Treasured Items... Daniel Jenkins

Over the course of this series we've had all manner of cherished wardrobe item shared with us. Little surprises us. From Paul Vincent's indispensable tortoiseshell spectacles to Dapper Kid's long outgrown childhood sweater, Steve Sane's emblematic rings to Dal Chodha's treasured charity shop find, the picks, although devise are no less loved by their owners. Here, Daniel Jenkins manages to surprise us by picking an item that he no longer possesses. His first designer purchase might be lost but his tale proves that it is anything but forgotten...

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Daniel Jenkins and the ghost of the Paul Smith T shirt.

"It only took a second to pick my treasured item. I knew already. It is a burnt orange long sleeve Paul Smith t-shirt, with signature on front and in reverse on back, purchased with my beloved Grandmother when in London aged 12. Fantastic. Now sadly lost. Bugger.

I have searched my flat, searched my sisters flat, searched parents house, contemplated phoning the ex and asking her to search anywhere I’ve laid my head. Then laughed. I've realised that losing it was perfect. It’s still my most treasured possession. It’s just not mine anymore. I was inspired by it. It was the first piece of ‘designer’ clothing I ever bought. Wore it to play football, teach myself the guitar parts of Blur albums, chat to girls. I thought I was invincible in it. Last time checked it still fitted me. Suppose, it was an enduring reminder that I’m still the same skinny Welsh boy I always was.

Like everyone else all I truly want is to be happy. Sometimes, the people, items and places that did so no longer exist. Losing a t-shirt doesn’t matter, the fact I enjoyed it and perhaps in some small way it set me on the path I am on now does." Daniel Jenkins

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Italian stylist and journalist Anna Piaggi talked about the animiso of an object. Here, she is not referring to its essence but its afterlife and in particular the afterlife of the previous owner carried within an object. Upon reading Jenkins account it is clear that despite being lost, the t shirt lives on in some capacity within its previous owner. I'd like to think that the t shirt is having a similar influence on its new wearer, wherever it might be.