fashion education

Retail and Sustainability

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How Italian consumers view sustainability


Today, Fashion Network shared a survey released during the second edition of the “Retail & sustainability” event. A meeting arranged by Mind-Milano Innovation District.

This survey scans Italian consumers and their views towards sustainability.

The survey


According to it, Italian consumers are more conscious towards environmental issues. One out of three (32%) is more careful to waste. Also, 30% believe it is crucial to limit pollution sources. Most importantly, 58,6% think companies are important players, together with citizens and government, in order to reach UN 23 goals.

According to the people interviewed, they say there is a mismatch between the active role companies should have and what they are actually doing. Specifically, 57,8% of consumers think that fashion and clothing companies are “little or not at all committed to the issue.”

In other words, Italian consumers say brands are not doing enough for sustainability.

But on the other hand, sustainability doesn’t have a fundamental role in the purchasing decision. Indeed, 65,9% of the interviewees consider multiple factors or not at all these aspects (14,7%).

However, in general, the price of these products or services is deemed higher compared to less sustainable alternatives.

Our viewpoint retail and sustainability

On retail and sustainability we see two problems:
As a matter of fact, brands and retailers are not doing enough. Because it is difficult, it is time-consuming. Most of all, they wouldn’t make money as they did so far. Why should they make this effort? Of course, business and consciousness do not play well in a capitalistic view. But also, consumers still purchase a lot of fast fashion or poor-quality garments.

Why aren’t consumers consistent with their expectations?

As a retailer, apart from our niche customers, the only request we hear is: “how much is it?” Because people do not care about quality. No one cares about “buy less, buy better.” They only want “cheap and buy more!”
Furthermore, social media are complicit in the ongoing diffusion of misleading practices. For instance, many brands with hordes of followers sell shoes for 50€, passing them off as made in Italy! Or cheap clothing with a price tag too low to be sustainable with eco-friendly tags. Do we believe in fairy tales?

So, we really would love to hear from consumers, from you.
As consumers, Italian, European or wherever you come from – what do you expect from retailers? And you, on your side, what are you willing to do for sustainability?

Drop us an email or comment here below!

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How Do We Make Consistent Choices?

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FW23 niche fashion buying


As a niche boutique, how do we make consistent choices? Actions in accordance with our values, ideas, and lifestyle for modern humans. Whether through the thoughts shared here or in conversations with our community, it’s all part of the same approach.

The culture we believe in is not about the perfection of an ideal world. Because it is obvious that we cannot be 100% sustainable, no one can keep that promise. But with our selection, we are doing something radically different. Consistency is crucial for building trust, which is why we must carefully consider every choice we make.

In fact, for a more sustainable approach to fashion buying, our key message is being selective.

Step 1: what is the reason for a fashion brand to exist?


What is the reason for a fashion brand to exist?
Creativity–expressed through good design and through skilled craftsmanship. These are fundamental elements for a fashion brand. However, many “sustainable” brands, beyond choosing eco-friendly materials for their garments, fail to deliver exceptional designs. And without creativity, we don’t need them.
Contemporary brands, on the other hand, must strike the perfect balance between design and sustainability. Today, one cannot exist without the other.

Step 2: how do we select brands?


How do we select brands?
• Avoid juggernauts: Big brands aren’t driving meaningful change. While some may offer refined design, they remain entrenched in overproduction, exploiting both people and the planet. The world cannot sustain this system anymore!
• Reject outdated mindsets: We steer clear of brands that fail to grasp how much the world has changed. Businesses must evolve and adapt to new realities and needs.
• Skip self-proclaimed sustainable labels: There’s no real accountability, just more marketing and less design. The market doesn’t need brands without soul adding to an already overcrowded space.

Our consistent choices: less but better


We learned to search for smaller companies whose designer’s touch and vision are tangible in their unique and meaningful garments. Indeed, they focus on design, and sustainability comes along. They have something to say. Even though it’s not a matter of popularity for us. Moreover, these brands are not mass-produced. Skilled artisans make their garments or accessories, so productions are limited.

How do we make consistent choices?


We operate a careful, accurate, and thoughtful selection searching for value expressed in good design, quality and limited pieces. That’s how fashion can match sustainable standards.

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Fall/Winter 23 Fashion Shows: One Striking Commonality

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Is it still about hundreds of outfits at every fashion show?


Fall/Winter 23 fashion shows moved from New York, London, Milano, and Paris; now waiting for Tokyo. All the brands showed their new collections in different towns. But there is something that connects each brand, one striking commonality: hundreds of new outfits at every fashion show. Every single season, the fashion narrative repeats itself. Undeterred.

Fall/Winter 23 trends


Hyper-feminine or androgynous style. Well-defined silhouettes, knit dresses, and maxi coats. Black & white, mixed with vibrant colours: red, yellow, green. And touches of gold, too. Also, precious embroideries enriched the garments.

Above all, designers tried to imbue a sense of timelessness in their clothes. Which, from a sustainable perspective, makes sense. And a distinctive quality as if they needed to reposition in their higher market segment, sweeping up the confusion that made everything look the same.

So, quality and timelessness. But is it enough to trace a significant shift? It seems brands keep on celebrating the power of their corporation-owned businesses. Are they satisfied? Or can they see the big picture?

Always from that same sustainable perspective, since all maisons have people in charge of sustainable practices, why do brands showcase so many pieces?

Do we still need hundreds of outfits to understand a collection?

Fashion & sustainability


Given the state of our planet, which is full to the brim of garbage, any kind of it, including tons of fashion waste polluting lands and waters, perhaps it was time to make a real change.

Hundreds of new outfits every season would be sustainable as trillions of new electric cars produced to replace the existing ones. A joke! If we follow this reasoning, the logic of green capitalism, we fail.

Other than just making new clothes, modern fashion design should have an evolved purpose: a commitment towards true sustainability. Unsurprisingly, there was no trace of it from the Fall/Winter 23 fashion shows.

In fact, there’s no understanding and no real interest in supporting sustainability.

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What Happened To Plus-Size Models?

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Inclusion and diversity or just marketing


What happened to plus-size models? We asked each other during the Milano Fashion Week 2023. But New York and London, too! They disappeared from the scene. Almost completely gone. Suggesting the recent novelty smelled so much of marketing.

Plus-size representation in fashion


However, our comment was not because we believe it made sense to represent different body shapes in a fashion show. That is for two reasons:
First, a defilè aims to show the dress, highlighting the details. Not the woman who wears it. Indeed, we believe “anonymous” models accomplish this task much better than supermodels because famous ones catch attention, while the dress becomes of secondary importance. Representation of all sizes has to be in the shops, where people must find different options suitable for their body shape. For instance, in our boutique’s selection, plus sizes never had problems finding beautiful clothes.
Second, it’s one thing to teach self-acceptance, we are unique individuals, so we should cherish our differences. But it’s another thing saying to young girls it’s good to be extremely overweight. Because it is not, but for a matter of health, not to fit in a standard, of course.

Plus-size models


So, apart from Dolce & Gabbana among the tops, there were no plus-sizes on the catwalks. Therefore, what can we argue? Was it a genuine interest in inclusion and diversity? Or was the fashion industry in a state of impasse and needed to jump on a popular trend? The smell of marketing seems clear.

Plus-size models were just a gimmick, an advertising stunt to spread the buzz and make people talk about fashion brands. In fact, in most cases, these women were dressed without any sense of style.

Just like us, many comments on the latest fashion shows wondered what happened to plus-size models. The message of inclusion and diversity, which apparently, provided a sense of liberation from cultural standards, was fake. Just marketing.

One of the most glorious fashion bullshit!

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Is Sustainable Fashion Elitist? BOF Asks

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Misunderstanding sustainability or a manipulated behaviour


In a recent post, Business of Fashion raised the question: is sustainable fashion elitist? Earlier, a fashion writer, Derek Guy, tweeted his thoughts about menswear, inviting his audience to “buy less, buy better”, considering quality pieces over fast fashion. Well, we agree! But this post sparked controversy: many said sustainable fashion is elitist because most people cannot afford luxury clothes.

Surely we cannot deny that sustainable materials plus production chains that give proper wages to their workers cannot provide cheap products.

But let’s go through some points:

• cheap clothes and disposable fashion are not sustainable.
They offer an easy-to-connect narrative, but they aren’t sustainable. Not only do they damage the environment, but need an underpaid workforce to thrive.
• luxury doesn’t mean sustainable. Indeed, fast fashion and most “luxury” brands are two faces of the same coin. They both share an overproduction pattern based on people and planet exploitation.
• overdistribted sustainable brands aren’t sustainable. Brands that call themselves sustainable but are distributed everywhere, so mass-produced, aren’t sustainable.

Download “The sustainability basics” here!

Education, not just money


Mindful consumption is one of the building blocks of a modern lifestyle, and it is a matter of education, which not necessarily rich people have. The conversation on sustainability is not about inducing low incomes to stop consumption but helping them develop better habits. On the contrary, high incomes must reduce their purchases drastically because their lifestyle’s impact is much higher.

Sustainability is not just about shopping. It’s a lifestyle choice in respect of nature, and people and workers’ rights. A necessity in the face of climate change.

It is tricky to say what is sustainable and what is not. So, the fashion industry can force brands to stick to specific regulations, making things clear to consumers. But, in the end, each individual must learn and become a conscious consumer. Nothing happens on one side only.

How can we explain this complex situation?


We live in a consumer society where everything revolves around consumption. People overconsume at the expense of other human beings and the planet as if it is the only reason for living. Of course, many cannot afford expensive items. But vintage represents a sustainable and circular option. Also, you can find up-cycled clothes in every price range.

So, is sustainable fashion elitist? And why people prefer to buy fast fashion? A quote by Upton Sinclair gives a perfect insight:

“It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.”

Upton Sinclair

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