Cora Maria

A mini style evolution. While the present-day look has a few brand pieces, I think it's clear that my sense of style isn't reliant upon them. In the alternative fashion community, we have some very iconic brands. We can barely scroll through social media without seeing a pair of YRU platforms, a Lazy Oaf cardigan, or the new Angelic Pretty dress deemed valuable enough to be sold at double the price by scalpers online. The people wearing them look so cool, so perfect, and nothing like you or me. You might stare at your own closet and think about all the things you wish were in it, or look at your bank balance and lament all the things you cannot afford. You feel inferior, inadequate, unfashionable. Things would be different if you just had more brand, right? No. Brands are great, but they can only take you so far. If you’re leaning on the prestige or creativity of a brand, you’re not displaying a particularly unique sense of style. For example, pairing a rainbow stripe...

I know the answer for a few of these items, but that isn't enough. One of the things that has bugged me about my blog is how much I’ve focused on individual responsibility when it comes to sustainable fashion. It’s been all about how you  can shop better, how you  can reduce your consumption, how you  should use and dispose of your clothes in better and more eco-friendly ways. Yes, individual responsibility is incredibly important because large groups of people boycotting brands forces them to adapt or die, but there is also great change to be made in activism. The highly problematic fashion industry has created systems that are nearly impossible to navigate in a completely ethical and eco-friendly way. I’m here to say that it’s time for us to take a stand against the system and a stand against the brands. It’s time for the alternative fashion community to participate in Fashion Revolution Week. What is Fashion Revolution Week? Fashion Revolution Week i...

Illustration by @cosmikittyvevo aka @starlightespresso on Instagram. One of the messages I really want to spread on my blog is that any change is good change, no matter how small it might be. If you feel like there is no room for you in the discussion about sustainability, believe me when I say that I’ve been there. You might think that the sustainability brands available don’t fit your body type, or are incompatible with your skin sensitivities, or they are way out of budget, or they just don’t fit your style. I know what it’s like to feel excluded by a movement you want to be a part of, and to feel like there are things you cannot change. However, it’s important for us to focus on what we can change if we are to make alternative fashion more sustainable. That’s why I’m sharing with you my personal sustainable fashion rules that are designed to work with imperfection. You shouldn’t compromise your style to be more sustainable, but you can strive to execute your style in t...

    At a glance, the bold and busy aesthetic of decora fashion can seem in direct conflict with the values of sustainable fashion and minimalism. I’m here to state that this doesn’t have to be the case. It’s easy to feel excluded by movements that voice the value of simplicity if you or your style appear to be anything but simple, but I’m here to show you how you can marry decora fashion with sustainability and minimalism, so that you can enjoy the benefits of all three! In this article I will give you practical advice that has worked for me to help you engage with this awesome style in a way that has a reduced impact on people and the planet.   Disclaimer: These tips are intended to be implemented with other, more general, sustainable fashion advice, and they will not help you achieve a completely sustainable, waste-free decora lifestyle. Many of the items used in the examples also do not come from sustainable origin. This list focuses on incremental change...

All photos have been used with permission from the brands involved. When I first came across the ethical and sustainable fashion movement, I rejected it because I felt like no one was considering the people who liked to dress as colourfully and outrageously as I do. After spending about eight months observing the ethical and sustainable fashion circle, I’ve been able to curate a list of the brands I’m sure other people like myself would want to know about. These brands are colourful, creative, cute, and clean of many of the wrongs within the fashion industry today. They’re all ethical, and they’re all making an effort to be sustainable, from making scrunchies from fabric scraps to basing their entire brand on up-cycling waste. Even if you can’t shop at these brands due to cost or geographical location, they’re still beacons of creativity and inspiration that deserve appreciation. CLEAN, the Label I’m starting with unisex brand Clean the Label because it is the only brand...

It’s February and if you live in Australia like myself, chances are you have university returning in one or two week's time. Maybe you’re a recent high school graduate who is thrilled to be without a uniform, or perhaps you’re facing your final year of uni before the office dress code takes over your life. Maybe you’re from a country where college or university is already in session. Regardless of your situation, if you want to dress kawaii for university but don’t know how to go about it, this is the article for you. I will be sharing my practical tips to ensure that you spend your year in comfort and effortless style. I hope you find this article helpful and without further ado, let's leap into the advice. Comfort is Key, but Cuteness Helps One of my biggest uni outfits mistakes was definitely sacrificing comfort and/or practicality for aesthetic. There were days when I would wear too tight clothing or too many accessories or too tall platforms. Uncomfortable cl...

This is intended to be an aesthetic parody of haul video clickbait thumbnails. Please don't take this too seriously. Most sustainable fashion influencers and minimalists aren't too keen on hauls and unboxings, and their distain has inspired trends like the anti-hauls and haulternatives. However, as someone with one foot in the sustainable fashion community and the other in the alternative fashion community, I truly believe that haul videos have a place in the fashion community, but in their current form, they promote unhealthy spending habits, contribute to anxiety, and cheapen the relationships we have with our possessions. This week, I will go over the positive aspects of hauls/unboxings, the negatives, and what we can do to improve them. What are the pros of hauls and unboxings? There are many points one can bring up to identify why haul videos are useful and enjoyable. These include: Seeing someone talk about something they’re excited about.  Excitement is c...