The new categorising

A human need or an empty extremization?

The new categorising, or the need to assign labels in which a specific group should fit, is growing hugely. Genderless, sustainable, recycled, upcycled, inclusive – these are some of the labels popular in fashion.
We see pretty, or less pretty, boxes clearly labelled, but they seem so fake.

Categorising: a marketing byproduct

Why are brands obsessed with putting labels on their work? And, in parallel, why do people need labels? To identify themselves? or to be represented?

Jean-Paul Gaultier created the majority of the fashion topics that are trending now. But there was no label to claim during the ’80s and ’90s in the fashion field. Indeed, it was a work of freedom, both from the designer’s viewpoint and those who used to wear his clothes.
Jump to 2022, and the need for labelling exploded. Genderless and sustainable are the most popular ones. Every brand is genderless now! But also, recycled or upcycled are on top.

Obviously, it’s a trend.
Coming from a family of seamstresses, disassembling a pair of trousers to make a skirt, or transforming a shirt into a blouse was a daily matter. Which is the point of upcycling and recycling.
Moreover, in our boutique, we always proposed men’s items for women, as we sold female items to men, but we never felt the need to categorise. Which is the point for genderless, inclusion, diversity.

Even though about five years ago, we started focusing more on genderless or recycled as valuable concepts, now brands overuse them. Indeed they became so mainstream that they are abused. Intentionally misleading, as in the case of sustainability.

We are not happy to be classified. So we wonder, what happened recently?

We think the less we find meaning in brands and their products, the more they need to place labels in order to make stuff easy to market.

The supply is way bigger than the people in the world who can purchase products (who represent the demand). So, to reach the masses, brands lowered the bar. And the more they lower the bar, the less value they offer. Here comes the need for marketing and labelling.

Labelling is an attempt to legitimise and promote an empty system. They legitimise instead of offering what really matters, the content.

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Beyond our control?

Natural threats and human behaviour

Last Wednesday night, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit eastern Japan, the same region devastated by a powerful quake 11 years ago.

And so my friend, who lives in Fukushima prefecture, texted me: “the trauma comes back again.”

In 2011, a tsunami up to about 40 meters high arrived at the coast within 30 minutes, destroying entire cities, and damaging nuclear power plants in Fukushima.

It was the most severe earthquake in recorded history. I was only 11 years old, but still, I vividly remember that day.
So last week, the same tragic pictures just crossed my mind.
I was terrified. I was scared of what I was watching on television. And I wish it was just under the scope of human control.

100% Man-Made

Boyarovskaya released their digital show for Fall/Winter 2022-2023 during the Paris fashion week.

In the end, it says:

“Nature cannot be controlled, but war can.”

Indeed the video was filmed in a town destroyed by a great earthquake.

A natural disaster is a catastrophe, yet we need to live with it. It kills thousands of people indiscriminately. The power of nature is frightening, intimidating, and out of control.

But what about the war?

Leading to actions

Fashion as a means of communication to send a powerful message

The simple words by Boyarovskaya are straightforward enough for the world today. But they leave such a strong message to all of us.

What we are now watching on television is a 100% man-made tragedy. Something we did not want.

With great respect, they chose to include their message in their digital show. It touches us, makes us think, and leads us to actions.

Only 4 minutes. No words spoken, but it tells so much about what we need to do in a very powerful, yet touching way.

Again, “Nature cannot be controlled, but war can.”
This is the word we need to live up with.


#STANDWITHUKRAINE

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A piece written by Kotono Sakai, a Japanese girl studying history and fashion at Cattolica university in Milan and interning for suite123

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The High-Waisted Jeans

The Spring/Summer denim

Today we introduce The High-Waisted Jeans. Another item in light denim, by ZUCCa.

The aesthetic is timeless, and the hand of the material is soft and fresh, so you will love to wear these jeans during the Spring/ Summer season.
Our mantra #formodernhumans is: buy less, buy better. And so, treat your garments with care, and wear them as long as possible. However, some supporters of the sustainable industry would suggest you ask yourself: “will I wear it 30 times?” – before you purchase an item. But perhaps they are spoiled. If you buy a pair of jeans, you wear them for life!

Discover The High-Waisted Jeans

About the design
High rise denim pants made from 6 grams of light, thin denim material. It is a garment with elaborate details such as a tapered silhouette and a self-belt made of the same material.
Front pleats and zip closure. Two side slip pockets and two welt pockets on the back. Slightly cropped shape.

About the material
100% cotton, non-elastic. This product is processed to give it a unique texture. Specifically, this item is indigo dyed. Indigo dyeing has a natural texture, and you can enjoy the particular colour change as the colour fades by washing the garment.

The High-Waisted Jeans by ZUCCa
The High-Waisted Jeans
ZUCCa

About the colour
Bleached blue – to provide a light shade for the Spring/ Summer season. Also, it’s easy to match all the colours.

Laundry
Hand washable, easy-care. You can wash this item by hand at home. Wash separately.

Special care instructions
As the colour will fade, please avoid wearing these trousers with white items, prone to colour transfer. Also, be careful not to wash it with other garments.

These trousers are really versatile, the material is casual, but the design is unique and refined. Indeed they are perfect for multiple occasions. Try them with a t-shirt and a mannish blazer or a white shirt for an elegant image. Or with our coloured cotton sweaters for a more relaxed look.

The High-Waisted Jeans are the perfect piece to start the season in style.

Please, contact us for any further info!

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The challenge of selling sustainability to the youth

Identity or Identical

Discovering Your Own Style
Throughout many generations, there has always been the chapter of one’s young adult life when the opportunity of freedom and finding themselves is made available.
A topic within the discovery of oneself is figuring out your preferred style of clothing. Although this topic has always been apparent, it has flourished more than ever in recent years since more styles from the past have resurfaced and more alternative designs are being discovered.

Today’s youth are born into a society where they have effortless access to every clothing style imaginable. Indeed, they are given more flexibility upon various purchases because of discounted stores, and thanks to fast fashion, shelves are constantly reloaded with new trends.
They rely on mass production and endless options in order to discover the type of person they want to be in society. They use fashion as a method of showing the world who they are. And how they want to be portrayed.

Youth and sustainability – Mixed Messages

A strong message of environmentalism, as well as activism for unjust labour and mass waste in the fashion industry, have been shoved in the faces of many young adults. They are the future. So they should be informed because inevitably, they will have to be the ones to fix it.
But how are young people supposed to comprehend the immense troubles of mass production when that is the tool used for constructing their individuality?

Ethical production, made-to-order business strategies, and high-end thrifting apps seem to be one solution to mass waste. But how are the youth expected to contribute to the solution when they are supporting the problem in order to find themselves?

Sustainably Identical or Identity Through Corruption

Will sustainability among the youth insinuate an ideal of cloning or constricting youth creativity? There have been many new sustainable brands on the rise recently. So access to creativity and options is not the problem. The problem is general access due to price.

A brand is not truly sustainable unless the price is high. Profits go towards ethically paying for all processes of production, distribution, and finding high-quality environmentally friendly materials. Which are expensive. So does that place a cement barrier between the youth and sustainable living?

How do we expect the new generation to contribute to the solution? When rationally, they are one of the biggest components of the problem.

We inform them, we educate them, and we make them aware. Rather than remaining the problem, they can be one of the biggest solutions.
Since Generation Z and Millenials are what makes up one of the biggest factors in overconsumption, waste, and over-production. Convincing them to halt their current mindset would tear down the entire system.

You can’t continue the unhealthy cycle if there is no one left to buy into the lies.

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A piece written by Gavriel Ewart. An American girl studying fashion and communication at Cattolica university in Milan and interning for suite123

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