Colin Behr: Clothes Are A Language

Why did you decide to launch Wardrobe Theory Project? 

For as much fashion media as there is in the world, very few publications focus on the items we already have in our lives. There is a constant, feverish, 'what's next, what's new' mentality. As a designer and object-obsessed person, I am always interested to see new things that are being produced. However, I felt that there was deeper meaning to be found in the garments we hold onto. I wanted to create a platform where we could highlight and archive our favorite items, not just what's on the release calendar for next month. Wardrobe Theory is centered around true, authentic, style, not products that are seeded, paid for, or constructed for hype or views.

You have over a decade’s experience working with major apparel brands, how has this informed your understanding of, and interest in, sustainability?

It's slowly happened over time. As a young graduate fresh in the industry, all I wanted to do was create new, cool, and functional things. As time went on, I began to realise, as many others have, that we're making a lot of stuff that we don't really need, and spending so much time and money trying to convince people that they do need it. This process continues ad nauseum, and you begin to question what it is we're really doing here, other than trying to hit the growth target of the company. 

I'm not anti-capitalist, but it forced some deep reflection. It took me a few years to really grasp a better understanding of sustainability. I realised that, yes, there is innovative work being done, and technological advances that are happening, that will allow us to make new products in better, less wasteful ways. That's great, and we should continue innovating there. However, there is still no truly circular solution for the end life of these products. With that, I became more interested in new business models and ecosystems that would take the end life into consideration, and more importantly, all the materials, and goods, that already exist in the world. Sustainability is complex. It interests me because it's not just a product or a supply chain problem, it is a huge interlinked system between product, people and planet.

Sustainability has now become a term that’s so overused, especially in fashion, that it can start to lose all meaning. For you, what’s a genuine definition of sustainability, and what does a sustainable approach to fashion mean?

Sustainability can have many meanings across cultures, contexts, and industries. For me, a genuine definition of sustainability is when humans can coexist on earth for a long time, without detrimental effects to ourselves or the planet. So, a sustainable approach to fashion, in my opinion, is wearing things for as long as we possibly can. That is the most sustainable thing we can do. 

It really comes down to longevity, which is counterintuitive to much of what fashion presents or sells to us. If we wear our items for as long as we can, then we will keep those items from becoming landfill, and will likely buy less stuff overall. Brands don't want that, so you'll see sustainability pitched as something that's recycled, or made with less water or other resources. In reality, those 'sustainable' products will end up as landfill once we toss them out anyway. 

Intention is another key word that comes to mind. When we purchase, or create/design, with intention, instead of reaction, we are more likely to use that item longer and feel a deeper connection to it. A sustainable approach to fashion would mean not moving at the pace and the cadence the industry currently operates at.

What do you think the relationship between personal style and sustainability is?

Sustainability is an output of action; it's a goal. When we treat sustainability as an input, we get what I mentioned above: recycled polyester goods that end up on the same beach or in the same landfill sites that the plastic they were recycled from came from. Style is also an output of action; it is a way of doing something. So, if we're truly interested in our own personal style, what is optimal for ourselves and our daily lives, and not chasing whatever is on the latest celebrity, we are likely to build upon this trajectory over time. We will add garments and pieces that work with the items we already have in our closet. This doesn't mean you can't evolve or change your style. It's important to note the idea of emotional durability here, which is when a product has the ability to form a deep, lasting relationship with its user or wearer. When this happens, we are more likely to use it longer, repair it, or customise it to keep it in rotation, rather than discarding it and moving onto the next thing. So, I would argue that the greater your personal style is, the more sustainable you are.

Each issue of the magazine focuses on the 50 essential items from one person’s wardrobe. Do you think wardrobes can be a kind of archive of a person? 

Absolutely. Our wardrobes say so much about us. They communicate things like identity, interests, subcultures, politics, ambition, aspiration, values, and more. Clothes are a language. As we go into our third issue, we are actually making a pivot for the wardrobe section: we'll be focusing on five different people and looking at 20 of their favorite pieces. Even with a smaller data pile, you'll still see some of these personal or psychological insights come through. And to your question, it will allow us to cross examine different people side-by-side, therefore allowing the 'archive of a person' to be quite evident. This brings in a whole side of psychology and anthropology that I'm excited to see evolve with more wardrobe features.

What is the most enduring item in your own wardrobe? 

My Air Jordan 1 Hi's. The bred colorway from the 2009 DMP pack. I bought them in high school when I was working at Finish Line, and they are still in my wardrobe 17 years later. I also have a few sweatshirts that my dad wore in the ‘90s, that I still wear today.

From the two issues so far, what have you learnt about our relationship to clothes? 

It's apparent that we really love the objects we have in our lives. We bought them for a reason, whether conscious or not. It is often the media or society that makes us feel we need to move on to something else, something new. There is life lived in these garments; memories, trials, and triumphs. 

We tend to constantly reach for what works for us, regardless of price or hype. Clothes also connect us. One of the most surprising take-aways from the two issues so far is how many garments were gifted from a friend or received during a special moment in their lives, rather than simply bought online or pulled off a rack. 

Why did you decide to produce a new object, in the sense of making a magazine, how does this align to your ethos?

It took a while to get to this place. Wardrobe Theory Project started as a concept back in 2019. It was a personal project that involved documenting my entire wardrobe and using those insights to create new one off pieces for myself. When the idea came to make this a publication that highlights other people’s wardrobes, I was conflicted about creating a physical object. 

Over time though, I began to realise that this message is meaningful and needs to be put out there. It may not be perfect, but I need to get it out there, and adapt and learn as we move forward. It felt important to focus on analogue too. We are, after all, highlighting physical garments. We want our readers to sit intentionally with our magazine; feel the pages and the stories. We want this to be mindful, not mindless, consumption, which is harder and harder to do online these days. In a future world when the servers all crash and the digital landscape is wiped, where will our archives be? 

I felt it was crucial to document real people and their belongings in a tangible way. This further falls into our ethos of longevity, and our hope that these issues are collected like an ongoing encyclopedia. They are meant to be referenced, enjoyed, and brought out for years to come. This is also why we promote our subscription model. By operating in this way, we are able to better calculate our production and prevent unnecessary waste.