The Price of Quality

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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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The Recycled Felt Tote

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Italian PET-recycled felt, Japanese design


Just arrived! The recycled felt tote is the perfect carry-all bag for your fall/winter season. Indeed, its features embody what we expect now from evolved designers.

Made in Japan by Plantation1982, this stylish accessory is crafted from recycled PET bottles.

Although made with oil, natural gas and raw materials, PET is 100% recyclable. Ok, the starting point is oil, and it would be better to find other materials. But at least, the flip side is reasonable.

To be clear, we must reduce the enormous amount of waste we produce daily. To this end, it is crucial to stop using disposable goods, plastic most of all. And limiting the number of plastic bottles we use by refilling our water bottles is one of the actions we can take immediately.

Discover The Recycled Felt Tote

The Recycled Felt Tote by Plantation1982
The Recycled Felt Tote – Plantation1982

Anyhow, planning multiple solutions make the strategies viable. If we think about the tons of plastic bottles we use all over the world daily, the idea of giving them a new life sounds interesting. Whether it means going back to their original shape or finding new forms, that’s a valuable chance.

Since waste does not disappear, recycling materials is a meaningful way to reduce our impact on the planet.

Further notes about the material:
It’s a thick felt. Specifically, an Italian felted fabric made from recycled plastic bottles. Sturdy but flexible and eco-friendly. The warm touch texture is comfortable for the winter season.

About the design:
Simple but functional. Open top. One front external pocket and one inside. Two top handles, you can carry it by hand or over your shoulder. It is a convenient bag because it is large enough for everyday use. Moreover, it is very lightweight.

The size: H31 W24 D20
Big enough to carry an A4 size file.

The colour:
A shiny green. Inspired by nature, it will brighten up your fall/ winter outfits.

This bag has high-quality finishing materials that are durable, supple and environmentally friendly.
Cool design #formodernhumans

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Smells Like Marketing

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When marketing overshadows creativity: the homogenisation of fashion


Fashion smells like marketing. Not creativity – marketing.
It’s embedded into the product, making everything look the same. Brands drowning in a cloying, flat language.

It would be interesting to understand why designers do everything except what they are supposed to do: create beautiful clothes. There must be a reason for it.

After the fashion weeks, the Gucci Love Parade in Hollywood was yet another weird event, representing the many futile proclamations navigating the sea of marketing.

Some designers (Stella McCarthney) want to ban leather; if not that they’ve always used synthetic materials to make their accessories – which is even worse. Some others (Chloé) became a B-Corp but lost the beauty of their collections. Others tell us to buy vintage instead of new clothes. Maybe those proposals have to do with a sustainable lifestyle, blindly giving the benefit of the doubt. But, leave good design aside.

Designers forget the purpose of their role. Instead of doing their job – creating beautiful clothes – they suggest alternative lifestyle strategies.

Marketing and the purpose of a fashion brand


If you are a designer, you should have a vision and express it through your creativity. That is an opportunity to trace new pathways, inspiring others. But the issue is that clothes have no point anymore. The design is not the focus of a collection, the chit-chat that surrounds them is.

Well, designers, the viable idea is to make much smaller collections. Reduce – a lot – the number of pieces and create a timeless aesthetic.

But please, put your creativity to work and make curated creations that reflect your visions. We appreciate your lifestyle suggestions, but creativity is what we expect from you. All the other proposals have to come along with it. Otherwise, it seems like you have no ideas except marketing claims.

Wittgenstein said that “ethics and aesthetics are one.”

In the latest fashion proposals, apart from the questionable aesthetics, the so-called ethics smells like marketing. Nothing more than empty claims.

You can hire marketing gurus, but new ideas and creative designs are hard to find!

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The Island In The Desert

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Have you ever wondered where our textile waste ends up?


Talking about the cost of fast fashion and the madness of disposable items can be upsetting and frustrating. No one wants to listen.

We could define it as a hidden cost, assuming people do not see it directly. Except that there’s nothing hidden anymore. And so, we call it the true cost because it happens before our eyes. Although, people refuse to see it intentionally.

To illustrate the abnormity, perhaps a visual image helps awaken the conscience more than words.

Atacama desert in Chile - fast fashion leftovers
Atacama desert in Chile – fast fashion leftovers

Here, in front of your eyes, is the Atacama desert in Chile, the driest desert in the world. And that is an island of discarded clothing, including Christmas sweaters and ski boots, piling up in the desert. Horribly revealing the cost of fast fashion.

Chile is a hub for secondhand and unsold clothing coming from all over the world. USA, Europe and Asia. Approximately 59,000 tons of garments arrive there every year. Clothing merchants buy part of it, but the majority, about 39,000 tons, end up in rubbish dumps in the desert.

That happens because those garments contain chemicals and are not biodegradable, therefore not accepted in the municipal landfill.

The cost of fast fashion


We wonder what’s going to happen over time. Do you still feel ok with fast fashion and disposable goods?

On Monday, we posted about the need to shift our consumption habits. After reading this, the sense of urgency becomes imperative. It doesn’t need any further explanation.

Educating ourselves towards thoughtful consumption habits is fundamental. If brands don’t produce items made to last, we don’t buy from them!
Stop overconsumption. Stop purchasing disposable items. That is how we bring our contribution.

We know that expecting a change from brands is an illusion, yet it’s just a way to exclude ourselves from the game. If we pretend we do not play an active role, we hide our responsibilities.

On the contrary, we have to educate ourselves in order to become conscious and make intentional choices.

Break the loop. Take action now!

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