Explorations

On Creative Directors

/ Leave a Comment
Reading Time: 2 minutes

The impact of big egos on fashion: what to expect?


As the fashion industry evolves, reflecting on creative directors and their work seems crucial to understanding its direction. Indeed, the shift from the figure of designers to creative directors brings about some considerations. What should we expect in fashion? Creativity and skills or marketing and big egos?

The work of creative directors


From what we’ve seen so far, creative directors take over a Maison and shape it with their own aesthetic. How do they do it? They can access extensive archives and substantial funds. Corporations produce and flood the market with their products, promoting them across every single media. However, after too much exposure, people get tired. When love ends, sales plummet, and, as a consequence, the creative gets kicked out. Nobody wants to purchase products of the unfortunate brand anymore. Not even off-priced.
While that brand struggles to regain identity and credibility, the creative jumps to the next one, replicating the very same view under a different logo. In this game, brands lose their uniqueness and look all the same. Every reference is NOT a coincidence: Alessandro Michele represents the most striking case. His recent looks for Valentino seemed more like an advertisement for the new Gucci campaign. A hybrid Gvucci or Vucci, as you prefer. However, he is not alone. The havoc John Galliano made on Margiela is another example.

But why don’t these creative directors launch their namesake brands? They avoid it because out of that box, they lose their relevance. Their skills rely on immense archives and huge investments. They excel at styling and marketing, but the creativity of a fashion designer is a different matter. Their ego overpowers.

Conclusion


With perseverance and hard work, designers of the past created a distinctive style, developing a culture around it. The unique idea of fashion they believed in was idiosyncratic, and they worked with determination, committed to spreading that idea.

In fact, the role of the creative director is a marketing necessity for corporations to lure consumers. Unfortunately, the side effect is a flattened fashion industry, where the only focus is profit.

As we witness the rise of creative directors, we need to acknowledge that these figures fail to introduce innovative elements or enrich the discourse within the fashion industry. Instead, they perpetuate a dangerous cycle of overproduction, which they would never attempt to change because they are part of the system. Employees and accomplices.

This, we must take into account.

On Creative Directors Read More »

Update To The Fashion Calendar

/ Leave a Comment
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Fashion week dates for September – October 2024


In a collaborative effort to streamline the workflow, the organizations responsible for New York, London, Milan, and Paris Fashion Weeks have released an update to the fashion calendar. You might wonder why only now. What has changed? 

Having worked in the industry for over 25 years, it was apparent to us that industry leaders operated in isolation. Or we should say, one against the other. Indeed, councils released dates without considering the impact on buyers, showrooms, exhibitors, and everyone in the field who faced the challenge of flying from one city to another on a very tight schedule. The absence of a collaborative approach has always been evident.

What’s new


In a joint statement, the British Fashion Council (BFC), Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI), the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), and the Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM) informed they are collaborating on the 2024/25 fashion week dates 2025 for the four major fashion capitals; New York, London, Milan and Paris. 

In order to avoid overlaps and create synchrony for the fashion calendar, the councils have met to set agreements on the start and end dates of each fashion week. Following ongoing discussions between the organisations, the decision aims to benefit the trade audience travelling between the cities as well as the on-schedule designers. So says the press release.

Fashion weeks serve as global showcases for designers, relying on an international presence to amplify the work of participating brands. The councils collectively aim to prioritise the guest experience and ensure that designers receive maximum exposure to the travelling trade audience.

September 2024 womenswear: the new fashion calendar


The below dates have been agreed upon unanimously by the BFC, CNMI, CFDA and FHCM. 

NEW YORK 
Friday 6th September – Wednesday 11th September 

LONDON 
Thursday 12th September (from 5 pm)– Tuesday 17th September (until 12 pm)

MILAN 
Tuesday 17th September (from 3 pm) – Monday 23rd September

PARIS 
Monday 23rd September – Tuesday 1st October 

Conclusion


Eventually, the time has come for the long-overdue update to the fashion calendar. When one fashion week ends, the next can start. Simple, right? So why did it take so long to reach this point?

The fashion industry is complex, involving various groups, activities, and forces. Of course, a collaborative approach is fundamental to achieving the best possible results for everyone involved. But, to give you a sense of how collaborative fashion industry leaders are, consider that it took a pandemic, months of luxury slowdown, and warehouses packed with unsold stock to push them to work in synchrony. 

In other words, as the fashion industry faces collapse, the councils unite. 

Update To The Fashion Calendar Read More »

Dior in Court Administration & the Case of Luxury Fashion

/ Leave a Comment
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Is luxury fashion sustainable and ethical as they claim?


Dior in court administration highlights the case of luxury fashion, bringing to light a harsh reality. Luxury brands pride themselves on labelling their products and practices as the only sustainable and ethical fashion. But the truth is way far from that high-standard patina. The reality diverges significantly from the beautiful policies displayed on their websites or the public declarations made during panels, events and fashion shows.

Luxury & sustainability: the image of dedication


Let’s take a step back. In 2019, magazines and millennials applauded Maria Grazia Chiuri for explicitly tackling sustainability. “A topic she’s grappled with privately for some time and that’s becoming a growing focus at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the luxury conglomerate that owns Dior,” you can read on WWD.

The same WWD article notes: “The group recently bought a stake in the Stella McCartney brand, known for its green credentials, and appointed photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand, founder of the Good Planet foundation, as an advisory board member. LVMH is set to unveil further environmental initiatives at a press conference in Paris on Wednesday.”

The news: Dior in court administration


Now, back to the present day. According to Reuters, “an Italian subsidiary of French luxury giant LVMH that makes Dior-branded handbags was placed under court administration on Monday, after a probe alleged it had subcontracted work to Chinese-owned firms that mistreated workers.”

Italian police conducted inspections at four small suppliers operating in the Milan area. The staff lived and worked “in hygiene and health conditions that are below the minimum required by an ethical approach.” Additionally, the workers had to sleep in the workplace to ensure “manpower available 24 hours a day.” Moreover, safety devices had been removedfrom the machinery to allow faster operation.

The current investigation into labour exploitation within Italy’s fashion supply chains is shattering the immaculate image brands use to describe themselves. Indeed, it exposes the connection between luxury brands and sweatshop conditions.

Specifically, this is the Milan court’s third decision this year regarding pre-emptive measures. In April, they accused Giorgio Armani Operations of inadequate supplier oversight. 

However, Reuters has seen a copy of the latest decision: the court stated that prosecutors alleged the rule violations were not isolated incidents among fashion companies operating in Italy, but rather a systematic issue driven by the pursuit of higher profits.

“It’s not something sporadic that concerns single production lots, but a generalised and consolidated manufacturing method,” the document said.

No comment from LVMH. Armani stated that it has always implemented controls to “minimize abuses in the supply chain.” Fun, isn’t it? Is a 2/3€ per hour pay a minimisation of abuses?

More data on investigations here:

Behind the Seams: Fashion Industry & Forced Labour

And here:

Workers’ Rights in the Fashion Industry

The case of luxury fashion


In conclusion, let’s repeat this concept once again: fast fashion and luxury fashion are two faces of the same coin. For different budgets, but operate through the same exploitative pattern of overproduction.

Is luxury fashion sustainable and ethical, as they claim? Not at all. It’s a marketing manipulation. Mass-produced garments made in sweatshop conditions are neither sustainable nor ethical. High-end brands sell a dream, an illusion of luxe. And, If quality is an illusion crafted by marketing, so is luxury. What once was known as luxury fashion isn’t really luxury anymore.

Indeed, luxury fashion has nothing to do with true luxury.

The absence of moral fabric within the industry is evident, and consumers demonstrate disregard by ignoring this issue despite the wealth of available information.

The point is: does it still make sense to support these brands?

Dior in Court Administration & the Case of Luxury Fashion Read More »

“We Are Not Only in Danger, We Are the Danger”

/ Leave a Comment
Reading Time: 2 minutes

UN Secretary urges to stop taking fossil fuel advertising


In a speech in New York, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivered a powerful message to the audience, stating,”We are not only in danger, we are the danger.” 

Highlighting new data from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Guterres underscored that the world is facing a “climate crunch time.” According to the data, there is an 80% chance the planet will exceed 1.5°C (2.7°F) in warming above pre-industrial levels in at least one of the next five years. A record already breached during the past 12 months.

Guterres: “We are the danger”


“We are playing Russian roulette with our planet. We need an exit ramp off the highway to climate hell. Like the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs, we’re having an outsized impact. In the case of climate, we are not the dinosaurs – we are the meteor. We are not only in danger – we are the danger” – Guterres warned.

The UN Secretary-General declared fossil fuel companies are “the god-father of climate chaos.” He urged news and tech media to stop taking money from fossil fuel advertising. He emphasised the urgency as the world struggles to limit the “climate crunch time.”

“It is a disgrace that the most vulnerable are being left stranded, struggling desperately to deal with a climate crisis they did nothing to create. We cannot accept a future where the rich are protected in air-conditioned bubbles, while the rest of humanity is lashed by lethal weather in unlivable lands,” he added.

Also, Guterres criticized fossil fuel companies for their minimal investments in cleaner forms of energy. Specifically, he accused them of”distorting the truth, deceiving the public, and sowing doubt” about climate science. He urged governments to ban fossil fuel advertising. And he called on public relations and media companies to cut ties with oil, gas, and coal interests. 

A call to action: choosing the planet over profit


Guterres’ words sound strong but true: “We are not only in danger, we are the danger.” In conclusion, he added, “It’s ‘we, the peoples’ versus the polluters and the profiteers. Together, we can win. But it’s time for leaders to decide whose side they’re on.”

His message underscores the urgency and gravity of the climate crisis. And he calls for collective action and leadership to prioritise the planet over profit. By framing the fight against climate change as a battle between the people and those who perpetuate environmental harm, Guterres challenges leaders and citizens alike to take a stand for a sustainable future.

The time for decisive action is now. And the choice is clear: protect our planet or face the consequences of inaction.

“We Are Not Only in Danger, We Are the Danger” Read More »

The Environmental Economic Principles Illustrated by Fast Fashion

/ Leave a Comment
Reading Time: 4 minutes

Delving into environmental economics related to the most polluting segment of the fashion industry


This post examines how environmental economic principles manifest in the practices and consequences of the fast fashion industry.

Fast fashion is known for its rapid turnover of trendy clothing at very low prices and has been incorporated more and more in our day-to-day clothing. However, behind the illusion of trendy and cheap pieces, this pressure to minimise costs and speed up production leads to a complex range of environmental and economic implications.

Some of the reasons fast fashion is becoming a progressively bigger issue for the environment include its use of toxic and heap textile dyes, polluting waterways as well as the amount of landfill waste generated by the industry. According to Ting and Stagner (2023), the life cycle of clothing has been constantly shorter, starting from the 1980s. This means that we are using and disposing of clothes faster and faster. As this analysis explores, most of the unused or unwanted pieces end up in a landfill or burned, contributing to climate change. Otherwise, research shows that about 450,000 tonnes of clothes exported from the United States become part of a second-hand clothing trade. That impacts low and middle-income countries.

Fast fashion’s environmental economic principles (full analysis)

Fast_Fashion_by_Gabriela_Almeida_Prehus-Download

Inefficiency of resource extraction

This concept relates to the long and complex supply chain of the market. Starting from agriculture and petrochemical production (for synthetic fibre production, such as the famous polyester) to manufacturing, logistics and retail. Each step of the production of the garments has an impact on the environment due to chemical, energy, material and water use.
In fact, research shows that approximately 60% of clothing is made from petroleum and 30% from cotton. Thus having a large impact on the environment. Additionally, many of these chemicals used in the production of textiles are harmful to both the factory workers, the environment as well as the end consumers ( Niinimäki et al., 2020).
Even though consumers are now aware of the environmental and personal impact of those chemicals, why do they keep on buying these products?

Fast-fashion marketing


Marketing becomes an even stronger tool when brainwashing consumers with the famous concept of “Green Washing.”Greenwashing explains the behaviour of firms when engaging in misleading marketing strategies/ information about their environmental performance or the environmental benefits of a product (Delmas & Burbano, 2011).

Pollution as a negative externality


A negative externality is the imposition of a cost by one party (in this example, a fast fashion firm) onto another. The process of manufacturing the clothes involved in producing the fast fashion items generates significant pollution. This includes air pollution when producing textiles, water pollution from dyeing fabrics and waste generation from packaging. Additionally, the growth of textile fibres, manufacturing and clothing assembly tends to take place in countries with cheaper labour, such as China and Bangladesh. According to Ting and Stagner (2023), there has been such an enormous increase in fast fashion during the past 10 years that firms had to increase supply, increasing the risk of slavery-like working conditions in those middle/low-income countries.

Waste generated


One of the pillars of the increase in fast fashion is the rise in consumerism in society. A world with a culture of over-consumption and rapid disposal of goods will consequently have problems with excessive waste in landfills. When it comes to the textile industry, it is challenging to recycle or biodegrade due to the complex nature of synthetic fibres which are the base for most fast fashion garments. The business model of fast fashion is designed to be unsustainable and by definition. It is “a fast-response system that encourages disposability” (Ting & Stagner, 2023).

Conclusion


In conclusion, all consumers share responsibility for this waste crisis that the fast fashion industry has created. The rapid pursuit of economies of scale in this industry leads to the expense of sustainability, as mass production and global supply chains also allow fashion brands to keep their unsustainable business model. This practice leads to several environmental economic principles, such as negative externalities, resource extraction and depletion, waste disposal and labour exploitation.

In order to address this issue, there is a need for a multifaceted approach that considers all factors such as social, economic and environmental. For instance, sustainable alternatives, circular economy models, ethical fashion practices, and consumer awareness campaigns are essential to mitigate the negative effects of fast fashion on the environment and the people.

References


ABC News In-Depth. (2021, August 12). The environmental disaster fuelled by used clothes and fast fashion | Foreign Correspondent. 

Barnosky, A. Matzke, N., … Tomiya, S. (2011). Has the Earth’s sixth mass extinction already arrived? Nature, (471), 51-57.

CBC News. (2023, October 28). Exposing the secrets of sustainable fashion (Marketplace). 

Niinimäki, K., Peters, G., Dahlbo, H. et al. The environmental price of fast fashion. Nat Rev Earth Environ 1, 189–200 (2020).

Kitson, J. C., & Moller, H. (2008). Looking after your ground: Resource management practice by Rakiura Maori Titi Harvesters. Papers and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania, 161-176.

The Economist. (2018, November 30). The true cost of fast fashion. 

Ting, T. Z.-T., & Stagner, J. A. (2023). Fast Fashion – wearing out the planet. International Journal of Environmental Studies, 856–866.

✍️ Credit: Post written by Gabriela Preuhs, a Brazilian scholar pursuing studies in economics and psychology at Massey University in Auckland, New Zealand.

The Environmental Economic Principles Illustrated by Fast Fashion Read More »