There’s always been a quiet pressure to fit into one standard and follow the trend. It’s so pervasive, in fact, that choices from our own wardrobes, our own purchases, are no exception.
Slough, however, has never existed to fit inside neat boxes. Whether it be through our cultures, languages, or especially our fashion, it’s all a wonderful mix of styles!
For too long, people have been held back, fearing scepticism, judgement and stereotypes. But what’s so wrong about entering work in Salwar Kameez? Or enjoying dinner with your family at a local restaurant, clad in a Dashiki? By choosing not to wear such items of clothing, it implies there’s something to be ashamed of. And now, in a time more than ever, we should show everyone, but especially our youth, to be loud and proud of who they are and where they come from.
Step outside now, take a walk down the street, and you’ll see a town dressed in layers of culture and history, fusing with modern flair. Across markets, places of worship, slowly creeping into institutions like work and school, we are helping to normalise this beautiful blend of heritage and contemporary. One where anyone can participate and can continue to for centuries to come!
There’s something empowering about accepting culture into your everyday norm. Pairing a traditional folk dress with a jacket. Wearing a head wrap with jeans. Even sporting an Abaya with trainers! The options are limitless. And it’s an easy way to stand out in your otherwise casual clothing, to exist even more comfortably, enshrouded in belonging.
It’s a reminder that culture isn’t something you just inherit and, therefore, only show it off on occasions like Diwali, Eid or Christmas. Clothing can become more than just a fabric when you wear it consciously to feel empowered. It can even spiral into a domino effect unwittingly, a quiet revolution, with others following suit and sharing in that spirit. What was once seen as ‘different,’ is now embraced as beautiful and perfectly unique.
And we can get even more creative! Personalise your bag with henna designs. Hand-stitch meaningful embroidery onto the sleeves of a shirt. Wear bold colours. It’s this courage, wearing one’s identity even in the smallest ways, that deserves celebration.
In a world that often asks people to choose one identity over another, Slough hits back: you can be both!
You can be global and local.
Modern and traditional.
Fashionable and cultural.
You can be whatever you want to be when you are confident in who you are.
Because in Slough, culture doesn’t just survive, it thrives.
