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Fashion and books

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Can fashion be a vehicle of culture?

Last week, we attended an event at Nonostante Marras, Antonio Marras‘ store. It was an intimate gathering that connected the worlds of fashion and books.

Fashion: a set for books

With its eclectic mix of fashion, art, and interior design, the shop perfectly reflects the designer’s personality. Indeed, the internal courtyard, filled with plants, provided a serene and welcoming atmosphere. A lovely place for the book launch of “Ostaggio” (Hostage) by Maria Francesca Chiappe.

Lately, fashion doesn’t seem the place for cultural gatherings. Imagine books! According to the ISTAT (National Institute of Statistics), in 2022, 39.3% of the population aged six and over read at least one book a year.
However, we appreciate people who challenge massified trends by offering alternative views for those who still love reading.

The journalist, Giorgio Porrà, conducted a friendly interview with the writer, Maria Francesca Chiappe, who shared her experiences as a reporter in Sardinia and her inspiration for her latest crime novel. Over her career as a reporter, she witnessed so much blood that she doesn’t want to dig into that in her books. So, no blood, her genre is a pure crime.

Fashion and books


What is the book about?

The book is set in Cagliari, Sardinia, during Covid-19. A woman disappears from her home in Poetto. Her car is in the courtyard, car doors open, keys in the ignition, while her five-year-old daughter desperately cries in the yard.
There’s no English translation for now, but you can practise your Italian!

The writer explained the title “Hostage” reflects the many layers of meaning behind the word. And the challenge of distinguishing between good and evil, somehow tracing a line that perfectly separates them.

During the Q&A, someone asked her: “Who do you write for? Do you have someone in mind?” The author replied: “When I write, I do it for myself. I enter into my world, and it’s my moment of pleasure.”
As to say, writing is not just a matter of marketing! Which we loved!

The event ended with a delicious buffet of Sardinian food and an opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals. We adored meeting Maria Francesca Chiappe and the Marras family! But also Guido, a passionate independent bookseller and owner of “Libreria Popolare.”

Books in a fashion context showcase the importance of preserving a diverse perspective in a homologated society. Indeed, fashion needs to be a vehicle for culture.

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People don’t read

People don’t read. Don’t ask people to read. Please, don’t do it. In the fashion field, there’s no need to dig deep into socio-cultural-economic aspects. Customers don’t want to know more. Instead, bomb them to shop. Continuously. Endlessly. But do not involve them in a piece that makes them stop and think. Just push them to buy! In fact, it’s a profitable engagement, a language they appreciate.

People want images. If you put them in front of words, they have to stop, read and reflect. Also, it takes some time, and it is annoying.

Just show them images, let them click on the buy-now button, and they’ll be fine with it. Why question things?

Social media absorbs the attention, you start scrolling for a few minutes, and you end up eaten up by an endless stream of superficial information. There, there’s no need to read. Indeed you can stop at the titles or just a few words.

But you are well-targeted and, most of all, you are going to shop.
Yes, there’s nothing else people want.

people don't read, image of reading a book


However, the pattern is not new. Pavlov experimented on this behaviour with dogs, showed them the trigger and got the reaction. Indeed, this conditioned reflex works well with humans too. Brands know the game and accordingly shaped the world for us.

From ‘cogito ergo sum’, corporations worked to embed ‘shop ergo sum’. By influencing our brains and behaviour, they did a great job.

Why?
Because people don’t read. They don’t like reading, as they don’t like thinking.

For instance, if you want to ponder a little, do you know that funny thing called accessible luxury? How about ethical businesses when brands still produce in places where human rights do not exist?

But no, do not search for discussion or sharing ideas. There’s no need to understand fashion context. Keep it superficial, feed them with products. And, please, don’t be too refined.

There’s no need to think. Stick to your well-known pattern.
Don’t read. Don’t choose.
Just shop!

Unless you realize you can choose – to read.

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