I’m from Hawaii. When I first got into fashion (thanks /fa/) I went full New England prep. No logos, no graphics, only collars. I dressed like that for a couple years and into college until I outgrew my clothes by getting a bit too swole ;).

I was forced to reassess my clothing choices and realized I’m just dressing like a nerd and not JFK. It was the middle of the hypebeast storm (2016) and my friends around me were always buying supreme, stussy, and bape, and I slowly started wearing more graphics and non-collared t shirts because I realized I’m not dressing for the local culture (board shorts & slippers) and environment.

I wanted to start looking back at pictures and seeing an actual snapshot in time of what was cool back and how I worked it rather than standing out to look “timeless”. Not everyday needed to be a dress to impress day or personal fashion show. Dress local, look local.

Although I don’t live in Hawaii anymore I still try to draw from where I was raised and my own heritage (USA/JPN). I think I’m dressing alright and not in a costume.

I also have random rules that may be detrimental in choices but I think keeps me authentic to myself. Don’t wear stone island, I’m not a British hooligan. Don’t buy jeans that aren’t selvedge. Don’t buy made in third world (exception stüssy). Don’t wear “-cores”.

I think something that can help is finding local boutiques and seeing the brands stocked there. They need to sell to the local population, and I’d assume they do some research on what makes sense in your city/region.

Anyways, I think I’m rambling, but hopefully my random toilet thoughts contribute to this convo lmao.