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Catherine Jia – On Slow Fashion and Rewearing What You Own
Mei Mei Market co-founder and slow fashion advocate Catherine Jia on how she came to slow fashion, why rewearing is the most sustainable thing, and the deadstock archive she and her friend turned into a business.
“I came across the slow fashion movement while reading an article back in 2021, and it really shifted my perspective. I realised that my approach to fashion was already quite different to the typical fast-paced cycle — I naturally tended to buy with intention and at a slower pace. Discovering the slow fashion movement helped me understand and put language to the way I was already engaging with fashion, and encouraged me to be more intentional and mindful in my choices moving forward.
To me, sustainable fashion is about slowing down and being intentional.
It’s not just about what we buy, but how often we buy, where it comes from, and how long we keep it. It also includes secondhand shopping, supporting ethical brands, caring for what we already own, and shifting away from a fast fashion mindset. It’s about creating a more respectful relationship with clothing.
A common misconception is that sustainable fashion is unaffordable and that people need to buy expensive pieces to be considered ‘sustainable.’ But that’s not the case at all.
Sustainable fashion can be as simple as rewearing what you already own and shopping less.
My style is very wearable and easy to connect with across my wardrobe, so I can constantly rewear and rotate pieces. It’s made up of a mix of planet-friendly brands, secondhand and thrifted finds, and even pieces I’ve made myself. I love that my wardrobe feels personal and intentional, and that everything I wear has a story behind it. For me, style isn’t about constantly buying new things — it’s about creating looks from what I already have and expressing myself in a way that aligns with my values.
The most important advice I always come back to is: rewear your clothing! That’s truly the most sustainable thing you can do.
Making the most out of what you already own has the biggest impact.
My tips for rewearing your clothes: start by building a wardrobe of really good basics that you genuinely love wearing. Those pieces become the foundation of almost every outfit and make it so much easier to mix in more fun or statement pieces. I also like challenging myself to style the same item in completely different ways. Sometimes all it takes is changing your shoes, layering differently or adding accessories to make an outfit feel brand new. And honestly, I don’t mind outfit repeating.
I love are borrowing clothes from friends or family, renting outfits for special occasions, and shopping secondhand or thrifted. Taking care of your clothes is also so important – repairing, storing, and washing them properly helps extend their life. And most importantly, try to wear clothes because you genuinely love them, not just because they’re trending.
Building a wardrobe that feels authentic to you naturally leads to more mindful and sustainable choices.
I was really lucky that my mum taught me how to sew from a young age, but if you’re just starting out, I’d definitely recommend taking a sewing workshop. I think it’s the fastest way to learn because you have someone there to guide you through mistakes and answer questions as you go. When I make clothes, I try to source deadstock fabrics wherever possible so I’m giving existing materials a new purpose. I also try to minimize mistakes while sewing, but when they do happen, I never throw the fabric away. I keep all my offcuts and failed pieces because they almost always end up becoming part of another project later on.
One person who really inspires me is Maggie Zhou. She’s an incredible slow fashion advocate and editor at the Melbourne local media Broadsheet, and I love how she encourages rewearing clothes and making fashion feel personal rather than trend-driven. We’re also friends outside of social media, so it’s been really lovely watching her live those values in real life too.
Mei Mei Market is a deadstock vintage clothing business that my childhood best friend Rena and I started together. Her parents had been holding onto an incredible archive of unworn clothing from the 90s and 2000s in storage for years, and we thought, why let it sit there when someone else could love and wear it? Instead of creating something new, we wanted to give these pieces a second life and share them with the world. Looking back, it feels like we were always meant to work together. As kids, we were constantly coming up with little side projects and businesses, so starting Mei Mei Market as adults felt like a natural extension of that.
Our next chapter is really exciting. We're launching our own line of slowly made pieces next year, using the same thoughtful approach to fashion, and later this year we're hoping to open a physical showroom where people can experience the brand in person."
Follow Catherine and Mei Mei Market on Instagram @project.catherine @meimei__market
Paloma Wool