fashion education

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Were unskilled designers worth the ride?


There’s a process happening in the fashion industry, a change of direction, which takes brands back to fashion design.
What does it mean? True fashion designers are back in charge of designing fashion brands. Wasn’t their job? Yes, of course, it was. But the fashion industry loves insta-fluff to generate revenue. So, popularity won over skills.

However, after a decade of sportswear, big exposed logos, and poor designs, the wind is finally changing. Specifically, the heart of the matter is that celebrity designers with a pervasive social media presence and a huge following base have oversaturated the market with products. But that doesn’t sell anymore.

The sense of improvisation, lack of skills, clothes taken from thrift shops and assembled by chance, or designs clearly stolen from other designers was really too much. It has contributed to impoverishing the perception of fashion, which has become a game for clowns rather than a matter of culture.

Finally, the vision of a creative director having more knowledge about fluff than expert hands seems over. Perhaps some fashion maisons made a lot of money overflooding the market with pointless stuff, but they destroyed their heritage. Yet, were unskilled designers worth the ride?

For instance, we are curious to see what Sabato De Sarno will do with his much-awaited Gucci show. Indeed, deleting everything from Gucci’s social media account seems to be a good start to cleaning up the image. Also, we are curious to see Phoebe Philo, known for her minimalist and timeless style, launch her namesake brand.

Fashion design: what makes the difference


Though we think contemporary fashion maisons are not so interesting because they are just a game of finance and overproduction, we appreciate the idea of moving from big logos to skilled fashion design.

Exposed logos don’t make the difference but represent a poor idea of style, which sounds more like marketing than actual fashion knowledge. What makes the difference is good design, pattern-making, tailoring, and craftsmanship. That is what adds value and makes garments stand out.

Ultimately, we wonder what credibility those who play these games have. Most importantly, can those who fed their clients with garbage educate their audience to something more refined?

Please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts with us. Comment below or WhatsApp directly from here!

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The London Fashion Scene

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Creativity, business and fashion education


The London fashion scene is undergoing a change. In fact, the news that Sarah Burton exits Alexander McQueen after two decades offers the opportunity for reflection on the field. In the fashion industry, London has always been synonymous with rebellious creativity. We’ve always admired British designers for their openness and innovative style. However, the economic situation impacted corporations, designers and fashion schools, disrupting the fashion scene.

Kering Group owns McQueen, Gucci, Balenciaga, Saint Laurent and Bottega Veneta. The conglomerate needs to revive sales and grow. Yes, they are among those who talk about sustainability and growth at once, which is nonsense. But that’s another story. Yet we think the first question the group should ask is: Can McQueen be a mass brand? Especially after the death of diffusion lines, McQ included?

London, creativity & fashion schools


By the way, London has always been the perfect place for those who want to express themselves in an avant-garde style with a fresh take on fashion. We have been working in the fashion industry for about 27 years now, and we have been inspired by the way designers in London pushed the boundaries of fashion. It’s been truly amazing.
In London, also, you can find some of the top fashion schools. Each one with its unique approach to teaching, these schools have produced some of the most successful and influential designers in the fashion industry.

Over time, from McQueen to Hussein Chalayan, to mention a couple of our favourites, we’ve been selecting some great pieces of clothing for our boutique and our clients. Of course, the scene is much wider. For instance, look at the great work Kervin Marc does.

Now, because of Brexit, costs have gone up, skyrocketing. So did taxes and duty fees. This makes it difficult for young designers and small brands to run their fashion businesses even because exporting to other countries is more complicated.

Ultimately, it is challenging for London to remain the place where rebellious ideas can grow and where new and upcoming designers can give space to their creativity. Furthermore, from the perspective of education, now only very wealthy kids can access London fashion schools.

We might face the beginning of a new phase in the London fashion scene. But if creativity gives in to business interests and fashion design is for rich kids and celebrities searching for an exciting pastime, what should we expect in the future of fashion?

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Small Parts To Preserve the Environment

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Are fashion brands really doing enough?


According to some news, top luxury fashion brands and other popular ones do their small parts to preserve the environment. And, following their reasoning, these “small parts” are enough to make a big difference. But is it true?

Fashion industry & climate change


It is proven that human actions have caused climate change. Also, we know that fashion is a big polluting industry which discards tons of waste everywhere. So, we wonder, what are they trying to say with these pieces of news? How do these messages translate into facts? Are they really making a positive impact?

For instance, in the context of brands doing their small part for a lower-impact fashion industry, a newsletter said that Dior launched a pair of recyclable sneakers. So, they say, the brand is doing its part for climate change. But, for a juggernaut, is this single move enough to preserve our planet?

In today’s world, it’s a common concern whether the sustainability efforts made by corporations are genuine or just a form of greenwashing. Some argue that any small step taken towards sustainability can bring about a positive change. But that could probably work decades ago. At this moment, the situation has gotten so much worse that this news seems ridiculous.

In the face of a climate emergency, forget small steps–we need radical change!

Marketing: the realm of greenwashing


In fact, we agree with those who believe such efforts are simply a PR tactic without any significant systemic change. These news are part of fashion marketing plans, which should be labelled as greenwashing.

Corporations or brands of any size set up their marketing plans and release that kind of information, which has no basis. Magazines, fashion journalists or influencers get paid to share the great news. Hey, it’s business in the end! Who cares if it’s misleading?
The point is that most people take that kind of news for granted. So, whoever shares them is complicit in promoting greenwashing.

Now, please tell us, do you think brands make a big difference by doing their small parts to preserve the environment? Do you really believe it?

Comment here below or WhatsApp directly from here!

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The Sofa Story

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Is circularity feasible in the era of overproduction?


The sofa story is a personal anecdote we share. As a matter of fact, overproduction is devastating our planet. Since a large part of communication is about repair and reuse, we try to understand if circularity is feasible in the era of overproduction.

A couple of months ago we ordered a new sofa. When it was ready to be delivered, we called the seller to inform them we wanted to restore the old one and bring it somewhere else. They said they would take the measurements and let us know the cost.

The sofa: understanding quality


When they came to deliver the new sofa, we noticed some differences. The new one was much lighter. The old one was heavy. While the new one had no structure, the old one had a stable, solid body. Furthermore, the old one had a soft hand 100% cotton cover. For new sofa coverings, you mainly find polyester because cotton would be too expensive, so they say. In fact, the old one was a great quality sofa, which lasted about 25 years. We are doubtful the new one will last so long.

However, having the chance to check the internal structure quality, we confirmed the boy to bring it to their workshop and let us know the repair/restoration cost.

Repairing vs buying a new one


Here comes the fun! When they tried to carry the old sofa downstairs to the ground floor, they realised it was too heavy. So they started disassembling it, but the boy in charge, all of a sudden, destroyed the sofa underneath his feet. “Yes, it was good quality but you better buy another new one. The repair cost would be too high.”

Obviously, he exclaimed that for two reasons:
First, he preferred to avoid the effort of carrying the heavy weight downstairs.
Second, he couldn’t understand, for real, the quality of what he had destroyed.

So, “buy a new one” is the easy solution in a consumerist society. But when sellers tell you there’s no difference in terms of quality from one item to the other, it’s not true.

It’s like you show us an archive Saint Laurent garment or a couture dress from your wardrobe, and we tell you to get rid of that and buy a new item. “You know, it’s cheaper than repairing the old one!”

That is a complete lack of understanding. Indeed, the sofa story represents the contemporary way of handling commerce and fostering a consumerist lifestyle. Also, whatever the category – fashion, furniture, technology, automobile – the trick doesn’t change. Industries do not stop their overproduction patterns, so repairing won’t work on a large scale, which we need in order to reduce our impact on the planet.

In the end, if those who sell products cannot distinguish quality, materials, and finishings, how can they even mention the option of repairing?

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Disappointment With The Fashion Industry

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Out of the crowd & why


Any disappointment with the fashion industry? Can fashion be a source of frustration? For us, it can be. And we would love to hear your viewpoint on this matter.

Fashion mavericks don’t need to wear, read or do what all the others do. We are independent thinkers who are not afraid to challenge the status quo. Fashion, as the research of niche brands and designers, is still the exciting side of our job. Unknown or less popular brands, most of the time, offer creativity and real quality designs like no others. That is what we select for you. Also, we love mixing garments to create unique outfits.

Mainstream fashion: lowering the bar


But fashion, as the mainstream industry wants it to be, so as it is right now, isn’t exciting. In most fashion brands, there’s a total lack of elegance and style. No creativity, no good design, just marketing. Do you agree with us? Also, there’s no consistency towards the hypothetical sustainable claims. Fundamentally, there is no understanding of how serious the climate emergency is. In fact, the fashion industry is not open to evolution, which is now necessary and much talked about but ignored. However bad the situation is, it is only going to get worse.

As we see it, fashion is a language. Specifically, it’s a reflection of who we are. Indeed, it is a lens through which we can analyse society. So, looking through this lens, what kind of society do we see? 
If you go walking in big towns, most clothing shops and new openings are fast fashion brands. And if you scroll through social media, fast fashion brands have saturated the market. While on holiday, we’ve been to different places: the most present brands were fast to ultra-fast fashion. 

That is what people want. And the fashion industry makes what people want. It seems there’s no escape. But this trend of lowering the bar and erasing any sense of quality is frustrating.

Unique style for unique people


For people like us who love reading, don’t like advertising, and don’t even much like social media’s doped content, the disappointment with this fashion industry is quite profound. We’d buy nothing rather than take the most popular pointless stuff. 

The fashion industry holds so much power in manipulating people. On the other hand, people can access information in order to educate themselves but don’t do it. They follow influencers because they cannot make independent decisions. 

However, as fashion mavericks, we won’t stop making choices out of the crowd. That means stop trusting the fashion industry and follow our own path, creating unique styles for unique people.

What are your thoughts on fashion?

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