resetfashionsystem

The wind of Instachange

The fashion system needs to change. Social media accounts put out various content on this topic quite often. Like something new occurred, so the news has to be shared with everyone. Or perhaps, they believe we haven’t heard this story yet.

The discussion about resetting the fashion industry started during the pandemic, although the system was in bad health a long time before.
And the reason why it came out is not that it made sense to shift the approach by reinventing a stale system but because companies lost large amounts of money.
Indeed, money is the engine that makes the world move. And apparently, finances are the only thing that can provoke any shift.
Many of those who operate in the system completely ignore the problems. Better avoid the risk of any further loss of capital.

Fashion system and change
Image via Ode to things Tumblr

However, the debate still goes on.
Those who are aware of the multiple issues talk profusely and release interviews, podcasts. Top brands like to talk about change, but unfortunately, it is not tangible yet. There’s not even a little sign.
Only a few smaller brands follow a different direction.

Real change or Instachange?

So we wonder if all the talks are just catchy content for social media, food for the great experts in the field who can show how cool they are by interviewing this or that designer. But we are afraid that the whole debate will end up like COP26. Nothing done.

It is helpful to repeat concepts more than once because we tend to forget words quickly. And so listening again might help us keep the focus.
But, in the end, we must find solutions. Actions must follow the words. Otherwise, we will have beautiful graphics for Instagram, the wind of “Instachange”, but we won’t solve any issue.

By the way, overproduction is the biggest concern in the fashion field. Any news about if and how are they going to solve it?

‘Rewiring fashion’ they said?

News from Milano Fashion Week 22

Rewiring fashion seemed to be the new purpose in the fashion field. But there was no trace of it during the Milano Fashion Week 22.

Back to back, physical fashion shows, digital presentations. Both, in some cases. All perfectly aligned with the pre-pandemic world. You can smell the status quo. And not for fear or lack of courage, rather because that’s the way to make money.

More than anything else, the urgent brands’ intent seemed the will to connect with the Chinese market. This quest reverberated like a scream or a cry for help in the majority of the presentations.

The only new element (in case we still want to consider it so) is the calling of a diverse flood of models. Now different silhouettes or ethnicities are well represented in fashion events, and it is clearly positive. Although it’s lovely that anyone can identify with the models and see how dresses fit on various body shapes, the problem is that many of these new generations of boys and girls have no sense of elegance. So the image of these fashion shows looks poorly.

The Roof Milano Milano Fashion Week
The Roof Milano

Spring-Summer 22: rewiring fashion?

It is not that now the trend is more sporty, it is the comment we heard during a fashion show. It’s that elegance is dead. Culturally dead, in wearing, speaking, or living.

Most importantly, there is no shift in terms of communication. Indeed, what emerged is the same way of spreading the work. Perhaps with a further decrease of the overall perceived value. The Instagram way seemed still relevant, with all the related circus. Which, by the way, we found boring. If not annoying.
We are fed up with it, aren’t you?

The official press, or what remains of it, can only be condescending or applauding. Budgets for advertising are already cut to the bones, better avoid any further reduction.

Designers are creatives, and creatives are supposed to have views about style, life, and the future.

But what is the vision?
What kind of woman do they want to promote?
What kind of future do they want to see?

And what about the rewiring fashion idea? Apart from the empty marketing slogans, which want to represent the (fake) change, what are we talking about?

Product placement vs consumer awareness

Among various methods corporations use to keep women hooked to their brands, product placement is on top. Yes, corporations. That’s what luxury conglomerates are. And it gives the pulse on their work.

During the 80s, Giorgio Armani was the first who started dressing Hollywood stars in order to sell to the American middle-class. In a perspective of massive overproduction and an ever-growing economy, perhaps that strategy made sense.
By the way, Armani, followed by all the other designers right away, started giving outfits for free to the stars, and women – the so-called middle class – promptly bought them.

Now the economy is not in good shape, and the middle class swiped away. Most importantly, we opened our eyes, so we are tired of being treated as fishing lures. Therefore we find some specific marketing techniques obsolete, if not meaningless.

What’s the point of stars wearing luxury designer’s clothes on the red carpets when it’s known they don’t pay for the clothes?
Does it still make sense?

Fashion & celebrities marketing

In fact, what makes it sound absurd is that they can afford to pay, but they don’t. In other words, those who can afford clothes don’t purchase them, while those who can’t are supposed to.

There’s no logic in this anymore. What if celebrities purchase their outfits and designers donate the proceeds to charity?

However, we should also dig deeper into those impressed by ‘the rich Milanese’ showing off her outfits on social media. And women promptly buy. Indeed we die a little for this lack of self-esteem.

Since we weren’t all born with good taste, looking for guidance is the right way to avoid weird outfits. But asking for advice is different from imitating someone else’s style.

Marketing has always targeted women because, traditionally, they are considered fragile and easy to influence or manipulate. And the sad thing is that we allowed them to do so.

Let’s evolve now.