dear soul,
remember when i wrote about the dior bag scandal and inner worth? (service: read here) that was in january and now a new wave has crashed upon us due to chinese manufactures speak up about the real productions costs of designer bags. the bias in the western world couldn’t be more visible: we believe that high prices guarantee high quality. we believe that italian leather is sourced in italy whereas the majority of it comes from nigeria. we believe that “made in china” means low quality whereas the luxury market wouldn’t be anything without chinese craftsmanship. we believe “made in china” is about standards whereas it’s about outdated stereotypes. the designer or luxury market is at a peak point of a crisis also from a financial point of view. the recession due to global tax politics and social developments. and there are theories again and again: the worser the economy the shorter the skirts, the more lipsticks women buy for small luxurious moments, the more ✨traditional*✨ relationships become. sounds scary? fear ( from my personal experience) always comes from inevitable change and is only your resistance to that movement. let’s embrace it, shall we?
we can find a way to look at it with a more spacious than anxious mindset using my own experience from therapy: due to my upbringing, i developed a high self awareness early on (clear indicator of being ultra receptive, high sensitive how that led into my deep interest in understanding myself with the help of therapy and any ancient wisdom i could find: astrology, yoga, greek and egypt mythology, philosophy and psychology, is what i’ve learned) but i didn’t know what i should do with all my knowledge. so i still felt lost, still made questionable choices, still hurt people and myself along the way, still acted from a place of stress, pain and punishment. that’s what i call the gap between high self awareness and low embodiment. my nervous system didn’t know how to regulate my current reality from that new level of awareness and how to turn this know-how into wisdom. i had no experience and no references to practice what i’ve learned. the luxury fashion industry has the same problem: high self awareness of it’s purpose and creative potential but low embodiment in terms of quality, values and action.
so what if recession in financial value is regression in personal value and what if both come in handy, this time? radical reduction to it’s essentials to bring improvement and only embody what’s necessary, making space to start fresh from a place of abundance, connection and love instead of playing small, unconscious and sticking to old patterns/habits well aware of all this knowledge. and no, i don’t mean it in a survival of the fittest way. i mean it in a survival of the most embodied way. and if you now think: okay, cool. thanks for the information, scarcity and pressure lea but what to do about it. i don’t leave you hanging i give us guidance using personal style as a tool.
in the 3D world, fashion creates not only fear and control (hi fomo and planned obsolescence) but also separation through duality and ego-driven identity. there is little room for nuances but more importance of money, status and external appearance. the emotional landscape is filled with guilt, shame, jealousy and love oftentimes is conditional and transactional. time is also linear and divided into past, present and future which creates trends, stress and hustle. we experience fashion through the exterior by default in the 3D: literally some fabric touching our skin. in this stage, your personal style create differences through fashion that detaches us from one another and leads to comparison. we live in the mind and the physical body which - yes- creates structure but also limitation.
developing a interior personal style is happening in the 4D. the 4D is the bridge or the gateway where awareness starts to expand. this is where you start questioning your patterns and habits. duality is still present but this is the place where we listen but don’t judge. time becomes more fluid which is why your personal style becomes timeless for you. you allow yourself to explore and entertain different ideas or approaches. during this process you start working on your subconscious fears and beliefs and lead more from the heart space. generally the emotional landscape becomes more intense and more paradox. it is filled with curiosity but also confusion, waves of grief and anger crash upon you which create an ocean of compassion and empathy. the pendulum between highs of inspiration and lows of insecurity or doubt swings and creates opportunities to observe your style. in that sense, personal style starts to become a tool to navigate you through these uncertain and intense times where trends play less and less of a role.
through personal style and the 4D gateway you embody the 5D realm. this is where your soul feels at home. the core emotions on this landscape are love, abundance, unity, flow, truth, trust and presence. your personal style in this stage mirrors your internal world instead of being the key to access it. you create a peaceful stability in your shopping behaviour, love yourself for who you are no matter the outfit and love others for who they are and not how they should be or dress. there is no attachment or codependence anymore: you’re not defined by your style but express your self through your style.
knowing all this: the 5D wants the 3D to bring itself to reality through it. the soul wants the body and fashion to experience itself through both. it’s all interconnected and we all start in the 3D naturally. the change begins with one simple decision and with one thing: awareness. and it’s a journey. trial and error is highly encouraging because finding out what you don’t want to feel like when you dress is also improvement. not every day has to be a slay and that’s okay. but the embodiment of this 5D emotional landscape is (in my understanding) the only future of the luxury fashion industry that makes sense. the alignment of the personal value with the product value, expression instead of oppression. leaning into the journey of improvement by returning to the core.
side note: it doesn’t make sense to start buying cheap knockoffs and think you’re empowered and cheated the system because you’re not paying the same price as the people in the designer boutiques do. you’re feeding the same monster of low embodiment just at a lower price point.
progress can’t be skipped through pace and price. progress from a place of abundance always slows down, includes routine and is almost annoyingly steady upwards. the only boring thing in that and personal style is the perfection part - that sounds very boring to me - well aware, that i am the mother of friction, tension and playing with contrasts, so big bias here. luxury fashion is here as an expression of creative potential (5D) met with quality of production, right time and space (3D) and your personal style is here to help you and express you in a holistic way (4D) that includes your mess, chaos, imperfections just as much as your growth, your light and greatness. and for my overachievers (me): the 5D is not a place that you type into google maps and ask for the fastest route. this landscape is more like a radio with a frequency that is always available and comes in waves you decide on when you tune in and surf them.
drunk in love - riding my surfboard,
lea
*sarcastic for: forgetting the progress we made in terms of sexism, racism and humanity over the past years