Desmond O'Shaughnessy and His Journey to Minimalism
Desmond O’Shaughnessy (Weinberg 2021) decided almost a year ago to adopt a minimalist lifestyle in his fashion choices. Priding himself on being an environmentalist, he chose to adopt this new philosophy after a binge of fast fashion documentaries last winter. On his person, Desmond’s dedication to a minimalist, sustainable wardrobe shows. He sports a thrifted jacket, one of his two plain white Eddie Bauer t-shirts and a pair of boots he’s kept in his wardrobe since his junior year of high school.
Minimalism in terms of fashion can be defined in two ways: the number of pieces and the colors of the pieces in your wardrobe. For some, minimalism is about the aesthetic — switching between neutral tones and grey, black, and white in your day-to-day style. However, a more broad definition of minimalism is the idea of keeping your closet simple: sticking to the basics. For Desmond, minimalism meant cutting down his wardrobe to what he truly needs and only shopping for the essentials. Because he is passionate about staying away from fast fashion, Desmond tries to stay away from department store shopping altogether.
“I’ve bought three things since last December,” Desmond says as he sifts through his closet. His well-curated wardrobe consists of two black t-shirts, two staple white Eddie Bauer tees (sustainable and long lasting — Desmond assures that he does his research) along with a few pairs of pants, a plethora of thrifted gear, and his four pairs of shoes: white Converse, black Vans, athletic sneakers, and his boots.
Image via Olivia Evans
Minimalism has come to the forefront of fashion in recent years. In a 2013 exposé done by the Wall Street Journal, it was revealed that the average person only wears about 20% of what they own on a daily basis — a statistic that would make anyone launch into a wardrobe purge. Tips and tricks to reduce clutter in your closet have been circulating for years now, including the clothes hanger hack and many others. In addition to helping the environment, a minimalist wardrobe cuts out the stress of outfit planning.
“It’s a process. I didn’t want to throw away all my clothes and start over because that defeats the purpose of eliminating waste, but I’ve been cutting down.” Desmond went on to explain his process on transforming his wardrobe into a minimalist one. His main goal is to stay away from fast fashion, so he tries to buy everything he can second-hand. His closet is well representative of his goal, but it is a work in progress.
Despite his consciousness of the effects his fashion choices have on the environment, Desmond still takes pride in what he wears, and he’s faced some bumps in the road on his journey to minimalism. His biggest vice so far has been Northwestern game day merchandise. However, he tries to combat his desire for fresh clothing by swapping clothes every now and then with his brothers.
“I like to dress up and look nice and there are ways to do that that aren’t obnoxious or harmful to the environment.”
Minimalist or not, there’s no doubt that Desmond is a fashionista.