second-hand shoots (2019)

A sustainable-fashion photography project

The series was inspired by a conversation with my mum about the accessibility of high-fashion clothing  when we were flipping through Vogue together. I remember she said ‘I want to take pictures like these, but I’ll never get to wear Gucci from head to toes’, and so I decided to pick up my Canon and take a series of pictures to show her that fashion shoots are entirely possible without the expense.  

I began sourcing pre-loved clothing from charity shops (extremely rare, there are only two) in Beijing, but it was difficult to find high-fashion looking items from piles of second-hand fast fashion Zaras and H&Ms. I discovered the potentials of unconventional items, such as messaging belts and rubber gloves; my childhood doll house and wellington boots. I began to look beyond the white screen I set up in my living room and explored my neighbourhoods in Beijing to find equally unexpected, abandoned spaces to conduct these shoots. The combination of unglamorous locations and second-hand clothing is to challenge the conventional idea of ‘glam’. By paying attention to things we already own, spaces we have overlooked, fashion lovers can discover beauty outside of high-end magazines, and find it right beside them.