INTERVIEW #53 LI LOHEM

“It took some time for me to explore and found out what was truly me.”

What’s your relationship with clothes?

Clothes is a way for me to express myself. Especially, since I started my Instagram account August last year. I started my account when I was on parental leave. I had two children and it became a time for me to just be me. On Instagram I could be part of a community, discuss, talk, buy and sell clothes. I suddenly had a lot of free time. When I was a teenager I didn’t have much of a relationship with clothes. I used to think of the clothes I wanted to wear but didn’t have the guts to wear them. Now I take back that lost time when I wanted to express myself but didn’t. Today I wear what I want.  It all started in 2018 when I had my first daughter. I started to wonder how to keep her warm. I googled on good materials for that purpose and learned I a lot. It also made me think about my own closet so I sorted out the synthetic materials and filled it with the natural materials. The passion for shopping second hand has been there since the start. I wanted to find unique pieces. Now it has also become more of an environmental reason. It also bought second hand from an economic perspective. At second hand I could buy from brands I otherwise couldn’t afford. The truth is that if I want to buy a lot of cashmere I won’t financially be able to do it, but if I can find it on second hand, I might be able to afford it. I found the Facebook page Labels We Loved and after that it started spinning. In the beginning I was buying a lot of things I didn’t’ like. It took some time for me to explore and found out what was truly me.  

“Today I wear what I want.”

Why is your profile called Stilslaktaren?

I didn’t want to use my name and I just wanted a funny name. The butcher part is about my interest in horror, nothing to do with slaughtering styles. I think of it more like areal butcher, it has nothing to do about me having a special style. 

“The butcher part is about my interest in horror, nothing to do with slaughtering styles.”

How would you describe your style?

I don’t really have a style. I think I want to wear more black then I do. I use more colours since it is more fun. Clothes can be just fun. It doesn’t have to be strict. They can enhance your body figure, like wearing clothes that makes you look longer. I want to dress in a way that goes against it. Like wearing shoes that makes my feet look big instead of small and clothes that makes my arms look big, instead of small. A styling that goes against the norms of how clothes should enhance your body. 

Maybe my styled is a little bit influenced by the grunge from the 60s and 70s. My style is definitely not minimalistic. Sometimes I just like to wear this really cute dress. The only thing I will have a hard time to wear is when something gets too cute. Style is also changing over time and over the seasons. In the fall I’m attracted to office uniforms which is not the case in the summer. I also dress according to my emotions. 

“I prefer a styling that goes against the norms of how clothes should enhance your body.”

How would you describe your closet?

It is pretty organised. But it depends on who I compare myself to. I have no clothes at all almost if I compare to one friend but if I compare to another I have a lot of clothes. My closet circulates. If I want to buy something new, to able to afford it, I often sell something I already have. It has nothing to do to with capsule clothes, it is more for an economic reason. I don’t have the space and I don’t won’t to spend that much on dresses. For me the items I buy needs to bring me joy! Does the item bring comfort, joy or beauty? I don’t think I need to wear everything in my closet frequently. But if they lay around too long, the clothes needs to be sold. 

What is a sustainable closet for you?

I think it is a closet you shouldn’t feel overwhelmed by. If you have 20 items and feel good about it, if one more item gets in, sell one. I think it also about buying second hand and not buying too much. For me my Instagram is a free space, I don’t talk about sustainability there but I think about it privately. You are more free if you don’t have to live up to others expectations. Sustainability is also very complicated and I don’t think there is a way to do everything right. In the end we live in this huge stone floating around the universe and most things we believe in is made up. We can do as good as we can, after the circumstances we are born into. It also takes time to search for things and some can’t afford anything than fast fashion so it is not easy to make a good choice.  

We should see it as if we are in a society where we choose to take care of each other. Some people don’t have time or the financial recourses to search on second hand or for ethical brands, they should do what they can without feeling guilty. But the ones who can, the ones who have the money and the time, they can make an extra effort. They can back up the others up. If we acted in this way, it will have an impact. 

“You are more free if you don’t have to live up to others expectations.”

What do you think about the fashion industry and what do you believe needs to change?

I actually don’t think I know so much about the industry. I recently started to learn about different brands. I know it is not good for the environment and for the people who work there. This is what I think of when I buy second hand. I also know that the second hand clothes not bought by consumers are shipped away and exported, which is also a problem. These problems are everywhere. The difficulty when it comes to changing the industry is that if you change in one area that will have an effect in another. In other words it is hard to know what is the right thing to do. But I honestly believe we need to stop producing so much clothes. When I did my bachelor thesis we wrote about circular business models. There are changes that are promoting such as the produce-on-demand. The clothes are sewed when you are ordering them. That is the key I think, not to be so much in rush. That is also related to how the second hand market works today, if I don’t buy now, you will lose the opportunity. It should be okay that it takes some time. You will take care of it more if it takes time. Then the price will of course increase, excluding the ones with limited financial means, so how do we deal with that? I don’t know. 

“Some people don’t have time or the financial recourses to search on second hand or for ethical brands, they should do what they can without feeling guilty.”

What can one do that seeks to create a more sustainable closet?

• Stay true to yourself – do I really feel good when I wear this?

• Think about your clothes as your servants – your clothes are supposed to help you in your daily life!

• Take care of your clothes – I feel like Kalisi with her dragons when I meet my clothes. That is how it should feel, it should be things you value!