“Whimsy” has entered the trend cycle for a while now pushing fads like decorating things with jewels, being a buzz word for large corporations. Things like these are the antithesis of why we built our brand ethos around whimsy.
The word whimsy first originated in the 1500’s and made its overall introduction into pop culture in the victorian era. It was a term used for describing play and eccentric hobbies, very human hobbies that counter heavy industrialization.
This term slowly evolved into a term that would describe stories and fairytales and really anything that would help escape the scary realities of life
With the age of social media, whimsy has been turned from a magical escape.. to a way of selling a product and curating a trending personality online (not to mention increasing consumption). It is something that is inherently anti-trend because it is so personal and something you can only craft yourself.
When systems expect rigid conformity or hyper productivity…subverting that with playfulness is an act of resistance.
Joy for the sake of joy serves no industrial purpose.
Fast fashion and consumerism are capitalizing on whimsy, which begs the question ...can an object truly embody the spirit of slow, deliberate playfulness if it was born from the hyper-exploitative, high-speed assembly lines of modern capitalism? Are these whimsical trends we follow truly for ourselves or for an online performance?
A great example of this is the Victorian designer William Morris who used art to create not only an escape from reality, but created whole universes within his art. He was one of the first to do this, leading the way for people like J.R.R Tolkien and C.S Lewis. He also used this practice as a way to fight the factory system, arguing that separating the artist from the art of creating ruined their humanity. He pushed for an “alternate economy centered on pleasure in labor rather than efficiency. [1]”
Being whimsical is channeling a since of inner self and with that it’s often channeling childlike curiosity in reaction to escaping realities. This is not a concept we should let die because of the trend cycle.
We need whimsy, we need to have our hobbies that create an escape for us, we need to pass around stories, and express ourselves in ways that make us feel human, especially in the rapidly changing technological times we are in right now! Performance is over, and authentic whimsy is back. Let’s not let this concept die because of the way it has been performed to us.
I started building this brand during covid, and began rekindling my love for sewing as an escape with everything going on in the world. It helped me dress myself in a way that felt like an expression and not a performance.
I wanted to create a world where every one no matter how they looked could possibly feel the way I felt when creating these pieces.
I wanted to bring color and prints back and promote dressing in a way that makes you feel happy, while also knowing that each step along the way these clothes were made with love for the earth and other humans!
I use nostalgic names that make people feel connected with a younger version of themselves and reminds them of a time where living was less performance based.
With only using dead-stock fabrics and paying people who actually enjoy sewing (and get paid living wages) our clothes are created with joy all the way through!
We all live in a capitalist society, and to some extent I am also a brand capitalizing off of whimsy. However this has never been a trend to me, it has always been the core ethos of my brand, as opposed to a trend we joined to increase sales.
The name “eternally curious” is almost synonymous to the concept of whimsy. Being forever curious, exploring new possibilities, and using this curiosity as a form of anarchy is true whimsy to me.
I will continue to be whimsical and sell whimsical pieces for as long as this brand shall live because it is not a trend like cottage core or coquette... it is an escape from the looming uncertainty we live in.
In a world that rushes us to move forward to the next trend cycle, or to the next issue, curating whimsy through fashion and wearing fun pieces is a way of helping us all remain present.
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