As a fashion photographer, Liz Sunshine spends more time thinking about the way we dress than most

Based in Naarm/Melbourne, the 37-year-old has photographed Australian fashions at events and street style for more than a decade.

But her shopping advice is simple: “Slow down.”

“I lived my 20s in the decade of fast — fast fashion, fast trends, social media and online shopping — and I now think we are all starting to understand the implications,” she says. 

The artist, documentary fashion and portrait photographer says, “dressing well doesn’t mean buying new clothes”.

“It means understanding who you want to be in the world and how clothes make you feel,” she says.

According to the Australian Fashion Council, more than 200,000 tonnes of clothing is being sent to Australian landfills annually and the government is considering regulating the industry to improve its recycling efforts. 

‘Now I shop less than ever before’ 

Ms Sunshine says she believes in “the power of clothes to change how we see ourselves and our bodies” and clothing’s ability to represent a person and connect us to each other.

“I am also devastated by the social and environmental aspects of fashion,” she says.

Aside from being more sustainable, Ms Sunshine believes that “buying less clothes is potentially the key to building a signature style, having a better relationship with clothes and dressing in a more personally satisfying way”.