Erin - Digital Content Creator

I am 20 years old and studying Modern Languages at the University of Glasgow. I love spending time with loved ones, taking photographs, and creating content through fashion. Since I was 15, I have been so passionate about fashion, culture and styling. Many of my friends often comment ‘it’s so YOU’ when I show them an outfit I have put together – I take this as a compliment, whether it is intended or not! My personal style had always been a little unique, with every outfit serving bright colours as my muse. But as many other women in Scotland I felt that pursuing my fashion work as any more than a hobby was futile. You could only do it if you had 50k followers on Instagram. 2020 was when my creative vision came to life. Like many people this year, I truly felt like 2020 was the ONE. I had recently got my DREAM job in Topshop! Having just returned from Dublin with my boyfriend, our first trip away, 2020 was looking up.

Less than 3 months later – I had my contract terminated. When I tell you I cried, I cried for at least an hour. With the pandemic only accelerating, it was nobody’s fault, but wow was I angry at someone. This amazing job where I was getting PAID to wear my funkiest clothes, and help other people explore their style felt like true content. When this was taken away prematurely, I felt like no one would ever see my clothes again, and immediately became concerned about where my income was going to come from. Fortunately, I live at home, so my thoughts genuinely go out to everybody who has lost a full-time, rent paying job. After feeling sorry for myself and genuinely hopeless for a while I did something I wanted to do before but never had the guts – start an Instagram account to showcase my outfits. This was crazy for me. I don’t seek validation for my fashion, but receiving messages to say they love my style truly makes me happy inside. Being from a small town I wouldn’t think of doing this in 2015, but 2020 @egsgarms does not care, and seeks joy from sharing outfits with people she loves.

The small business, sustainable fashion sector is somewhere I hadn’t previously been involved in until now. I urge people to shop small, and tell people if you love their social media feed or their work, because in a time like this kindness goes SO F A R.

To any woman feeling she is in a rut during lockdown, I have bad days where I don’t move, and others where I spend the whole day doing what I love. Do that thing you’re scared of doing but want to so badly. I guarantee you will feel even a tiny bit better! We will get through this. Give me a wee follow if you’d like! @egsgarms on Instagram. 😊