Last year, Maria Veitola carried out a major cleaning, sold almost all her clothes and at the same time dealt with her relationship with clothes and memories.
Maria Veitola Pasi Liesimaa
We previously interviewed well-known dresser and avid flea hawker Maria Veitola, 52, about buying second-hand, her must-haves and the most memorable flea finds, such as cork furniture, rubber fish slippers and Prada heels.
He recommends buying used goods to everyone, especially to those who have never tried it. He reminds us that the eye sharpens when browsing a lot of products and going to thrift stores.
Now Veitola talks about her own major closet cleaning, which she carried out the previous year.
– Last year I had an absolutely unrestrained and insane clothing warehouse, from which I sold almost everything. In it, I dealt quite a lot with my relationship with clothes. Also why I had saved such a personal archive. It’s as if “then it’s wonderful”, when I can remember what clothes I wore at book launches, when visiting someone in the Yökylässä program, or even at a child’s name party. I kept the clothes because there was some sentimental memory associated with that garment, he says.
Maria Veitola is known for her arresting, personal and bold style. Rosa Bröijer
– This was starting to feel pretty boring. So I don’t know if anyone was there Feng Shui or what, but it was really good to clear out those old memories with a job. I thought that they are not caught in those clothes now. And if it were, I think that “then I’ll forget”, that’s how human life is, says Veitola.
So what was this letting go process like and what is it like to let go of things?
– It’s quite difficult. I use quite a lot Konmaritus-method asking myself if this still brings me joy, he opens the process.
It also required reflection on one’s own identity. At the same time, Veitola questioned his own consumption.
– Now, when I sold almost all my clothes, I have had to think that “who am I now without this mountain of clothes?” I’ve noticed now that I can get by with quite a bit and I haven’t even felt like buying any clothes. Or have I bought something, but that threshold has risen really, really high. Maybe I don’t want to stuff the room full of frills either.
The big cleaning involved a lot of big emotions, which varied from one side to the other.
– I have a wonderful, good feeling. Of course, it’s also embarrassing that there has been so much of everything.
Veitola recognizes himself as – at least in the past – an emotional shopper.
– I think that when there are so many emotions associated with that purchase, it is the biggest job. That when you reward yourself or comfort yourself. That’s why it’s good to stop a little at the things that say, “What is this really about? Could I reward myself with something else?”
– Now I think that there is no need to reward. I can just be that “good me”, he says openly.
– I have often seen my old treasures on others or in the city. It’s lovely! It’s the most wonderful thing in the world, Veitola enthuses.
– Sometimes you see one of your own old clothes on someone and you’re like, “no damn, why did I sell it? It’s so wonderful”, but then I think that I didn’t wear it myself. That now I can admire it on that person. I never admired it when it was in my closet, but now I can at least admire it on the other one.