fashionsystem

The growth obsession

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Can fashion survive without growth?

While reading the international news, it seems the growth obsession is here to stay despite climate change. Industries don’t see any problem or urgency. So, why should they make a change? They don’t really care because money comes first.

Sustainability and growth obsession

On December 22, Vanessa Friedman, The New York Times fashion director and chief fashion critic, moderated a task force of fashion industry leaders.

Sustainability is the goal of the fashion industry. But, according to the industry leaders, sustainability wouldn’t happen without changes to the business model and more efforts to educate consumers.

Ms Friedman said:

“At this point, it’s not about the chemicals. It’s about the sheer amount of stuff that we produce, that we buy and that we waste.”

Vanessa Friedman

But then Laurent Claquin, Americas president of the luxury group Kering, declared: “Growth is not a bad word.”
Well, this leaves us a little bit perplexed…

Although the conclusion was that the fashion industry needs to stop focusing on exponential growth, some contradictory positions emerged.

So, where is the fashion system heading? And can fashion survive without growth?

China, Covid and growth

In an interview with “Il sole 24 ore”, Alberto Forchielli, entrepreneur and expert in international business with a focus on Asia, said:

“In China, the Covid situation is truly explosive. Some factories have 80-90% sick employees. Experts estimate 250 million cases and two million deaths within the year.
Now everything is blocked and obviously, it will have consequences for the economy. Factories can’t keep up with orders, and containers don’t leave. But this situation will not last long.
Forecasts say that growth will return in the third quarter. And when China restarts, it won’t be easy for the West: gas and oil will rise again next winter because Chinese energy demand will explode.”

Growth obsessed industries vs climate change

On the one hand, the actual situation in China is a catastrophe facing many deaths. Yet, on the other, the imperative is growth. Growth, growth and more growth!

The big picture is this: extreme heat, rainforest burning, glaciers melting, flooding, ocean life dying, and insect numbers plummeting. And we could go on with the list!
Our lifestyle is destroying the planet and the ecosystems. And this destruction will soon revert to us.

Is growth still the only plan we have?

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Less is more

What the fashion industry refuses to see

Less is more – is not about deprivation but value, a more attentive choice. A concept that, together with buy less, buy better – brings about a new awakened attitude focused on meaning. And so, an evolved lifestyle that privileges quality rather than quantity.

For people like us, who lived the pandemic as an eye-opening event and an opportunity to change because we had the chance to realise what we did to the planet, going back is not a possibility.

A lost opportunity

People attracted to the spotlights, influencers and celebrities did not have a crumb of this thought during this fashion month.
But we did, you and us. Indeed we are disappointed by the latest fashion shows and the massive number of outfits made for the new Spring/Summer 23 season. And we are disappointed because the industry missed the opportunity to mark a real change.

Less is more is a shift that the fashion industry cannot face up for a matter of mere interest. Fashion is in the hands of finance, and finance is all about money.
Since we try to find better ways to inhabit the planet, therefore, how we live and consume, we question what we see. And we challenge the fashion system.

A less passive fruition of fashion

There are people bored by endless online catalogues or stores packed with items. It’s a niche driven by less passive fruition of fashion and product consumption in general.

If you are part of this niche, you refuse endless overconsumption as a lifestyle pattern. And you shift towards caring behaviour, so you want a thoughtful selection, fewer pieces made to last.

Less is more: evolved fashion #formodernhumans

Less is more creates space for new possibilities, a new approach that touches on our ethical, economic, and social views placing people and the planet first.
It’s a different way of living, a higher purpose. Something that we share and can drive change. Which, in the end, is something bigger than ourselves.

The fashion industry cannot grasp this opportunity, but we can.

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Chronicles from the Middle Ages

Women against women

“An entrepreneur cannot afford not to see a woman show up for two years, that’s why I often bet on men.”
Sometimes women can have a tremendously negative impact on women’s emancipation. You can see this by listening to Elisabetta Franchi, whose words sounded like chronicles from the Middle-Ages.

This is what Elisabetta Franchi said in an interview with “Il Foglio”:

“When you put a woman in an important position, you cannot afford not to see her coming for two years because that position is uncovered. An entrepreneur invests time, energy, and money and if a woman cannot show up it’s a problem, so I too, as an entrepreneur, am responsible for my company, have often focused on men.”

“I only hire over forty women who already have children.”

Daily life in Middle Ages

This is not men’s opposition to women’s emancipation. This is women against women.
For what is our vision of fashion, Elisabetta Franchi has never been under our radar. Style speaks, and her fashion perfectly represents her worldview, which is explained above. A tacky style for women who dress to impress men. That’s what society and tradition want, so let’s give it to them. And so, we witness the same old patriarchal rhetoric depicted through clothing. A regressive representation of the female who has no career opportunities but can count on attracting men.

Something we would never offer to our women. But what we find sad is that most women like that style.

A while ago, we promised to write an exploration of fashion and patriarchy. Indeed, the only fashion that men can appreciate is the one that pleases them. Consequently, that is the most popular style among women, and therefore, that is the best-selling fashion.

Now pair Franchi’s retrograde words with the recent news that three girls couldn’t enter a bar on the beach near Ostia because their clothes weren’t sexy enough. So what do we see? The disturbing picture of a society where there’s no chance for women. No evolution.

And we just needed a woman to remind us about it! Chronicles from the Middle-Ages, that’s it!

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The coherence gap

Sustainability vs fast-fashion growth

Our society has a problem with consistency. Indeed one point seems quite clear: what people say is not consistent with what they do. It’s like coherence is a fault, or it’s not necessary. So you are allowed to say something and then do the opposite without being held accountable.

Consistency and sustainability

Magazines these days released the news that Shein, the fast-fashion giant, is raising funds at 100 billion USD value.
Considering that their price range is around 10 – 20 euros, two things are certain. First, the materials have zero quality. Second, their production chains cause serious doubts. If 15 euros is the price of one dress, how much are workers getting paid to make that garment?
Quality can be something one could renounce, but an ethical production chain is the foundation of a healthy society. And therefore, crucial in any discussion, even about sustainability.

Yet no questions arise in those who buy Shein. In fact, in a moment when communication and marketing are all about sustainability, the fast-fashion giant is growing enormously. And there is similar news too. Recently Primark opened in Milano, and people were packed in line to get in.

Overcoming the coherence gap

People talk about sustainability and maybe show up at ‘Friday’s for Future’, but they buy fast fashion. Why?
Everyone, adults and teenagers, say something, but they do the opposite. This lack of consistency reveals that sustainability is just a marketing trend. It is a popular topic, something people like to discuss to show they are up-to-date, but they don’t really care.

Because if they were consistent, they wouldn’t buy fast fashion at all! And the case of low budgets is just an excuse to avoid the change since the business model is profitable for corporations and “convenient” for short-sighted masses. Vintage items are accessible to anyone, and nothing is more sustainable.

So, here’s the way to overcome the coherence gap: let actions follow thoughts. In the same direction, of course!

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The upscale drive

Revising the (over)production model

Ending the diffusion lines is one of the strategies implemented by fashion Maisons lately. Why this change of direction? And is it the start of a new business model?

What is a diffusion line?

The diffusion lines, also named second lines, are ready-to-wear collections whose name is similar or somehow recalls the designer’s name. The inspiration and design of these clothing and accessory lines come from the Maison archive. But they get simplified in terms of patterns, working, and materials to offer the spirit of the brand at a lower price. More affordable, or relatively so. However, much lower compared to the main lines.

Indeed main lines dominate the high-end segment of the market, meaning they are expensive. But if they remained in that high-end segment, brands would miss the majority of the market.

So, driven by greed and speed, brands launched diffusion lines as an opportunity to expand the business and maximise profits. Specifically, diffusion lines were conceived and produced for the mass market.

Apart from some trailblazers like Armani, whose Emporio line was born in 1980, many diffusion lines started spreading in the 90s and mushroomed during 2000. For decades brands focused on evergrowing, ever-expanding, overproducing, and heavy discounting policies. So they triggered a vicious cycle that led to an oversaturated market deprived of value.
Now, something is changing. Some fashion Maison backed up, undertaking a new (or not so new) route.

The new strategy: quitting the diffusion lines

Recently, Valentino decided to eliminate the Red Valentino line from 2024 (launched in 2003) to focus more on couture.
Likewise, Chloè is to phase out its See by Chloé line over the next three years, addressed as a – “natural and necessary evolution for the long term.”

So, in the short term, brands have maximised profit through secondary lines. But, in the long run, this strategy has compromised the market and their own image.

Now the market is almost dead, and this forced them to change their path.
If fashion Maisons want to stay relevant in an oversaturated market, they need to do some cleaning. Ending the diffusion lines will allow brands a more focused business model.

Though we do not expect they will stop overproducing, we are curious to see what they will do next!

The upscale drive Read More »