Clothing is so much more than what we wear: it’s a signifier of our values, tastes and histories— whether it’s as obvious as merchandise from a beloved musician or as subtle as a great-relative’s necklace passed down through generations with sentimental value.

There too are stories beyond the wearer. Each garment speaks to the millions of people who create the pieces hung in our closets, from the farmers cultivating cotton and rubber to the garment workers sewing pieces together, to the designers creating wearable art, to the dock workers getting boxes to warehouses, to the delivery drivers getting them to our stores and front doors, to the people who take in massive amounts of clothing waste that overwhelm markets and ecosystems, fashion is a system of people, all with stories that are necessary to tell.

When you consider the impact of fashion on the planet and on the lives of all of us — the estimated 100 billion pieces produced every year, and millions of tons thrown away — prioritizing the various lives that a garment lives is more important to understanding it’s value than ever.

For us at Teen Vogue, the story of fashion is holistic. Whether it’s personal, featuring someone’s distinct style, spotlighting the story of an emerging designer, or highlighting the person who has a hand in making it, every story style tells is important.