Explorations

Why Japanese Fashion

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The Point on style & Japanese aesthetic


Making the point on style by examining the international fashion panorama, helps answer the recurring question we often hear: why Japanese fashion?

Why is Japanese fashion design relevant in today’s global fashion landscape?

What is our prerequisite


On an international scale, we look for brands who have something to say, offer good design and a consistent expression of their vision. Also, we keep in mind the shift brought about by the pandemic: a return to the essence. So we curate a capsule selection of meaningful pieces.
“Less but better” means that there’s a reason for every garment we choose. So, every garment we choose serves a purpose.

A glimpse of the international fashion panorama


We are quite perplexed about the designers’ proposals we have seen lately. We noticed that many brands have lowered the bar offering poor quality and meaningless design, also labelled “sustainable,” which makes us laugh. Although some brands show beautiful dreamy lines, these have no context in our lifestyle, at least for now. So, we’ll keep an eye on them for the future.

The Italian situation, specifically, requires a deep analysis.
In short, after the demolition of Italian craftsmanship and after production was dislocated to other countries, Italian fashion is not at its best. Many brands have no soul or remain stagnant, offering no evolution. Many successful brands primarily sell the vision of a ‘sexy woman,’ which feels overly rooted in the status quo. We want to see something beyond the ‘sexy doll’ stereotype.

Why Japanese Fashion - an image of Japanese style by Plantation1982
Plantation1982


What leaves us perplexed is the direction that many international brands, considered the cool ones, are pursuing. If they aim to design a modern style, they repurpose a Japanese aesthetic. And so, the Instagram images are beautiful, but when you analyse the clothing design, the patterns, it’s clear where the inspiration comes from. In the end, there’s a common thread connecting brands from Italy, the U.K., North Europe or US. Despite their significant followings, they all reveal the same specific characteristics that strongly resonate with Japanese fashion design.

By the way, what we find somehow interesting is that those brands sell even to Japanese stores. In other words, the Japanese buy their own aesthetic made by someone else. If a Japanese buyer would illuminate us on this, we would be grateful.

Why Japanese fashion? Embracing original designs


In conclusion, why Japanese fashion?
Nippon offered a wealth of unconventional and advanced fashion design. What we notice as a commonality between Italian and Japanese cultures is the obsessive attention to detail and style. While drawing inspiration from Italian, European or international brands in general is acceptable, we do not expect them to replicate exaclty the same Japanese designs.

So, why Japanese fashion? Instead of opting for international brands with a Japanese aesthetic, we choose the original ones.

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The Wind of Instachange

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Navigating fashion’s social media revolution


The fashion system needs to change. In fact, social media accounts release various content on this topic, amplifying the conversation. New developments emerge, and the news has to be shared with everyone. Perhaps because they believe we haven’t heard this story yet.

The discussion about resetting the fashion industry started during the pandemic, although the system was in bad health a long time before. And the reason why it came out is not that it made sense to shift the approach by reinventing a stale system but because companies lost large amounts of money.
Indeed, money is the engine that drives the world. And apparently, finances are the only force capable of provoking any real shift. Many of those who operate in the system completely ignore the problems. Better avoid the risk of any further loss of capital.

Fashion system and change
Image via Ode to things Tumblr


However, the debate still goes on. Those who are aware of the multiple issues talk profusely and release interviews, podcasts. Top brands like to talk about change, but unfortunately, it is not tangible yet. Not even a hint of change.
Only a few smaller brands follow a different direction.

Real change or Instachange?


So we wonder if all the talks are just catchy content for social media, food for the so-called experts in the field who can show how cool they are by interviewing this or that designer. Yet, we fear that the entire debate will end up like COP26: nothing accomplished.

It is helpful to repeat concepts more than once because we tend to forget words quickly. And so listening again might help us keep the focus. But in the end, we must find solutions. If the fashion system needs to change, actions must follow the words. Otherwise, we’ll have beautiful Instagram graphics showcasing the wind of ‘Instachange,’ but no real progress will be made. So, we won’t solve any issue.

By the way, overproduction is the biggest concern in the fashion field. Any news about if and how are they going to solve it?

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No Black Friday Manifesto

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Towards a healthier lifestyle


No Black Friday Manifesto #formodernhumans
We stand against the ‘shop and toss’ habit, impulsive buying, and overconsumption.
A way of life that harms both people and the planet to the point of no return.
Indeed, these are layers of a toxic profit-oriented society that wants to create fake needs for unsatisfied individuals.
Undoubtedly, this system could not thrive without using tricks to sell the massive overproduction at the heart of its reckless structure.

On the contrary, we choose to educate ourselves on thoughtful consumption and a healthier lifestyle.

Quality and ‘less but better’ represent the guiding values. In fact, modern humans are conscious consumers.

We respect people, and we understand the worth of their work.
We appreciate the products we select.
We value quality, and we value our customers.

In other words, we believe in valuing what truly matters, not succumbing to mindless consumerism. Don’t buy pointless shit. Say no to Black Friday!

No Black Friday Manifesto


And once you are aware of how things are, let’s spread this consciousness together.

Once you become aware of how things truly are, it’s time to take action. Let’s spread this awareness together, creating a ripple effect that can inspire change and encourage others to make more mindful choices.

Please, share the No Black Friday Manifesto and help amplify the message! Together, we can challenge the culture of overconsumption and promote a more mindful, respectful way of living.

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Stop and Think

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Standing firm against the consumerist frenzy: a call for conscious choices


Stop your devices and think! We will not take part in the Black Friday madness. We said it in 2020, and we repeat it now; in 2021.

We are not aligned with the hyper-consumerist vision promoted by this marketing trick.

First, Black Friday fosters the ‘shop & toss’ consumption habit we are trying to challenge. It is a hard fight, but we persist.
How many times have we heard friends say: “This dress is cheap, I’ll wear it once and throw it away!” Just imagine the exponential growth of the effect of this short-sighted behaviour during the Black week. Scary! And what’s more horrible is that those kind of people are not open to reconsidering the way they consume. They barely see it.
Manipulated by advertising, people buy things they don’t even need. And those products, clothing included, end up quickly in the garbage. Surely, as we do, you still have in your head the images of the landfill in the Chile desert, a nightmare getting bigger and bigger. But perhaps people will only stop once garbage knocks directly on their doors.

Stop: who benefits from Black Friday?


Black Friday is just another opportunity to support corporations. They are the only ones who can afford the cost of it. If they applied reasonable mark-ups, there wouldn’t be the need for people to wait for special offers in order to purchase a product.
For independent retailers, those excessive offers aren’t viable unless they use the same corporations’ tricks.

Impulsive buying – overconsumption and rapid discarding. Never-ending needs for unsatisfied people. Black Friday is convenient for corporations, not for people.

Instead, we encourage intentional buying as a conscious lifestyle alternative. Buy things when you need them – or when you find something meaningful. Having fewer things but better quality is a choice that brings value to our life.

During Black Friday, stop your devices and think!

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The Price of Quality

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The true value behind timeless craftsmanship and thoughtful pricing


The price of quality is an indicator that has fundamentally lost its sense. Quality is an asset that every brand wants to sell, but no one really understands its true meaning. There is a conflict between the marketed or perceived quality and its effective worth.

At the Uffizi in Florence, during a preview of Confindustria’s Future for Fashion, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dior designer, said:

“Democratic luxury does not exist.”

“In Italy, we have to get the idea of democratic fashion out of our heads. If a garment is well made, why does it have to be democratic? Quality at a low price does not exist. If the price is low, it is because behind it, there is someone who has not been paid well.”

We agree with this statement – democratic luxury is nonsense. In fact, a product made respecting specific quality standards comes with a price. But what luxury brands call quality is questionable, and it’s not what it was in the past.

Quality & luxury brands


Undoubtedly, much of the confusion stems from various factors. Over time, the average quality of high-end products has significantly decreased. Driven by greed, luxury conglomerates shifted production to lower-cost sites, abandoning exclusivity in favor of the mass market. Quality has become inversely proportional to corporate greed.
In order to be able to have a attractive wholesale price while keeping profit safe, the quality of materials and craftsmanship are the first to be compromised.

In the second place, economic and cultural changes have induced consumers to believe that a cheap price tag corresponds to quality items and well-paid labourers. While the need for affordable clothes is understandable, it is obvious that low prices don’t correspond to quality materials and fair living wages.

Luxury brands contributed to devaluing the fashion system with poor productions, obsessive mass distributions and a wild discounting policy. Yet, they still want to be part of an Olympus disconnected from the masses.

Olympus is not democratic. So, to be credible again, luxury brands have to reverse the route, reducing the large quantities they produce. And stop heavy discounting.

This is a logical necessity for the return of true luxury.
Will it happen for real?

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