Designer brands, a plethora of fabrics, palettes of colors, and a range of fits. Clothing.
Really just a bunch of material cobbled together that should have no bearing on the essence of the wearer. Same person, same level of intellect, same character.
So is clothing really just a material-istic pursuit for the vain and self absorbed?
The truth is that clothing represents an opportunity. By wearing the right clothing it gets us into the right frame of mind. Like a soldier's uniform, a businessman's suit, a wedding gown. While there is a certain amount of function that clothing accomplishes such as protection from the elements, or shock absorbing sneakers, there is also the signals that it sends to ourselves and to others, extracting those qualities from our essence and bringing them to the fore.
In Kabbalah, our actions, speech, and even thoughts are compared to garments, because we are at liberty as to which actions we do - and which to stop. Same with speech, we have the capacity to speak kindly, or to hurl insults. And even thought, we can choose to think positively. And when we do, it reveals the positive within us.