Looking back at the moments that defined fashion this year
Looking back at 2022, it seems that this year in fashion went by without any tangible sign of change. Indeed, retracing the events and analysing how brands run their businesses, everyone went happily back to normal.
Fashion advertising
Advertising released catchy stories creating a bubble that depicted a universe disconnected from reality. Over the 80s and 90s, the context promoted superstars, but now that ostentation is pointless and not appealing.
As regards the filed of marketing, forget sustainability, it’s all about greenwashing.
2022 in fashion design
From a design perspective, less but better was supposed to be the guiding principle to help the industry move forward. A clean and more focused fresh restart after the pandemic. But it seems that message has not been taken seriously by fashion brands. Perhaps it was something nice to say during a tiring moment, a way to move with the flow. Indeed, we witnessed a setback during the last fashion shows.
Furthermore, now that celebrations and parties are back, sequins and cheap fabrics are everywhere, again. Just looking at the pictures on social media or advertising on tv, the poor quality of the materials is the first thing you notice.
There’s no escape! The imperative of cheap clothing, accessible products that give the illusion of richness, is still very strong.
Fashion industry in 2022
Likewise, fashion companies have set up no measures to reduce the impact on the environment. Also, considering working conditions, we are far from giving workers decent wages.
From luxury brands to fast fashion, the rules are almost the same. And the difference between one or the other segment is just a matter of spending power. By the way, fashion is in the hands of finance, big groups pursuing perpetual growth. Therefore, overproduction which in turn fosters overconsumption. And, this toxic practice is always at the heart of the fashion business.
The industry is immersed in a consumerist culture exploiting people and the planet without no understanding of the scale of destruction it carries around. And no will to change.
2022, has been another tough year in fashion. In fact, throughout the year, we wrote a lot about the need for a different way of operating the fashion business, but perhaps it was naive to expect it for real.
Nevertheless, we’ll continue working in fashion, focusing on quality, good design and uniqueness—prioritising what truly matters, and always in limited quantities.
#formodernhumans