[Blog] Wear Your Story with Amy Shimshon-Santo

Wear Your Story 

By Lydia Thomas, Sales Associate at Circular Library

“Here we go again,” grumbled a green Zara sweater whose owner “didn’t know what she knew now” when she bought it. “I am a sentence spoken and remembered,” whispered a brown and white gifted Keffiyah.

These excerpts from the Wear Your Story Writing Workshop and Clothing Swap at Circular Library highlight a shift in perspective. Led by local writer and educator Amy Shimshon-Santo, new friends connected by listening to writing from the perspective of an item of clothing.

Clothing often brings up questions for us about ourselves. How do clothes play a part in our rituals and routines? How do they bring us together and move us apart? What might they reveal or hide about the being underneath? Because we focus on these questions, it is easy to decenter clothes from their own stories and treat them just as a vehicle for our self expression. 

We tend to forget, overlook, and attempt to justify their impact even though the fashion industry produces 92 million tons of waste annually. At the workshop, the group set an intention of consciousness to disrupt this pattern. We aimed to examine the clothes as the main character of their own stories rather than costumes we wear as we go about our daily lives.

What questions might a uniquely crafted dress from “the motherland” have for us? How might a teal sun hoodie feel while getting splashed with saltwater? What would a hand-me-down bodysuit say on its debut with a new owner?

We asked if clothes can recall their past lives and which memories from a sweater’s past cling to its body like lint. We considered what a lived-in body hopes for in the future, and how we can honor that journey.

Embracing the theme of circularity, participants brought in items to rehouse with new loving owners. It was important for us to first connect with these items once more and appreciate our role in the rotating cast of their circular lifestyle. 

Rather than letting entropy have its way and letting garments become microplastic particles flowing into a river, we introduced them to new friends. A red feathery dress worn once for an evening of generosity found a new group who felt the warmth stored within the weave.

A green sweater once deemed “work clothes” by a Kindergarten teacher became a shared story between two new friends and found a new home.

By honoring these woven stories, we helped each garment embark on a new cycle.

Circular Library

Circular Library is a house for sustainable lifestyle brands — a curated retail and community space where independent designers, ethical brands, and conscious consumers come together. 
Through thoughtful product curation, events, and partnerships, we create a platform that supports emerging sustainable brands while fostering meaningful community connections. 
Our mission is to make sustainability accessible, inspiring, and woven into everyday life.