. Budget mindfulness is one of Kaitlin’s top priorities with her clients.
Windy City Thrifter’s styling sessions are similar to a costume design process, beginning with questions for the client about who they are and what their goals are in hiring a stylist. When it is safe to do so, Kaitlin goes to the thrift store with her clients and helps build full looks to try on in the dressing rooms in order to elevate their wardrobes to reflect who they want to be. At the store, Kaitlin always pulls one wild card piece that’s a little “out there” for what was described and says that clients often end up buying that piece. She focuses on how they “feel” in the clothes more than how she feels they look, her goal is to give clients ideas of how to wear the pieces and feel a sense of ownership over their style. She says it is rebellious to simply take ownership over how you present yourself to the world and to do it in new and exciting ways!
Kaitlin wearing short denim skirt and tied orange cardigan with matching orange mask. Photo Credit: Tommy Kennedy
Kaitlin’s work is trying to encourage a more positive narrative around thrifting. For many people, thrifting can be an overwhelming experience or could have negative connotations about quality or cleanliness. To offset a discouraging outlook on thrifting, Kaitlin advises going with a plan and clear list to help cut through the excess noise in a thrift store and help maintain focus. Many thrift stores are color coded and it helps to go directly to the size and color that you are looking for and not to cast too wide a net. If you can scan the rack for the type of fabric you are looking for or another key feature of that garment (weight, hem length, etc…), you can shorten your trip and maintain energy for a positive experience.
This applies to costume design also, do not try to tackle your entire shopping list at the thrift store but narrow it down to what you are most likely to find and group it by type of garment and store section to streamline your shopping trip. Kaitlin also recommends checking outside your normal size section since often things get moved and commercial sizing can be variable.
Windy City Thrifter’s social media remains a source of inspiration and joy and I encourage you to check it out. Kaitlin is reshaping how her eco styling clients think about consumerism, one wardrobe at a time. Her work is a key bridge between eco fashion designers, costume designers, and the general public.
Her dedication to consuming with intention and being creative with clothing makes her December’s #ConsciousHeroOTM.
Kristen P Ahern
Kristen is the founder of Conscious Costume and a designer, activist, organizer, and educator in the Chicago area.
