A Closet of Your Own: How 1-of-1 Pieces can Inspire Growth of a Unique Personal Style
Written by Roan Vaughan
We all want to have our personal style, with unique pieces separating outfits from everyone around us. However, no matter how rare a piece of clothing is, chances are, someone else out there is wearing the exact same thing, even if it’s slightly altered. Choosing to acquire 1-of-1 pieces is a unique way to stand out further from the crowd. 1-of-1 pieces are, in short, items of clothing that are not made more than once, so that there is only one copy of the item. It could be that the brand creating it only wanted to make one to increase its rarity, similar to friends and family version of new sneakers (Yu), or it is a custom piece made by a smaller talent specializing in a unique and/or difficult technique, like TikTok user @jayemade, who creates 1-of-1 NBA clothing items (Leon). The latter is truly what makes 1-of-1 pieces so special for those who have the privilege of adding them to their wardrobe.
As a child and a teen, I treasured every sweater, scarf, and hat that my grandma had knit for me. They had sentimental value, and that alone made me proud to integrate them into my outfits. Everyone has these types of pieces; whether made by a family member or a close friend, we want to think of them when we put these pieces of clothing on. A recent example is a blanket made by my grandmother that I brought to college with me. The blanket is composed of 18 different sections, each partitioned off and woven in a unique color and pattern for each year of my life. An item like this is something that not only added to the way I styled my dorm room, but served as a reminder of the time I had with her growing up.
On a summer trip to Peru, I was able to witness first-hand how impactful these crafting gifts can be. Even among the thousands of stands selling hand-knit, sewn, and woven items, each one was clearly made with thought, heart, and effort that the price of them feels unfairly low. The bracelets I purchased during that vacation, which I would cherish for years, transported me back to my time there every time I put them on. For many, souvenirs from trips are meant to simply serve as a reminder of their time. However, it is imperative that the new owner of a piece understands its cultural significance, and recognizes the work that went into making their piece alone. Every object goes through stages of processing. When a 1-of-1 piece is made specifically, consumers must think about the sacrifices the producer may have made in order to create the piece and seek to appreciate the skill it takes to make what they have. A great way to show this appreciation is to shed light on the person or organization who made the item, giving them opportunities to gain more business.
Some brands, possibly inspired by this mode of clothing, build on the creative bases epitomized in 1-of-1 pieces while making many copies. One instance of this is LA-Based brand Samuel Zelig, which focuses on embroidery in shorts, hoodies, and sweatshirts that add artistic value to their pieces. A piece that exemplifies this is the “Gallery Pant,” which seeks to represent museum galleries through its embroidered patterns of sculptures and ancient topography. The pant is deliberately left unwashed so that it “develop[s] characteristics unique to its owner,” and is embedded with a variety of art that it looks as though “numerous artists customized the pant over time” (Samuel Zelig). Although they aren't the only copy of them being made, these features are intended to make the pants unrepeatable for the customer. Although the price of $425 is steep for a pair of trousers, it only takes one look to understand that their price does not determine their value.
Owning a piece with a purpose makes adding it to your wardrobe and using it to inspire outfits all that more enjoyable. This is especially true when you can understand what went into its creation and the impact of your purchase of it. If uniqueness and having a story behind your pieces are goals you have for your wardrobe, seeking out 1-of-1 pieces is the way to go.
References:
“Gallery Pant.” Samuel Zelig, 31 Jan. 2023, https://samuelzelig.com/products/gallery-pant.
Leon, Justin. “JAYEMADE (@Jayemade).” TikTok, https://www.tiktok.com/@jayemade?lang=en.
Yu, Stephen. “The Farfetch Guide to Sneaker Terms.” FARFETCH, 15 Sept. 2020, https://www.farfetch.com/style-guide/how-to/sneaker-terms-urban-dictionary/#:~:text=Friends%20and%20Family%3A%20A%20sneaker,Jordan%20and%20now%20Kanye%20West.
DEI Reviewed and Edited by: Hailey Yang, Pierson Chu, Trey Prayer, Lily Mihelich, and Lauren Veum
