When scrolling through TikTok, Charlize Miradi’s followers are captivated by her luxuriant outfits. They are decorated with layers of gold, jeweled necklaces, rings, bangles, and dangling earrings paired with bright and colourful prints, thick graphic eyeliner, and hair styled into swirls to frame her face.
Better known as BarbiesClutter, Charlize Miradi is a young, aspiring Persian designer from London with a growing audience of over 80k followers across all social media platforms. Her growing online presence comes from sharing her eclectic outfits, art, and other means of self-expression for more reasons than to entertain, but in hopes of helping her supporters enthusiastically step into their own uniqueness.
Charlize has bought items second-hand for as early as she can remember and as she has grown, so has her knowledge about the detrimental impact the fashion industry has on our planet. Many second-hand stores end up discarding items that are not bought and this motivates her to thrift clothing and other items to work towards reducing the amount of textile waste in landfills, as a study done by United States Environmental Protection Agency states that 85% of textiles are thrown away or burnt.
When asked about facing pressure to only buy second-hand or from ethical and sustainable brands, Miradi replies, “I try to think about the difference I can make as an individual and hope to influence others to do the same. It isn’t about social pressures or trying to follow trends for me, but to remember my values and to look at the bigger picture.”
Her maximalist style opposes the gold standard of minimalism, which is often looked down upon and looked at as overconsumption. Charlize’s opinion is in line with what conscious maximalism promotes by saying, “It’s more about purchasing with the intention of wearing the clothes multiple times for years and not buying unnecessarily.”
Maximalism also encourages finding different ways to use what you already own for a long time and Miradi shares online that she extends the life of her mother’s clothing and jewelry by continuing to wear and add them into her outfits.
Charlize’s fashion style could be compared to cooky grandmother’s living room: heavily textured and decorated, with loud patterns, colourful, and perhaps cluttered. She is often asked by her followers about where she goes to find clothes to build a wardrobe of statement pieces. She replies with, “I mostly shop at car boot sales and visit Shepherd's Bush Market a lot,” both of which are markets selling a variety of trades and goods.
Experimentation is crucial in developing personal style and for Miradi, it is no different. When deciding on what to wear she says, “Pieces you wouldn’t imagine working together, often look a lot better in real life.” Her approach to designing and choosing her everyday outfits is non-meticulous. She unabashedly lets me know by saying, “Even with my sewing and textiles work and all my sketchbooks are very messy, but that is how I work best!”
When designing and creating art, Miradi draws from aspects of her middle eastern culture. She looks at traditional clothing and inspects details and patterns of cultural home decor, such as Persian rugs, for inspiration. The influence of her culture’s draping silhouettes, prints, patterns, coin skirts, and jewelry is clear through the fashion content she shares online. Miradi shares that, “The accessories I wear are extremely important; they strengthen the connection I have with my culture, as well as represent the pride I have about my heritage.”
Sharing her outfits online has caused an increasing amount of support, especially from young women of colour. Being able to interact with her followers, gain their support and appreciation for her style of self-expression, gives Charlize the incentive to continue sharing and implementing her vibrant culture into her online content. By doing so, she creates a space for her supporters, especially young middle eastern girls, to feel seen and represented.
Beauty standards change constantly, but what stays consistent is the catering and upholding of individuals with Eurocentric features and the experience for many people of colour to feel they must abandon and deny their ethnic identifying characteristics to be respected and to fit in.
Charlize, however, says that strengthening a bond towards your cultural identity and embracing it can help your personal growth in identity. “Spend time researching about your heritage, look at family photos, reach out to family members, and find ways to wear cultural clothing to fit your personal style,” she advises as first steps towards leaning into something that many people were taught to run away from. Bringing her culture into her creative space has made her feel one with herself.
Through trial and error, she has found a style heavily inspired by her culture that reflects who she is and has helped her to find a newfound confidence. She says, “I hope to let my younger followers understand that it’s perfectly okay to not look like everyone else and to embrace it.”
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