Sentimental Baddie: The Newness of Heirlooms
About 14 years ago, my family lost almost all of our physical belongings. I won’t get into the details of how or why, but as time went on it became very difficult to trace or remember our past. It’s strange to have nothing that ties you back to your memories and at times it has felt like we had not even existed on this Earth prior to losing everything.
We assign meaning to the things we keep and cherish. They are proof of our existences and remnants of our pasts. For the last fourteen years I’ve wished I could see all of the family photos we had or all the clothes that my mom kept from the 90s that I’d play dress up in. How I wish I could #RewearThat, but what can ya do
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ except begin to cherish anew.
When you think of an heirloom you may picture the most obvious things, like an ornate trinket box, a thin gold necklace, a first edition book, a fancy watch. But really so many of our personal histories can be reflected through items that are unique to us and our lived experiences. Anything can be an heirloom– a photograph, a piece of jewelry, a wedding dress, an old recipe.
Passing things down is an act of love and preservation. The cyclical nature of an heirloom is not only inherently sustainable, keeping and maintaining an item for generations, but it is artful, nostalgic and emotional.
Historically, heirlooms have been regarded as inheritances, the most monetarily valuable item a family had was passed down as a symbol of continuous wealth. As society and definitions evolve heirlooms are not considered inheritances as much as just something that has been passed down through generations.
If we look at heirlooms through the lense of today’s fashion and habits of consumption, we will find that “heirlooming” is a pioneering practice for sustainable fashion and novel design. Heirlooms go against the trend of buying, tossing, and replacing that is prominent in our world today. An heirloom brings fashions of the past to the present. We sustain the belief that fashion, design, and culture can transcend time.
More than often we attach little meaning to our items, but to keep, create and use an heirloom redefines the way that we consume and think about object permanence. Heirloom pieces take sustainability and reuse into the realm of newness and timelessness. Heirlooms are old and new histories all at once; personal history, design history, cultural history.
This summer, some earthly magic brought back some of my family photographs and jewelry. My mom and I had matching necklaces, the one in the photo is still lost, but we have my mothers half now 💖. I'm not too sure about the journey the necklace has been on since I last saw it, but it was somewhere on this Earth a lost heirloom with a lost story.
When they were new, these necklaces represented the relationship between mother and daughter. I think a lot of little Latine kids were gifted gold chains early in life; they’re a symbol of our culture. After being reunited with the necklaces I feel newly connected to a part of my life that for a long time my memories had forgotten.
I’ve layered the necklace with new pieces that I hope to pass down together one day. It’s such a unique piece that, to me, tells a lot about the role of religion and spirituality in Latine upbringing and the value assigned to gold jewelry.
Heirlooms ask us to look beyond the monetary value of an item and muse about the role it has played in your life and the eras you’ve lived through. You don’t have to participate in human reproduction to pass on your existence. Pass down that coat, watch, or recipe to someone you love to keep, repurpose, and reimagine.
Here are a few heirlooms that the Sustainable Baddie staff has shared:
Jazmine’s Fruit Sculpture
This watermelon sculpture that decorates the shelves of our founder and CEO Jazmine’s home originally belonged to her grandma. As a child, Jaz could not help but sink her teeth into the watermelon! She left behind a tiny bite mark at the top of the sculpture. What a sweet reminder of childhood and her grandma’s home. Get it…sweet? 🤭
Zibby’s College Sweatshirt
The sweatshirt donned by staff writer Zibby originally belonged to a friend of their parents in the late 80s, it was passed onto their dad in the 90s, then their mom in the early 2000s, and became Zibby’s in 2019! Their friend Leah Grinnell also wears an heirloom high school sweater that belonged to their grandfather. We love a good vintage sweater!
Celeste’s NYC Crewneck
The crewneck that our editor Celeste is wearing in this picture was given to her by her mother, which she brought home from one of her trips to NYC, pre-9/11. You can see the twin towers printed on the sweater. Growing up, Celeste dreamed of moving to the city (dreams do come true!) and for Christmas one year, her mom gifted her this sweater.
Aparna’s Kaftan
The kaftan that our guest editor Aparna is wearing in the photo is made out of her grandmother’s old sari. The garment was routinely worn by her grandmother, and Aparna’s mother often associates the sari with fond memories of her childhood. Together in a labor of love, Aparna and her mother preserved this beautiful fabric by reworking it into a kaftan that represents their intergenerational bonds. And it’s suitable for the hottest summer days!
What’s the story behind your most treasured heirloom?