Rewilding Clothing - While still Working?

Regenerative & Transitional Technology Shelter
#1

For a while I have been wondering, how do I go about with my rewilding while still working, to save for the dream?
Not everywhere is dress as you wish, and even fewer friendly to open toed shoes or soft sole moccasins.
I am not currently completly pleased with my offerings, but here is what I have come up with to date:

  • Hard soled mocs and moccasins, when can find.

  • Tan and brown pants (cotton or natural fabric, or high percentage blend)

  • Natural colored or forest colored tops (greens, browns, plant dye colors).

I would really love everyone’s take on how they deal with things like this, as I bet someone else has great ideas too!

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#2

Just some thoughts… you might already decide to wear clothing made from natural fibers preferably/only, maybe even from local sources. In Europe this might include preferring linen or nettle fabrics over cotton. Similar with wool from local sheep rather than from the other side of the planet.
Or you might like to make your own clothing/accessories instead of buying stuff. To me it seems that in the workplace homemade scarves, hats, bags and other “accessories” usually get more appreciation than other parts of your outfit. Making your own may also include dying the material/fabric with natural local dyes, carving your own buttons, etc.
You might also like to research what people in your region or lineage used to
wear, what patterns they used, and base your designs on that - a good place to start thinking about appropriation, too.

Conversely, when you create or buy what you would love to wear, you might find new places to do so by joining reenactment groups; there you may find both the opportunity to see what works and what doesn’t as well as find lots of knowledge on clothing and related topics and skills.

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#3

Those are awesome ideas. I am from Celtic (British Isles and Continental) and Norse Viking roots, but I also have some German-Jewish, Gypsy-Roma, and possibly Choctaw Roots… I live in the “Blackened Forest” lands of Kentucky once hunted/dwelt in by the Shawnee and Tsalgi (Cherokee), and now dwelt in by descents of Culloden’s Battle’s Scottish survivors and Ireland’s "Potato Famine"s genocide survivors. How one deal with cultural appropriation when one is of such mixed and troubled blood?

From there, where does one go for clothing ideas for such heritage as this?

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#4

What a wonderful question!

Let me just picture you sitting somewhere at a local produce market next Summer, wearing your latest creation, when someone comes up to you and says “Wow, I love your hat/dress/mitts/… - did you make those yourself?”… and then you answering “Oh, yes, thank you, I got inspired to combine clothing from my father’s lineage with patterns from my mother’s, and used this local wool from HereOrThere which I learned to dye with SomePlant in a workshop with SoAndSo last Fall…”.

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#5

This is the necklace I made myself. It is from an old choker of my mothers, a bresstplate choker, and a celtic cross necklase my husband gifted me our first Christmas married (10 years ago), all of which had broken. This is my first attempt at blending, as you spoke of. I am not attempting to be anyone culture but a blending of my heritage. I wear it daily.

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#6

Wow, what a lovely example!
If you told me this, sitting at the local produce market, I might ask you to tell me more about your mother… or maybe what Celtic names you know of in your lineage…

#7

I love that thought, and I would be honored to share a bit of my story here…

My mother adopted me when I was 6 months old, after being rendered childless and unable to ever bare one due to health issues and cancer 3 years before. She grew up on a “borrowed” farm, that belonged to one of her grandfather’s sisters, so their land was never theirs. It was not till 10 years before I joined the family that the 13 acers I knew as my grandparents was part of the family. Her father was a b-17 boomider (a warrior), and her mom a rosey-riviter who went on to be a nurse (a healer)… it was from my grandma my love of healing was passed to me, and she loved learning about herbs with me. My mom worked with children in the religious - Christian world, and home schooled me (a teacher). She knew my father since she was 13 and he was 11, but didnt look at him till college due to him being her brother’s age. He is a a carpenter and concrete worker - head foreman(master woodworker/stoneworker ). She was generous and a bargon shopper (which lead to her hording - in the name of helping others), and encouraged me to find my own path, and study what I love to learn. My journey into rewilding in depth began, when the void was created by her death due to her second battle with cancer. She was 69. The choker was one of her most worn necklaces, and broke the first time I attempted to put it on. Until me, they didnt even know much about their clans beyond mom’s (Mac Giolla Phadriag).

I adopted Fox along with Feathers as my personal symbols,
My husband adopted the Badger and it’s claws as his symbols.
We use the Red-Tailed Hawk as our Family Animal.

As to my Celtic names that I know they are as follows.

  • Welsh -Lancelot ( from the man who was Gwen na Vers cousin and protector) Animal is Horse and Wolf-Hound

  • Irish - MacGiollaPhadriag (ruled in the reigion of Ossory Ireland from the bc’s to 1930s) Animal is Lion and Dragon

  • Galatian - Amyntas of Galatia (the last king of Galatia) - Symbolized by the Oak

  • Scottish - MacNicols (Nickles now) - Animal is Hawk

I also have Viking via Ragnar Lothbrok if the stories are to be believed from that line .

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#8

Thank you for sharing!
Our conversation certainly inspired me to look up some of the resources on my own lineage I have once more. I find that I remember more every time! With this conversation in mind, I’ll likely focus clan symbols, crests and such more than before, now that you have drawn my attention to these topics in such a loving way.

As I PM’ed @ladyfoxfeather, I prefer not to share as much online, though. Looking forward to such a local produce market opportunity to continue this kind of conversation!

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