It’s war! The World We Don’t Want
Can fashion stay relevant during a war next to our door?
It’s war! Yesterday we awoke with a clear feeling of insanity and disgust as the first news we heard in the morning told us that Russia declared war on Ukraine.
From the end of the Cold War to the onset of a real war
The news sent us back to the past. It felt like a flashback to 1985, the year Sting released the song Russians. We were teenagers then, and music was the center of our universe. That song had a profound impact on us. By the way, the world was nearing the end of the Cold War.
Russians lyrics came to our mind evoking sad thoughts:
“In Europe and America, there’s a growing feeling of hysteria
Conditioned to respond to all the threats
In the rhetorical speeches of the Soviets.”
Nothing has changed over time, nor can we say humanity has ever learned anything from past events—most of which were man-made disgraces. In fact, humans keep on repeating the same mistakes over and over again, and perhaps we like it too.
The backdrop of Milano Fashion Week
Against this backdrop of horrible events, we should talk about Milano Fashion Week, and to be honest, it doesn’t come so easy.
The first impression we have is that the language has become cloying. All the wording, from sustainability to diversity, from inclusion to genderless, flooded the industry and flattened the proposals. These empty claims seem to depict a fake universe detached from reality. In the end, brands follow one another without having a real character that makes them unique.
“Balenciagitis” is a kind of contagious phenomenon which has affected many brands, depriving them of their core identity.
The mood so far seemed very 90’s: tank tops, layering, see-through dresses.
However, Putin’s frightening words and actions today resonate with us more than fashion does. So, we turn to Sting’s song once again:
“There’s no such thing as a winnable war
It’s a lie we don’t believe anymore!”
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