As you can probably ascertain from my various outfit posts, I tend admire both minimalism and outlandishness in fashion. One of my favourite “minimalist” designers would have to be Bruno Pieters, whose sharp cuts and pin-point-precise tailoring are things of genius and beauty. After reading a Bon magazine interview with the designer, I think I admire him even more for being so level-headed. Here’s a long bit of the interview that I found particularly interesting.
Pieters:
I’m reading this spiritual book. It’s about trying to be in the moment. I’m one of those people who’s always thinking about the next thing. And I felt that my life was like sitting in a waiting room- that what I was doing now wasn’t important. The goal was the important thing, but the goal, when I reached it, was always a disappointment- always.
[The book] is by Eckhart Tolle called A New Earth. I got it from a friend of mine. She said, “You need this. You’re not living your life. It’s gonna pass you by.” And she was right, it was. I think for 30 years it was just passing me by… Certain things happened to me that I always wanted to happen, it just didn’t do anything for me… For all these years, these goals, these things I wanted, this ambition- it gives no satisfaction. Nothing. Because it’s never enough. When you are in French Vogue you say, “If it would have been American Vogue I would have been happier…” If you say: “I have this job, but if I had that one, then I would be happy.” You can do this with everything, with relationships and everything else…
It flashes by- your whole life. And when you think about what you have done, it’s like… there’s no meaning, nothing. It’s really useless.
I love it when I can combine my love of fashion and spiritual philosophy into one relevant post. I can see this same situation played out in the minds of many who work in the fashion industry. The absence of living the moment isn’t just a problem in this industry, it’s global, but I think that fashion in particular has a tendency to always leave people feeling unsatisfied with themselves and with their lives. So if you’ve been feeling dispirited lately, I hope this post will jog you back to thinking about what you can do to achieve real and lasting happiness.
One particular lesson I remember from reading Tolle’s book was that it is insanity to spend the mental effort struggling against something that already is and that has already passed. You can drive yourself crazy through guilt, regret, jealousy or anger towards a situation that just is what it is. If you stop fighting and become at peace with the moment now, you’ll find that new doors will open up for you that you had previously been blind to. It’s inspiring to see a designer kick the system and learn to make his life more meaningful, not necessarily through any outer changes to his status and career, but through inner changes that can be so simple yet so profound.
