Carrying on our chats to children about their personal style and what makes them feel good in clothes, we talk to enthusiastic ApparelXChange shopper Magnus! He tells us about what’s important to him about trousers, how preloved clothes feel good, and about making things unique to you!
Can you tell us about your favourite clothes?
[Magnus produces a brilliant tie-dyed t-shirt he bought at ApparelXChange!]
I love this t-shirt! It’s so comfortable and I love the cotton fabric. The colours are very bright and neon, and they are in random patterns, which I like a lot. I bought this one already dyed – it really stood out to me at the shop – but you can tie-dye your own clothes too. My mum and dad can help me with that.
That’s such a good idea!
I also love this hoody, which I also bought at AXC. It’s just soft and comfy, and the inside is so warm and fluffy. I wear it everyday that I can. And it’s important that it has a zip. I DO NOT like over-the-head hoodies. They are too tight to get your head through. And if it has a zip you, can still see my tie-dye. So I normally wear my tie-dye t-shirt with this hoody and some skeleton trousers, or joggies. The skeleton trousers are black with bones on them, in joggies shape. I like to mix and match my skeleton trousers into other outfits. I am into different patterns and putting them together.
I like the sound of that :) I know what you mean about getting your head into a hoody too. Are there any other features of clothes that don’t work for you?
I don’t like thick, tight fabrics in trousers, like jeans. I like to wear soft, slip on joggies with an elastic or a tie-up waist. We just had to get rid of some woolly jumpers because I don’t wear them, they’re too tight around my neck. It gives me a stuffy feeling. I want to feel free inside my clothes.
Too right.
In my school uniform, for example, I like the polo shirt a lot, not the shirt with lots of buttons. More comfy, easier to put on. I also don’t like shorts. It’s not the fabric or anything, I just don’t like them! I am a trousers person. I can go up to 60 degrees wearing trousers. They stop me getting a bleeding knee when I’m climbing and rolling. And I don’t need to worry about suncream.
What about shopping for clothes – do you enjoy that?
Well I like shopping for toys! I like little gift shops and charity shops, old-fashioned shops with lots to look at. But for clothes I don’t like rummaging. I like it to be laid out and organised. And I need to be there to have contact with the fabrics, and because there are some clothes I don’t like to wear. It was great to pick out my own choices at the ApparelXChange warehouse. And I like that pre-loved clothes are already comfortable and a bit softer.
Do you like to plan outfits, or do you just decide in the moment.
I don’t plan very much. I like clothes to be easy. So school uniform is quite good. All the bits are there, and it’s nice not to have to decide on something new everyday. I just open my drawers and grab, grab, wear, wear. Off to eat breakfast! The only thing I might plan is for fancy-dress. My best outfit so far is when I was a skeleton bat. I wore the skeleton trousers and then my mum made me some bat wings. She’s very good at sewing. She was chuffed! I was Halloween-y, but comfy in my joggy bottoms.
Perfect. What about when you grow up – do you have any ideas of how you might dress then.
GOTH. I just want to have a black leather jacket, black make up. Spikes. Spiky boots. Be an original goth. I need my hair quite long. I will probably wear some black converse boots and I will put spikes on the toes. I like The Cure and Robert Smith. Love Cats is a great song!
That sounds amazing! You are always thinking of ways to customise your clothes and make them original to you. That’s such a great approach to getting dressed!
Thank you Magnus!