overproduction

The Elephant In The Room: Overproduction

/ Leave a Comment
Reading Time: 2 minutes

& why the fashion system ignores it


The elephant in the room is a bulky presence that fills every physical space. A dominant companion whose effect we can see in every corner of the planet. The thing is, everyone ignores it, hides it, or pretends not to see it. 

But can the fashion industry make change without addressing its elephant in the room? 

Fashion industry: what is the elephant in the room?


It’s overproduction! An enormous, visible, tangible and destructive elephant. Is the industry aware of it? Fashion insiders, CEOs, fashion designers? And the group of all the new “sustainable labels”? And what about those who promote corporate change? Of course, they are aware. But they still put profit first, not the planet. Even new companies born to spread sustainable messages do not renounce the overproduction/overconsumption pattern. In fact, some deemed changing that system would be too radical, and bosses wouldn’t accept it.

But is it plausible to talk about sustainability regardless of overproduction? No! Of course, not! 

To make it even more clear: can brands that overproduce goods be considered sustainable? No, they can’t! It seems obvious!

So, why does every single brand involved in this overproduction system promote its sustainable practices? Marketing is the answer: the purpose is, selling more, feeding the system and their pockets. And marketing takes the shape of greenwashing or social washing in order to show a clean face engaging with people. 

Specifically, are top brands and new green companies bringing real innovation? Are they doing the right thing with their sustainable marketing strategies? No, they simply found a new way, an updated way, to make money!

And so, in the end, it all boils down to this point: can the fashion industry attempt to make a change without addressing the elephant in the room? No! Of course, not! Indeed, the industry is far from changing for the better.

The Elephant In The Room: Overproduction Read More »

Cultural Change

/ Leave a Comment
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Between utopia and feasibility


Are we ready for cultural change? The real one, we mean. When it comes to sustainability, do we believe in all the marketing bullshit that flooded communication lately? Or are we open to change for real? Ready to pick this opportunity up and make something better beyond the facades? 

People are bombarded with deceiving information: 
“We are sustainable because we recycle garments!”
“We use milk, coconut or whatever fibres.” 
“Hey, we have a conscious section in our store!”
“There’s a sustainable selection on our e-shop.”
“And we are the ones who do it best because we plant trees!”

Forget all that. Even the ‘plant a tree’ claim is proven misleading. Indeed, all these messages have the sole purpose of making people overconsume. As a matter of fact, not a single company has changed their overproduction pattern.

On the one hand, this is marketing, what brands need to say in order to show a clean face. But, on the other, we can find alternative reports and explorations that dig the truth out. Are we open to reading those reports? Understand how things really are? And, therefore, start questioning? 

Of course, sustainability is a path to pursue with conviction and self-commitment, despite all the difficulties, misleading messages, and smoke and mirrors. 

But is the effort worth it? Or, as many people with whom we exchange thoughts tell us, sustainability is just one of those beautiful utopias. To sell,one must focus only on increasing sales. That is what companies have to do. And people, for their part, have to buy whatever product. 

So, in the context of trade, specifically in the fashion field, is sustainability a utopia or is it feasible? What’s your viewpoint on this?

Are you open to cultural change? We would love to hear your thoughts. 
Drop us an email, WhatsApp, or comment here below!

Cultural Change Read More »

Fall/Winter 23 Fashion Shows: One Striking Commonality

/ Leave a Comment
Reading Time: 2 minutes

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.

Fall/Winter 23 Fashion Shows: One Striking Commonality Read More »

Notes On The Paris Fashion Week 2023

/ Leave a Comment
Reading Time: 3 minutes

An air of restoration, not evolution


The Paris Fashion Week 2023 showed precise, constructed tailoring and well-defined silhouettes. Perhaps brands aimed to provide a tangible sense of quality to reclaim their meaning. Or re-establishing a higher positioning in an overproduction industry that left people baffled and unable to understand the difference between luxury to low brands.

Of course, if you were not interested in the star parade, avoiding the tedious crawling before, during and after the shows seemed impossible. Now, that is the goal. Unfortunately, no chance to talk about clothes, just clothes, without necessarily talking about the faces.

Paris fashion Week 23: some highlights


All about silhouettes and dark atmosphere at Dior and Saint Laurent: I line at Dior–very vintage. The 80s-inspired triangle shape with big hyper-constructed shoulders at Saint Laurent.
Balmain: sculptural designs with bows and pearls everywhere.
Chloé: less poor nomadic, still bohemian but more refined. Such a great inspiration, the painter Artemisia Gentileschi! The medieval theme has resulted in wearable clothes – more for real life than for Instagram. Here, we want to underline what the designer, Gabriela Hearst, said: “I like it that nothing is gimmicky. They’re not clothes for Instagram: I’m tired of working for Zuckerberg all the time – like, where’s my check?”

Can you see the negative impact of social media on fashion? Now, designers make their clothes for Instagram, not for real life.

Givenchy: tailored black gowns with some touch of colours.
Balenciaga: for a brand that staked everything on marketing rather than clothes, this show seemed like an attempt to clean its image after a catastrophic communication campaign. 
Miyake: weaving rhythm, shape, slowness and movement. Beautiful!
Yohji Yamamoto: always a world apart, with a touch of colour this time!
Valentino: a 90s reminiscence for a black tie elegance with coloured maxi coats.

A lot of basics, that doesn’t mean banal. More wearable clothes, in general.
But do we still need hundreds of outfits to understand a collection? Aren’t 30 or 40 enough? 

However, rather than just referring to what we liked or not, we want to share two general thoughts about Paris Fashion Week 2023, reasoning we can extend to the whole fashion month.

Fashion journalism & fashion weeks


If you turn to fashion journalists expecting honest feedback and review about the collections, forget it. Indeed, fashion journalists do not express their viewpoints. They simply report the designers’ ideas and talk about celebrities, but they do not add any professional perspective. No pondering, which you may agree or disagree with, but still would generate a discussion, sharing some value. What they do looks like a report cut out for Instagram. So, everything seems flat.

In a hyper-consumerist and wasteful field as the fashion industry, the mission now is to do something different. Following the rules of what the fashion industry has done so far, and still commenting on the status quo, will lead to nothing valuable. In the end, status quo is what designers showcased.

Notes On The Paris Fashion Week 2023 Read More »

Is Sustainable Fashion Elitist? BOF Asks

/ Leave a Comment
Reading Time: 2 minutes

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

Is Sustainable Fashion Elitist? BOF Asks Read More »