Must-haves.

Must-haves (2011)
A series created as part of the Self-Led brief in the third year of BA (Hons) Photography at the University of Portsmouth. The project attempts to address the problems surrounding the acceptance of fashion consumerism and the absurd logic that is often used to justify purchases. These items of clothing go unworn at the back of wardrobes or at the bottom of draws.
Ruth Johnston; www.ruthjohnstonphotography.com
+44 (0) 7795465749
Flickr set

"It was in the sale and compared to the original price, it was a bargain. The hood broke quite soon after I bought it and I have been meaning to sew it back together, but I just haven't. It is so warm though and I can quite easily fix it so it's not really worth getting rid of it."

"These have been too big for me for a while and I don't ever wear them, but what if the chance to do some painting comes up?"

"My mum brought this back for me from Hong Kong. There is just something about it that I really hate. She never lets me get rid of anything though."

"I don't think you could just wear this. It's quite classy and feels like the kind of outfit that you need to wear to an event, to make an entrance. Unfortunately, I don't have anything special events to attend at the moment."

"This thing! I was doing some internet shopping and this jumpsuit was delivered by mistake. It was refunded and I was told to return it, but I didn't. I know that I am never going to wear it so I thought I could sell it, but I probably won't ever do that either."

"I dreamt about this dress for such a long time. My boyfriend bought it for me for our first anniversary. I love it, but I got paint on it. No one will notice it but I can't bring myself to wear it, because of what it means, I can't throw it away but I'm pretty sure I'm not going to do anything else with it."

© Ruth Johnston 2011.