What’s a closet tour without heirlooms? Heirlooms aren’t just old clothes or vintage jewellery gathering dust in a drawer. They’re your grandmother’s wedding sari that survived displacement and war, your great-grandmother’s leather jacket that has her smell, or the gold necklace that’s crossed continents to end up around your neck. These pieces hold power because they’re proof that fashion holds stories.
In a world that’s obsessed with newness and constant consumption, heirlooms remind us that some of the most meaningful things transcend trends and time. Fashion can be a bridge between generations, and that sometimes pure legacy is the fashion statement.
We asked women from all over the world to share the heirlooms that shaped them. These are the pieces they treasure and the stories behind them.
Maia Villalba, a Chinese-Cuban Muslim cultural worker based in New York City
“It’s graduation night. Hugged by my mother’s deep red satin qipao, I awaited the moment I would walk across the stage to receive my Bachelor of Arts in Social and Cultural Analysis from New York University. It was important to me to wear something that honoured both my mother and grandmother, and I was in splendid disbelief when the dress fit me like a glove. I felt deeply moved to quite literally embody two milestones—my mother’s wedding and my own graduation—through a single garment. My style, I’ve come to realise, is a story woven from the ancestral threads of my family history.”
Manya Jain, an Indian-Punjabi Founder of Fashionology & Creative Producer based in New York City
“This sari has travelled through time and across the world, from Mumbai to Oregon to New York. My mom first wore it to a wedding around 30 years ago, when she was about my age. After she immigrated to the United States, she had tucked it away for years. Now it’s the first sari I’ve ever worn and brought to my new home in New York City and has become a piece that carries both her journey and mine.”
Dina Abuhilal, a Palestinian commercial manager based in Dubai
“My mother’s fishnet scarf, the one with the tiny crystals that sparkle in every direction, is one of the first reasons I fell in love with dressing up. The day I stole it from her, I didn’t exactly remember how she styled it, I wore it as a headpiece and once as a belt around my waist. But recently, I found a photo of her wearing it on her shoulders with an ethereal black evening gown. She wore it with grace and intention and when I drape it over my shoulders now, I feel a bit of her and her confidence. It reminds me that fashion can be an inheritance, a story passed down, shimmering quietly between generations.”
Mahum Khan, a Pakistani-Canadian photographer living in Calgary, Alberta
“These are bangles my Nani’s (mama’s mama) had made for herself and wore them on the regular. My mama acquired the bangles when my Nani passed and wore them for over a decade. I remember them being a part of her everyday outfits and would rarely ever see her without them. She felt close to her mother perhaps because of these bangles. When I was in high school, I asked my mom if I could have them. Since then, they have been on my right wrist almost everyday. I didn’t know my Nani because I was still a baby when she passed but having her bracelets on my wrist feels like I’m wearing something beyond its cash value. It’s a sentiment to the woman who raised me and the woman who raised her. I value lineage and look forward to passing them on to my own daughter one day.”
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