University Student Creative - Xanthe Midwinter

Xanthe Midwinter is a university student studying a Bachelor of International Relations and a Bachelor of Languages, she also creates her own fashion! I caught up with Xanthe to get her input on slow fashion, what it means to her and the upcoming projects she has planned.

Xanthe is a university student who studies international relations and languages, she has visited many countries and can speak up to five languages. Even though she is so knowledgeable of the world and its cultures, she has always had an obsession with art, most specifically fashion. She has created many clothes and different kinds of fashion, including the dress in the picture above. So, with Xanthe being so passionate about fashion, I had to find out what fashion means to her.

Xanthe stated,

‘To me it is about self-expression. I have always loved the vintage aesthetic, mainly the 1920s, 1950s and 1960s, however, lately I have also been interested in more historical fashion as well. Fashion for me allows me to explore different textiles and silhouettes, playing with how I appear to others. It gives me an escape from everyday life’.

She continued touching on why she makes her own fashion, and what it means to her,

‘I also find that I take more pride in my appearance when I am making my own clothes, it

feels like playing dress up but it is just what I wear. It’s fun'.

Xanthe proceeded to illustrate her love for historic fashion, and since she is someone to create her own clothes I needed her take on slow fashion versus fast fashion, she said,

‘I love that vintage clothes were so well made and were often made to last, unlike fashion nowadays. I think slow fashion is extremely important, especially now with the climate emergency. Modern affordable clothes are not made to last and are more often than not, highly unethically made. I love that slow fashion is becoming popular again’.

Xanthe is incredibly passionate about slow fashion, the idea of seeking out vintage clothes purely based on the fact that they were made to last is very interesting. Finding gems and then renewing them is a great approach to slow fashion. Finally, going into the summer Xanthe has some projects she wants to work on once the university semester is over, she stated,

‘I bought a few vintage sewing patterns in the mid semester break and I am planning to make a few of them. I have a pair of pants from the 60s that I will make first, and then a woollen dress from the 50s after that. I also have a summer dress from the 40s that I would like to make’.

Sounds like Xanthe has a busy summer, although very creative. Xanthe is pursuing a career in international relations but I think we can all agree that she needs continues her passion for fashion.