fashioncommunication

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, 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 we did, many comments about 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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The luxury inconsistency

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How the fashion system devalues itself

Straight to the point of the luxury inconsistency: top brands stopped representing luxury. When they started the overproduction pattern, triggering the constant need for discounts, they moved in a different direction. And since the diffusion of affordable luxury, a meaningless oxymoron, the fashion industry is doing its best to devalue what little remains of luxury.

Luxury: from exclusivity to mass products

Overproduction and luxury have nothing in common. But the fashion industry promoted this pattern to make more money – in the name of growth and greed.
Some top brands represented the last stronghold of an industry which was transmuting into financial conglomerates. In this new context, fashion went from exclusivity to the masses.

In order to appeal to a wider audience, communication had to develop a different narrative. And it revolves around three points:
1- extremized concepts, just to give something to talk about
2- socialite or fashion bloggers to promote the products
3- frequent markdowns

And so, the industry has lowered standards focusing on branding rather than providing creativity and excellent quality. The byproduct was a crass logo dependency. But, associating a logo with specific lifestyle imagery is different from well-made products. Most importantly, exclusivity and discounts contradict each other!

The luxury short-circuit

Sometimes luxury brands, how they still want to call themselves, release the wrong communication, as in the case of Balenciaga. Consequently, fashion bloggers sell their products for cheap. Can you imagine who paid the full price for those items? They must be happy to see them undersold!

Rising prices: the latest strategy for luxury

Now brands increase prices due to pandemic-related issues and inflation, but that does not mean better quality. They cover their costs. If people accept to pay more, they get mass products in return, not exclusivity.

What masses believe is luxury, it is not. It’s the product of an industry that lost consistency. Without serious critique and questioning, it reveals its short-circuit and inability to change.

Indeed, communication missteps show the luxury inconsistency to everyone. And you don’t even need to be a fashion insider to understand it!

The luxury inconsistency Read More »

Haute couture: the diversity and inclusion debate

Between tradition and modernity, the latest haute couture shows brought about the debate on diversity and inclusion.

Haute couture shows were back with physical events, and the chit-chat was all about stars and starlets attending this or that one. Well, not just being present, but also walking down the catwalk.

Therefore, the lens pointed to celebrities and not to design or style. Perhaps it is a successful strategy in terms of sales but has no significance for us. Instead of making the show more appealing, it makes us lose interest. Though it demonstrates that you can be rich and famous, it doesn’t mean you have style.

Haute couture and modernity

According to Business of Fashion, diversity and inclusion were missed in Paris. Also, “couture codes are out of sync with the times.” “Big hats, corsets, and taffeta represent a snap back to the old days” – so they say. The only house that featured progress was Balenciaga.

Since we find Balenciaga’s vision quite scary and nonsensical, we prefer to leave modernism to the experts’ authority. And not that the world isn’t distressing as it is right now, but because it is so, it makes sense to work for something more positive.

Haute couture: art made by skilled hands

Haute couture is about beauty, top quality and perfection in execution. Art made by skilled hands. Indeed the show that mastered this concept at its best was Valentino on the steps of Piazza di Spagna in Rome. “The beginning” – back to where everything started for the brand.
With his stunning designs and marvellous silhouettes, Pierpaolo Piccioli’s show was an ode to beauty, colours and mastery. Furthermore, his focus on diversity and inclusion is a political message: people coming together for a better future.

We adored the maxi gowns with flat shoes or kitten heels.
However, experimenting with the future while acknowledging the past is where a truly contemporary vision resides.

Haute couture, diversity and inclusion

Of course, diversity and inclusion are valuable elements, but haute couture can not be inclusive.
Though we may sound boring in repeating this concept, haute couture will not be less elitist because they include plus sizes or different races in the show.

Haute couture is elitist by definition. The price makes it not accessible.

The truth is that you buy haute couture only if you can afford it and if you have a lot of money. Really a lot. Not because you feel represented.

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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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The expiry date: fashion or mortadella?

Fashion communication – verbal, written and visual – has contributed to undermining the industry.
In a world where fast fashion became a synonym of luxury and other similar absurdities, we always feel the need to define what we say. Somehow, we need to restore the meaning in a state of general confusion.

Hysteric mass production led us to a broken industry incapable of selling all the tons of items they produce. Indeed, the surplus is burned, making room for the next manifestation of this insanity.

So, why do niche brands or even high-end designers subscribe to these practices? Why do they feel the need to hard-discount merchandise just a few months after its delivery to the stores, devaluing both products and the brand?

“This item is new now, but it’s going to be old in three months or less.” There is no consistency in that.

A devaluing communication

The poor language to attract consumers does not focus on worth but discounts or influencers:

PRE-SALE! – SALE! – Heavy discounts! – Black Friday! -60% -70%
Who offers less?!

“Today, with the influencers bad taste is everywhere.” – said Mr Valentino to “Il Messaggero”.

Herein lies a huge mistake in terms of communication, in the messaging of our industry.

When will fashion operators understand we are conceiving, producing, selling and communicating products born out of creativity. The moment we rediscover the value of that process, we’ll acknowledge the mistakes we made.

To deal with those products like they are milk or mortadella, treating them as products with a fast expiration date is not a brilliant idea.

We love mortadella, and we also believe it has a higher value than the majority of fashion products currently in stores. But, we think the actual value of the whole creative process has to be rediscovered and protected in making and communicating fashion. Like it is something meaningful, timeless, not something to get rid of as soon as possible.

What can we do to change?

Brands have to produce less, taking extreme care of the whole process.
Heavy discounts should disappear. They are not a healthy, long-term strategy.
People should consume less but better.

Let fast fashion do its work for what is cheap, for people who chose not to see. At the same time, let’s protect and celebrate the timeless value of creativity, quality, and craftsmanship. By using proper language to this end.

The expiry date: fashion or mortadella? Read More »