fashion

Fashion, connection and micro communities

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How a niche fashion selection ties in with change

Fashion, connection and micro communities have something in common. Indeed, given our disaffection with social media, we promote opportunities to connect in smaller groups. That is to discuss fashion and lifestyle in the face of climate change.

Our new approach to fashion:

The starting point is our capsule selection of independent international brands and Japanese fashion. So, we begin picking out meaningful garments featuring a good design imprint and a timeless aesthetic. Clothes you won’t find everywhere.
Specifically, we assemble a fashion capsule selection intentionally limited. Do you know why?
It’s the only way we can offer uniqueness and a sustainable approach. Indeed, brands keep talking about how good they are with their sustainable practices. But, still, overproduction is their business pattern. Therefore, they flood the market with large quantities of clothes. Of course, that model isn’t sustainable at all! However, fashion greenwashing works pretty well.

From climate change to a new vision of fashion

We refuse the status quo. The climate emergency is tangible, and this topic is the heart of our radically different approach to fashion. So we send back to brands their overproduction pattern and try to conduct business our way.

In other words, the climate emergency led us to see fashion with different eyes. Through our capsule selection, we communicate our new attitude towards clothing and life. And we wish to engage with people who are on the same path. Or, at least, curious to know more about what’s going on and, most importantly, how we can reduce our impact on the planet with our daily actions.

Connection and micro communities

But that kind of deeper connection hardly grows on social media. That’s why we favour interaction in smaller communities, whether in person or online. Though we show our selection on the web, we take care of all the buying, styling and blogging processes. We interact personally with anyone who gets in touch with us.

So, fashion, connection and micro communities tie in with the change. Connections are real. And, over time, they get deeper by developing trust and respect. Local or not, the quality of interactions and the garments selected make the difference! Above all, our loyal customers aren’t just customers. They support a different vision of the world.

Get in touch with us directly from here!

About The White Shirt

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Wardrobe staples vs fashion trends

The White Shirt: mannish cut, well-tailored, slightly oversized to oversized, pristine go-with-everything garment. Button-down or ribbon collar, it’s perfect for any occasion. And any weather too!
So, is it a trend, as magazines say, or a wardrobe staple?

The White Shirt

Fashion, we all know it, is one of the most inconsistent fields where people say one thing and, the day after, change their minds. Perhaps this behaviour could work in times of abundance when we could carry on our activities while unconsciously ignoring what we were about to expect in the future. But now that the good times are gone, we need to get serious. These aren’t times for joking.

After the pandemic, a debate on how to rewire fashion to current times opened up an evolved set of possibilities: shift towards a timeless style and privileging conscious fashion. That stated the end of fashion trends.

The white shirt: fashion trend or staple

However, after Milano and Paris Fashion Weeks, fashion magazines refocused on trends. Again, we repeat it: the fashion industry is inconsistent. People talk about one thing just to take it back as soon as the new thing comes.

Among the unmissable trends, magazines list the white shirt. And here, the inconsistency is peaking.
What is a trend? A trend is what’s popular in a specific season and which will die soon. Do you think that’s the case for a white shirt? Does it make sense to put among trends an item that is the quintessential representation of timelessness?

Wardrobe staples #formodernhumans

The White Shirt has some of the most stunning style features:
Genderless: anyone can wear it.
Comfortable: it allows the movement of your body.
Seasonless: it’s perfect throughout the year. Underneath a cardi or jacket in winter, rolled up sleeves in summer.
Also, it’s versatile and adds an elegant and classy touch even to your casual outfits. All these features make it a staple for our wardrobe of meaningful garments. So, it’s timeless: never out of fashion. Not a trend!

We are sorry that fashion experts still intend to make fashion a game of transient clothing. That doesn’t work anymore. And, undeniably, that’s not the case with the white shirt.

WhatsApp directly from here to check out our GoodNeighbors Shirts selection!

Paris Fashion Week 24

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Between power and creativity

What was in the air at Paris Fashion Week 24? Less excessive designs, except for a few ones. In general, more elegance and simplicity. As well as in Milano, collections seemed to be more wearable.

Every season, the fashion Maisons presents high-budget commercial shows competing with the best location. Luxury venues contribute to making it a matter of power more than creativity. For instance, Eiffel’s background at Saint Laurent was impressive. However, we found intriguing the image of a worker-chic woman.

Above all, we applaud the Undercover brand, which really stood out with its essential but very evocative presentation. Its fashion show had the feeling of poetry with suits, sweatshirts, jewellery and chandeliers encapsulated in tulle. Also, the dreamy atmosphere piqued in the finale, with terrific x-ray terrarium dresses, was so mind-blowing, the chills it gave us!

Apart from the overall mood and the idea of style, we cannot understand the choice of switching Sarah Burton with the umpteenth young male designer. Sarah Burton’s collection for McQueen SS24 is absolutely stunning: a maxi red rose printed on a white slip dress or two evening gowns that seem like petals that fluctuate at every step, revealing the shade of colours. Isn’t the Kering group satisfied? Seán McGirr, the new designer, comes from JW Anderson, a move that gives the idea of a more commercial take. Perhaps they believe McQueen must reach a larger audience to grow and make more money, assuming McQueen can be a mass brand.

But what do these groups try to do? Such a move reminds us of the game played with Margiela. Perhaps they made it for a larger audience, but it’s not Margiela anymore. Will this be the path for McQueen, too?

In the end, celebrities and more celebrities. No big risk. The Paris Fashion Week 24 seems to be a matter of power and money more than creativity.

From quantity to quality

When will the paradigm shift from quantity to quality? Or, the question should be, what else do we need to see in order to make this change happen?

People don’t consider shifting towards a conscious lifestyle because they are too ingrained in their old habits. But perhaps, those who are in this position will be forced to readapt somehow quite soon.

Why?
Difficulties in finding raw materials and supply chain shortages are now a reality. Indeed, one of the side effects of the pandemic was the sharp rise in raw material prices. Consequently, final product prices are getting much higher. It is already happening in the construction field, energy, gas. And it’s impacting fashion, too.

Therefore, caring more about what and how we consume will be a necessity.

Pointing feet - inspiring from quantity to quality attitude


Low-impact lifestyle: quality, not quantity!

What can we do?
Each of us has an impact on the environment. Even if corporate giants arm-in-arm with marketing have shaped the world for us, they can’t make it without our active participation. And the role we play is revealed precisely by how and what we consume.

Since we do not like to wait for change to happen, we choose with our minds what kind of world we want to live in, so we act. Also, we hold ourselves accountable for the choices we make.

Why buy less but better quality?
It is a long-term strategy. You will buy garments that last. Things you will wear for a lifetime, not items to discard after a couple of washings. Same for any other item we use in our everyday life.

This radical shift of perspective from quantity to quality is about educating ourselves to find pleasure in how things are made, not in the simple act of buying. Finally, this alternative lifestyle will reduce our impact on the planet.

So, make it a conscious choice now rather than a forced decision when it’s too late.

B-Corp and fashion

It has emerged over the past few days that Chloé became a B-Corp.
Of course, people welcomed the news, applauding. Maybe there were just a few perplexed comments on social media.

B-Corp: What does it mean?
Now they are a Benefit Corporation. So, beyond their for-profit business, they want to maximise their positive impact on society and the environment.

What’s the point of becoming a B-Corp in fashion?
The Chloé’s collection shown in Paris was far away from the past magic. Indeed, all the luxury beauty outlined by the former designer, Natacha Ramsey-Levy, was gone.

The new guidance follows a more American way of working that embeds marketing at the brand’s core. We saw a collection peppered with the latest marketing trends — diversity, eco-friendly and ethical themes. And not that those values are wrong, indeed we share them entirely. But we question the fact that they sound like pure marketing.

Anyhow, it will be nice to witness how they’ll manage the actual overproduction model with an eventual lower production level. And see what happens with prices too.

B-Corp & the purpose of a fashion brand

What seems clear is that brands go from overproduction to the B-Corp losing sight of the real point of the work. What makes it a worthy effort.

The scope of an evolved fashion brand is to make beautiful collections, keeping in mind that the only way to obtain this goal is by respecting people involved in the production chains and the planet. Hence, paying proper wages and reducing pollution as much as possible.

Beautiful collections are the expression of good design and meaningful creative ideas. Therefore, the moment we make a respectful work representing a positive vision, all this beauty of thought must translate into outstanding products.

If the style is bland, meaning is lost. Even though the intentions are noble, assuming they are not only marketing tools, in the Chloé fashion show, there is no substance.

To be purpose-oriented is fine, but please don’t forget you are making fashion.
Keep beauty alive. Don’t kill the dream.

Paris Fashion Week – En plein air!

A couple of messages seem clear from Paris Fashion Week. Apart from the most evident fact that nothing truly has changed. The idea of renovating a system, so discussed during the pandemic, changing its outdated foundations, providing new guiding principles and deeper values — has failed miserably. That’s what fashion ruled by finance does. Forget lesser productions with better quality – this is not for corporations.

Image of Paris during fashion week
Paris

So, what are the takeaways from Paris fashion shows? 

Paris Fashion Week: SS22 trends

Nature’s calling
Sea, trees, woods. This message seemed quite strong. Indeed, many designers have set up their fashion shows immersed in nature. As to celebrate something we all missed for over a year or more. Or a desire to reconnect with our so mistreated vital element.

Clothes have no gender
We saw male models walking the runway in skirts or dresses and females in man’s suits – interchangeable genderless outfits. Not that it’s something new. In fact, Gaultier already did it about 40 years ago. But perhaps, the time is ripe now for a wider audience. 

At this point, garments have lost their traditional gender connotation. An aesthetic that, from a historical viewpoint, has been developed as a reflection of patriarchy.
We understand this is a big topic. Indeed, it requires a deeper analysis, a full exploration. So we will dedicate a whole post later on. However, coming from a Gaultier influence, we always picked out men’s pieces for women or vice versa. If a garment looks good, no matter if it’s men’s or women’s. From now on, we hope there is a free attitude towards how clothing is perceived.

Garments are not stand-alone pieces. They become alive once we wear them. Without our intervention, clothes are empty. It’s us and our personality that completes them. 

The way we represent clothes, the way we portray them is called style. 
It’s an individual posture, the reflection of who we are. 

The Wide-Leg Pants

This week we take the chance to introduce you to another cool piece: The Wide-Leg Pants.
We picked them from Plantation. The attention they put on quality fabrics with a soft hand feel makes them unique.
This trouser is another item that cannot be missed in your wardrobe. Aiming to put together a capsule wardrobe made of quality clothing, items made to last, we pick out only the pieces we really need.

Discover The Wide-Leg Pants

The wide-leg pants, in dark green supima cotton • by Plantation1982
The Wide-Leg Pants
Plantation

Indeed, there is a specific reason for every single garment we select. In this case, fit, comfort, and coolness are the top.

Same as ‘The straight-leg pants’, it’s made of 100% Supima cotton – a soft fabric with an elegant luster like a silk blend. This classic stretch material got renewed: the brushed reverse side makes it comfortable for the Autumn / Winter season.
With its soft stretch and warmth but not too thick hand, you can wear them starting in September when the weather is still warm.

The material is comfortable to wear for its soft texture and shape. The line does not widen too much even if it is wide-leg, and it gives a nice effect of falling.

Coin pockets like jeans add that casual design detail. As it has a glossy feel, it is a piece that plays well with various beautiful styling. From informal to elegant occasions, it will blend well with your garments.

The colour is a calm dark green, with low brightness but high saturation, and it is not too flashy, so it is easy to incorporate as an accent colour.

The composition is: 98% cotton – 2% polyurethane
You can wash this item by hand.

As soon as we receive the pieces we have selected, we check the fit on different body shapes in order to be able to give you the best advice. Yes, it’s because we are obsessed with the perfect fit.

The Wide-leg Pants look good if you are thin, but they suit bigger sizes very well too.

A conversation with Marc Le Bihan

Sunday morning, it was pouring hard when we reached our appointment with Marc Le Bihan – in Tortona district. Even though we made our selection the day before, we wanted to dig deeper into his profound couture universe. In a transitional era, where everything looks unstable and meaningless, his persistent artisanal contribution makes the difference.

Marc Le Bihan is a fashion designer, artist, and craftsman who creates clothes like a second skin. Indeed, his work goes beyond any classification. His conceptual creativity – manifested through impeccable tailoring, is the expression of a cultured and timeless approach to fashion that refuses trends and their transience.
Completely disconnected from commercial fashion constraints, his couture is a rare example of consistency.

Marc Le Bihan: the interview

• What does it mean to be consistent? Keeping up with your vision when the rest of the world goes in a different direction?
Marc Le Bihan: “The other direction is not my world. I do not understand it. To me, it’s a problem of society. I don’t understand the way of being, the lifestyle. That world is not me, and I can’t even think about it.
Usually, I don’t watch TV. Yesterday I watched Italian TV, and I wondered, how is it possible? Women pretend to be free, showing exaggerated lips and boobs. But in that, I only see the reflection of a man’s vision. That is not freedom. It’s the fake image of a woman.”

• The state of fashion now. How do you see it?
Marc Le Bihan: “The problem with fashion is that people only see the lights, the famous people. There is no sensibility to go further. Branded products are not luxury, not anymore. Luxury is rare, and it’s not for all.
To me, it’s not about fashion but more about doing clothes my way. The two roads can cross each other but not as direction to follow.”

• What do you think about social media communication?
Marc Le Bihan: “Famous people promote everything. They get paid to sell, it’s all about money. And not only for fashion. Maybe they promote a food they didn’t even taste. We live in the culture of image, not real life. People don’t live the moment, take pictures. And everything is ego-centered. People have lost the meaning of quality and quality of life.
That is why I follow my path. And so, our communication is not to do any communication. Everything is too confused, there’s too much of it. We don’t have time for social media, we are busy making clothes. However, it’s not about posting a thousand things. Sometimes we post. Enough.”

White series from Marc Le Bihan SS22 collection
Marc Le Bihan SS22

Fashion, culture & sustainability

• It’s a matter of culture and education?
Marc Le Bihan: “Always. The first problem is education, for everything. The idea of accessing, through culture and education, to something higher – is dead. And I am concerned about young kids. Now they are totally immersed in this image game.”

• What do you think about sustainability?
Marc Le Bihan: “Well, I did it 20 years ago! We were recycling and upcycling uniforms and parachutes. Now, I don’t want to be a part of that circle because everybody is doing it. It’s marketing. To me, it’s more about how we consume and live. Of course, I use sustainable materials, but I don’t advertise. To claim it means being part of the system.
My idea is to keep a garment for ten years in the wardrobe, then take it out and still want to wear it because it’s timeless.
Mine is a work in progress. If a shirt is good, it’s good forever.”

A final note about couture

“Couture is sustainable by definition. In fact, there is no overproduction, no minimum orders, and no sales. We produce only on orders, and everything is handmade. Moreover, we don’t find our balance in over profit. If everybody gets well paid, we all can live. Indeed, my staff has been working with me for 25 years. Always the same people, same suppliers. We understand each other. We work like this. Many pieces are made in casa, a la maison, in our atelier.”

He smiled saying those words. Stubbornly showing a path that is a return to the essential, pure artisanal creativity.

Spring/Summer 22

Selection in the digital era

In September and October, the designers show their new collections for the following season. We are now picking out our Spring/Summer 22 selection.

One of the most striking side effects of the pandemic is the acceleration towards the digital world. And when it comes to the research of brands, it can bring some positive outcomes.

Some brands opted for a mixed formula, physical and digital, while many others decided to present their new collections only through digital tools. So, like it or not, that’s the offer.
Obviously, companies in the fashion field lost a lot of money because of the pandemic. Digital is a strategy to recover. Also, they realized how few people they needed to make the workflow internationally. (This loss of jobs is its own problem).

Selection through social media

We are not satisfied with the trend of discovering new brands via Instagram only. First, the communication of many brands is oriented to push the image of a woman we do not want to endorse: plastic face, doughnut lips, tons of make-up. Furthermore, it’s easy to cover up poor quality clothing in an Instagram pic.

Scrolling down, you may see so many infinite offers of clothing that seem like beautiful quality. At first sight, at least. After a deeper analysis, you realize it was just a nice pic. Fast fashion brands know this trick very well.

Selection for Spring/Summer 22

However, a satisfying implication of digital fashion is that material is more accessible compared to the past. In fact, we are receiving many look books and line sheets. So that it’s easier to have an idea of what’s going on in terms of style.
Through accurate presentations and line sheets, you have the chance of knowing more about materials and fitting.

If it is true that nothing will ever change the experience of touching the fabrics, now we have the opportunity to make a selection without travelling the world.
Even though the integration is brilliant, we have to find the perfect balance.

The decline of luxury – Why?

If you want to understand the events that caused the decline of luxury, we suggest you read ‘Deluxe: How luxury lost its luster’ – written by Dana Thomas.

You will discover how fashion from being a family-owned business became a corporate battlefield based on overproduction.

The growth of the new markets – China, Russia, and India. The explosion of counterfeiting goods and labour exploitation.
Then, the rise of fast fashion, internet retailers and the development of a fast-paced globalized system. How luxury products abandoned exclusivity and shifted to the masses. Creating the so-called democratic luxury. Which basically is nonsense. Indeed it shows how far marketing rhetoric can go, playing with words to manipulate people.

The book is a brilliant analysis of the field, investigating the dynamics that led to an auto-implosion.
Also, it allowed us to relive the last 30 years of fashion. We assisted many of those events – not by accepting them but by moving more and more towards niche designers. Finding a kind of refuge in a tiny universe. A thoughtful research in dissonance with the average fashion consumer.

Though we agree with almost everything, we do not align with the devotion to some brands. We are afraid they have lost their luster too, so far – except for Hermes and Cadolle.

It’s indeed extremely difficult to find meaning in luxury Maisons now. They seem like smoke and mirrors set up to sell perfumes, make-up and bags. Abundantly offered to masses that have no perception beyond the logo and the illusion of being considered rich.

If you still love fashion, you go beyond that fake facade and search for designers who dared to undertake an independent path, expressing an authentic creative vision. In this panorama, the ability to select the right clothing – from an aesthetic and ethical viewpoint – changes the game.