Fashion & lifestyle

Timeless: A Mindful Buying Approach

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Why it’s crucial and why now


Timeless is a concept that has become quite popular in fashion nowadays. Why? And most of all, why now? Let’s dig deeper into this.

Timeless fashion – just as timeless design in general – refers to classic pieces: items conceived and made to last. But it also includes those pieces that feature such an innovative design that even after many years, they are still ahead of their time, always relevant. Evergreen, indeed. Those pieces end up being copied by other brands who feed themselves on the creativity of more advanced designers. And, if your eyes are a little bit trained, you can see where the inspiration of these items comes from.

Timeless fashion: the only worth investment


Timeless fashion is the only worthy investment. But why has it suddenly gained popularity? Why now?
Now that the system has collapsed, the fashion industry seeks new ways to survive. Timeless is a good strategy because it gives worth back to clothing and its production system. Also, it opens us up to a more thoughtful way of consumption.

Timeless tells you to buy less but better. It is the opposite of disposable clothing, and the opposite of fast fashion.

However, from the very beginning of suite123, about fifteen years ago, we promoted a vision of style that went beyond the rapid consumption of fast fashion. We primarly selected clothes with a distinct stylistic essence—never banal—featuring good design and crafted from beautiful materials. In fact, that is the essence of timelessness: items you can wear forever.

Now we are even more concentrated on this approach. Given the situation we are in, we firmly believe it is a mindful and appropriate choice.

The investment is higher, but it’s the only way to have clothes that last for a long time. A very long time, if you treat them carefully. Timeless fashion is one of the steps we need to take to reduce our impact on the planet.

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The Expiry Date: Fashion Or Mortadella?

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How communication strategies are undermining the fashion industry


Fashion communication – verbal, written and visual – has contributed to undermining the industry. In a world where fast fashion has become synonym of luxury and other similar absurdities, we always feel the need to define what we say. Somehow, we need to restore the meaning in this state of general confusion.

Hysterical mass production has led us to a broken industry incapable of selling the tons of items it produces. In fact, to manage the surplus, products are incinerated, making room for the next manifestation of this insanity.

So, why do niche brands or even high-end designers adopt these practices? Why do they feel compelled to hard-discount merchandise just a few months after its delivery to the stores, devaluing both their products and their brand identity?

“This item is new now, but it’s going to be old in three months or less.” There is no consistency in that.

A devaluing communication


The shallow language to attract consumers focuses not on value but on discounts or influencers:

PRE-SALE! – SALE! – Heavy discounts! – Black Friday! -60% -70%

Who offers less?!

“Today, with the influencers bad taste is everywhere.” – said Mr Valentino to “Il Messaggero”.

Herein lies a significant mistake in the communication and in the messaging of our industry.

When will fashion operators understand we are conceiving, producing, selling and communicating products born out of creativity? The moment we rediscover the value of that process, we’ll acknowledge the mistakes we’ve made.

Treating those products like milk or mortadella, as if they have a fast expiration date, is not a brilliant idea.

We love mortadella, and we also believe it holds more value than the majority of fashion products currently in stores. However, we think the true value of the entire creative process needs to be rediscovered and protected in the making and communication of fashion. It should be seen as something meaningful, timeless, not something to discard as quickly as possible.

What can we do to change?


Brands must produce less, taking extreme care of the entire process.
Heavy discounts should be eliminated, as they are not a healthy, long-term strategy.
People should consume less but better.

Let fast fashion serve its purpose for what is cheap, for people who chose not to see. At the same time, let’s protect and celebrate the timeless value of creativity, quality, and craftsmanship using the right language to support this mission..

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Awareness, Sustainability And Style

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Exploring the interconnection between conscious living, sustainable choices, and timeless style


Awareness, sustainability and style are deeply interconnected.

Creating awareness through style is the way we pursue sustainability and make a change. When you become self-aware, you dress in a specific way and pay attention to what you buy, and how you act. Indeed, through your style, you communicate a message.

Although we mainly refer to fashion, this concept applies to any field that involves design: technology, furniture, lighting, pottery, architecture, art and all aspects of our lifestyle.

You may have seen that sustainable brands are now blooming everywhere, so much that you have the impression of living in a wonderful world. A world of positive change. In fact, the attention to this topic is immense. The sense of caring stands out. But let’s dig deeper into what happens for real.

Awareness through style: understanding sustainability


The majority of sustainable brands launch their new projects simply to match the current marketing demands. Without that magic label, they wouldn’t sell or gain attention. But there’s no regulation governing this matter. And even if some certificates are provided by the suppliers, it’s easy to imagine how that could be exploited.

Anyhow, by selecting only one eco-friendly material, they enter the universe of sustainable brands. For sure, someone will applaud them. In fact, the game is so easy that it’s worth giving it a try.

The result is a brand labelled as sustainable that, to be honest, is anything but sustainable. It’s the umpteenth brand on a market that’s overcrowded, overpopulated, an almost exploding panorama.

And so, by creating awareness through style, we can gain a deeper understanding of sustainability.

Now let’s be clear: the best way for a brand with poor design, no meaningful concept, or added value to be sustainable is simply not to exist. That’s it.

Please, don’t do it. Please, don’t create another brand. We don’t need more brands; we need better ones.

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Where Do We Find Value?

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Redefining worth in a world of overabundance


Where do we find value? In a world full of empty marketing claims, unclear manufacturing regulations and massive greenwashing, if you want to buy a product, it’s very hard to differentiate between what is worthy and what is not.

And so, in this jungle, where do we find value?

Thoughtful design and quality


First, we need to define value: it lies in thoughtful design, high-quality standards achieved through good materials and skilled craftsmanship, together with ethical production practices. Respect for people and the planet form the essence of true, modern worth.

That said, we are perfectly aware it’s complicated to identify it. But here and there in our globalized jungle, we can see some lights.

Value: where do we find it?


We find true value in small artisanal brands that blend a creative approach with skilled craftsmanship and the selection of extra-fine quality materials.

We also find value in up-and-coming or unconventional designers who demonstrate a high dose of creativity and innovation but talk to a limited audience because most people see nothing but famous brands.

A good rule of thumb is that higher worth is often found in less popular brands or products. The most recognised brands are rarely the best.

Those elevated products target a niche that has become smaller and smaller because the mainstream offers cheap products or top brands. In full transparency, the state of many top brands is far from exciting. Advertising has done a good job of creating automatons–consumers who rarely lift their eyes to question or show even a minimal level of curiosity.

Although we cannot imagine a world made of sublime products only, the opposite trend is all too evident. If we analyse the state of culture, we can see that lowering the bar has become the prevailing norm. In fact, culture is not in good shape at all.

On the other hand, some individuals remain different–they never stopped reading or searching for unique things. They still think for themselves. By staying outside the mainstream, perhaps people like us can’t reverse the trend, not in the short run, at least. But we must join forces and raise our voices in support of value, because it’s time to stop celebrating mediocrity.

If we cannot reverse the trend, we can still make a difference.

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Waste, And Why We Waste

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Understanding the impact of overconsumption and the quest for sustainability


“Waste isn’t waste until we waste it.”

Will I Am


This quote deeply resonates with us, not only because of the heightened awareness recent events have brought. But also because we have always been committed to reducing waste as much as possible.
Writing on the backside of printed sheets, avoiding plastic coffee cups, refilling our water bottles, and limiting the quantity of paper used for packaging are just a few of the steps we’ve taken to minimize the waste we produce. Perhaps now, we approach this issue with even more urgency, as the environmental damage we’ve caused is becoming increasingly visible.

The waste culture


But, digging deeper, where does our wastefulness come from? When did we start wasting so much?

Waste is the ignorant byproduct of an over-consumerist society. From the 1950s, little by little, overconsumption has been promoted as an ideal lifestyle, infiltrating our habits and shaping our culture—while completely disregarding the consequences. “Consume like there’s no tomorrow” is the motto. And, if we go on like this, there will be no tomorrow!

The fact that masses can be easily manipulated is quite scary. The fact that offered a sense of comfort, we avoid thinking altogether, is even more troubling.

By the way, along our journey, we’ve come to acknowledge our mistakes. With open eyes, we are committed to changing for the better.

Whether fashion waste or any other kind, consciousness manifets on many levels and layers.
First and foremost, stop wasting food! Then, whenever you grow tired of something, explore other options before throwing it away.

Even in the case of fashion, please don’t throw away clothes you don’t want anymore.


There are ways to reduce fashion waste:

. choose quality, it lasts longer.
. wash in lower temperatures, so clothes will not get damaged.
. repair when possible.
. donate to charity.
. some shops collect items to recycle.
. resell if you want, there are many resell platforms.

We have options available, so how much waste is up to us.

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