The Art of Mindful Living: Mindful Dept. Launch Capsule No. 2
The year is 1996.
The dulcet sounds of Whigfield’s hit single, ‘Saturday Night’, blasts through the headphones of your discman as you grab your backpack and head to the front door, pausing to straighten the portable player when the CD begins to make unhealthy noises. You glance through the beaded curtain, back into your bedroom for one last look at your poster of Hanson. Your obsession with Maculey Culkin had recently been fortified after seeing Richie Rich at the movies, but given the opportunity you’d still pick Taylor Hanson any day of the week. You walk out of the house and into the predictably warm summer morning that was forecast a week ago. It’s the late 90s and life is good.
Actually, it’s 2021 and you are a Millennial In Denial.
While the days of seasonal weather, unreliable music formats and childhood crushes on exploited child stars may be over, the satisfyingly minimal design aesthetic of the 90s doesn’t have to be.
The recent unlikely resurgence of Princess Diana as a style icon alongside the likes of Jerry Seinfeld and Jennifer Anniston, has set in motion a wave of heritage inspired athleisure which is currently enjoying a second golden age.
Amidst the rise of brands trying to recreate that Lady Diana gym look, Mindful Dept. are going one better and bringing back the 90s aesthetic with a message of slower, more mindful living and mental health (there was more of that to go around in the 90s, you see) woven into the fabric of their garments.
Longevity
Mindful Dept’s second capsule collection has landed at Glue Store with not only a strong heritage aesthetic, but also intention. As the fashion industry speeds up and our social media feeds are overrun with new trends, Mindful are honouring the classics; slouchy crew neck jumpers, heavyweight shorts in luxurious fabrications, dad caps, functional active leggings, crops and bike shorts. Capsule 2 focuses on tonal heritage colours such as forest green and deep brown which set off their signature purple tab woven into each piece. This means we get to relive the 90s, this time with a more mature colour palette and style sensibility. Importantly these are styles that stand the test of time. While combining them makes for a look worthy of the decade of boy bands and bleached tips, each piece can stand alone and will remain relevant for decades in their simplicity and durability.
Sustainability
As concern continues to mount about the potential irrevocability of the climate crisis, it’s become imperative that we make healthy consumer choices for our wardrobes. Mindful Dept. is on an ongoing odyssey towards sustainability, starting with t-shirts cut from organic cotton jersey. Organic cotton is grown without the aid of herbicides and pesticides, limiting chemical runoff into the natural environment and maintaining healthy soil, just as nature intended. In utilising sustainable fabrications, Mindful Dept. makes it simple for you to buy good things that you will use for a long time.
Mindfulness
What’s in a name? That which we call a jumper by any other name would smell as sweet. Maybe not “sweater” though. The point is, it’s no coincidence that a major pillar of Mindful Dept. is mindfulness. The brand aims to spread a message of kindness and positivity, and encourage people to practice what they preach. Practise being present and aware, and starting conversations about mental health with those closest to you. Recognising mental wellbeing as akin to physical health is a necessary shift towards achieving overall vitality, and Mindful Dept. are at the forefront of that conversation. Investing in a quality positive slogan t-shirt can serve as a reminder you can wear over your heart.
Mindful Dept. have taken a covetable trend and reassigned true value to products and design. Form and function become one. But you don’t just have to look the part, why not really commit and go back to sporting the brick Nokia. No internet, just vibes and Snake to pass the time. Whether you're looking to go all in on the aesthetic or just looking to shake the snow globe on the 90s, Mindful Dept. has classics that never get old, worthy of a princess or a comedian.