Looking for the fashion in-crowd’s best-kept styling hacks, most-cherished vintage treasures, or favorite trends of the moment? We’ve prigged their answers… today: ANDREA CHEONG shares her sustainable STYLING SECRETS. Cover photo: courtesy of @andreacheong_
STYLE SESSIONS WITH ANDREA CHEONG
Ever wondered how to do a wardrobe cleanse? How do you decide what to ditch, what to wear, and what to invest in? To make people more sustainable and durable-minded, Andrea Cheong, founder of The Mindful Monday Method™️ and author of Why Don’t I Have Anything To Wear? She came up with her “wardrobe audit,” in which she carefully explains how to build an individual filter specific to your needs so that shopping becomes less intimidating. You won’t get swept up in hype and fast trends. Shopping better for your mental health and the planet is the ultimate goal. Spoiler: you need to take everything out, and Cheong leads by example. While it’s just a video filmed from a tripod in her bedroom featuring a perfectly organized and relatively compact wardrobe, the message is pivotal: you don’t need much; you just need to know what suits you and fuels your energy.
Cheong has always had a thing for fashion. Her earliest childhood memory of style was a pink Paddington Bear type of coat. Important note: it suited her lifestyle at the time. “I also wore a boater hat to school when I first moved to the UK; I quite enjoyed it because it reminded me of Madeline.”
WHY DON’T I HAVE ANYTHING TO WEAR?
Andrea Cheong’s book, “Why Don’t I Have Anything to Wear?” includes an enlightening quiz designed to pinpoint the reasons behind the all-too-common dilemma: a closet filled with clothes but nothing you would wear. The quiz identifies five key themes: mainstream brands may not meet your physical needs, you might be experiencing a lifestyle shift, you need more mindful consumption, it’s time to invest in higher-quality pieces, and better wardrobe organization is essential.
Cheong emphasizes practicality and actionability in her approach. “It’s not about acquiring more, but about truly understanding and appreciating what you already have.” This refreshing perspective encourages readers to rethink their relationship with their wardrobe, promoting a more thoughtful and fulfilling approach to fashion. Cheong successfully adapted her theories to her wardrobe as a sustainable fashion advocate. “I dress for my lifestyle, so it’s quite repetitive and comfortable. I don’t wear synthetics unless necessary, and switching to this way of dressing has made me feel so much better.”
Besides offering advice on personal style, her social media channels debunk myths about (fast) fashion brands and specific items. Cheong often takes her followers on a shopping spree, thoroughly checking how collections are made. Her latest findings? Men should stay away from ARKET polo shirts, you might need Mary Janes from Loeffler Randall, and that the COS Atelier collection’s quality differs from that of other labels.
Also, read: YIN FUNG ON HOW TO PREVENT BAD PURCHASES
What sparked your interest in sustainable fashion?
“My interest in sustainable fashion was sparked when I fell completely out of love with the fashion and social media industry. I hated what it brought out of me and how the culture of consumption and comparison shapes us as individuals. During that departure, I began talking about how clothes are made and what was good quality through the reviews you see on my account now. I quickly realized that there was so much greenwashing and planned obsolescence around. Then it hit me that shopping better for the planet is connected to how we feel about ourselves, and this was the missing link for people to reconnect with the environment and the people who make our clothes.”
Where do you get your style inspiration from?
“I don’t look for style inspiration; I’m pretty set on what I like and what works for me. Aesthetically, I enjoy looking at archival runway shows, but I don’t emulate these looks in real life.”
In your new book, “Why Don’t I Have Anything to Wear?” You explain ways to shop less but more thoughtfully. What urged you to publish a book about the topic?
“Why don’t I have anything to wear? It is based on my 5-step program, the Mindful Monday Method. I wanted to give the community and others who have never accessed sustainable fashion content a digestible insight into the industry so they could make the most informed choices and not feel judged. Social media content can be a little reductive sometimes because of time limits, and people were asking for things that only long-form content could answer.”
What’s the ultimate advice for people looking to start shopping smarter?
“Choose your clothes like you choose your friends. You want them to be as beautiful on the inside and outside, so turn them inside out and check the composition labels.”
“CHOOSE YOUR CLOTHES LIKE YOU CHOOSE YOUR FRIENDS.”
Andrea Cheong
And to shop less or more mindfully?
“Shopping more mindfully is about your state of mind when you shop. When we’re bored or stressed and shop often, we’re looking for dopamine, which leads to impulse shopping. We all do this, which pop culture and society have encouraged. It’s wrapped up as “retail therapy,” but nothing cute about normalizing something that harms our emotional wellness.”
You rank items and brands on your social media. What are the best ones to invest in regarding timeless appeal and quality?
“When it comes to the “best brands” no one will universally agree on anything, and that’s normal and, honestly, a good thing. So it’s about figuring out your goals, which is a part of the 5 steps of the mindful Monday method. Do you prioritize minimal waste? Is buying less but better the mindset? I don’t enjoy recommending brands as a whole because unless it’s a single item, like all jeans or all soft fabrics, it’s impossible for the quality to be consistently high across every category.”
“WHEN IT COMES TO THE “BEST BRANDS” NO ONE WILL UNIVERSALLY AGREE ON ANYTHING, AND THAT’S OK.”
Andrea Cheong
What’s your best advice on reinventing your wardrobe? How do you combine items in intelligent ways, for example?
“Reinventing the way you style things is quite advanced, and I don’t think it’s always necessary. I feel like the fashion industry puts extraordinary pressure on us to look like ultra-creative designers ourselves, and it’s unrealistic. I think wear whatever makes you happy, and keep wearing it! I’m just crossing my fingers it’s not acrylic.”
In what outfit do you feel at your best?
“I tend to have “uniforms,” so I’ll wear the same thing for months. For the last year, I’ve worn the same mid-rise baggy jeans almost every day except laundry day. I can eat in it, I can walk around London. I can do meetings in them because it’s quite a casual city… and they’re not from a “sustainable brand”. But I feel good about it not because they’re flattering but because I’m giving it what it deserves – a very well-lived life.”
What’s the most cherished item in your wardrobe?
“My vintage Dior jacket. I got swindled out of a secondhand bar jacket, and I found this quite quickly after, and for less, and it’s just the most beautiful, versatile piece.”
“PERSONAL STYLE IS RIDICULOUSLY HARD TO FEEL COMFORTABLE IN, SO DON’T BERATE YOURSELF IF YOU’RE STRUGGLING.”
Andrea Cheong
What advice would you give others looking for a sustainable, personal style?
“Personal style is ridiculously hard to feel comfortable in, so don’t berate yourself if you’re struggling. The tools we have to express this, meaning clothes we have access to are woefully poor quality and often severely fitting, and worst of all, this is intentionally so. It’s not your fault. There’s an exercise in my book where I say to take a picture of your outfit every time you leave the house, count how many items there are, and have a visual diary and catalog of your style. From there, you can see what you definitively dislike about what you’re working with. This is precisely what people call shopping from your wardrobe. I think the discomfort comes from being told that, as women, our outfits or the way we present ourselves is somehow lacking. Do you think men feel that way about their outfits?“
@andreacheong_ (Instagram) | @andreacheong_ (TikTok)
