sustainability

The Coherence Gap

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The clash between sustainability and fast fashion’s growth


Our society has a problem with consistency, revealing a glaring coherence gap. 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 raise 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.

In fact, 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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Milano Fashion Week 2022

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The return of physical events and a strange virus affecting the industry


Milano Fashion Week 2022, marking the return of physical events, was anticipated to symbolise the relaunch of both the economy and creativity. But did it live up to expectations? And what were the key themes that emerged?

Fall/Winter 2022 trends

90’s
The nineties were the common thread seen almost everywhere. Indeed, as a reflection of society, fashion—like history—tends to repeat itself.

“Balenciagitis”
While the pandemic seems under control, another highly infectious virus spread among designers. This virus is called “Balenciagitis.” When designers are affected, they create tons of exaggerated shoulders and extremized silhouettes–of which you do not understand the point.

Raf Simons has been strongly infected, indeed you could see it in the Prada fashion show. Since the co-designing collaboration has started, Prada stopped dictating trends, as always did, and now follows the others.
However, even Dolce and Gabbana were infected, we hope someone will soon find a cure for it.

Co-branding
Collab with sports brands, or flea market outfits with the plus of co-branding. That’s what Gucci did with Adidas. Right, nothing new in the end. Just branding.

Milano Fashion Week 22


Genderless
In January 2020, Stefano Pilati presented at Pitti his independent brand, Random Identities. The collection showed a few tailored pieces in a genderless key. About two years later, the creatives who create when something is already created, discovered the trend. Hey, all brands went genderless!

Sustainability
Round tables, talks, shows. Every single brand is sustainable! And the more they talk about it, the less they offer value. Moreover, “sustainable designers” and those who have hands in that industry offer something unattainable. Just smoke in the eye, generating a big misleading business.

Inclusion
What is the line between inclusivity and bad taste? This point is not clear to us. In fact, in many shows which focused on this topic, bad taste stood out.

Milano Fashion Week 2022 favourites


Our favourites
Jil Sander was one of the few fashion shows we enjoyed. We didn’t see much of Jil Sander in that, but, at least, we saw beautiful, well-made clothes developed in a coherent collection.

Bottega Veneta: iconic accessories, clean lines clothing with a high-end impact. Beautiful design, but no logo shown, no sensationalism. The essence of modern elegance and luxury. Bravo, Matthieu Blazy!

Milano Fashion Week 2022 revelaed that it is not a favorable time for creativity or the economy. And so, a cultured audience has to dig a lot to find value. Because worthwhile designers, rather than being part of that inconsistent game, avoid communicating at all.

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Call It Common Sense

Reading Time: 2 minutes

What if sustainability is simply sound reasoning?


Common sense is the non-trendy term for sustainability. In other words, what people call sustainability, we call it common sense.

It is interesting to analyse the notion of sustainability and when it came out, what kind of change it brought up, or what new necessity has awakened. The concept of sustainability was born around the end of the ’80s when some individuals realised that intense exploitation endangered our planet and future generations’ lives.

A step back to the past


If we dig deep into our traditions, we discover that what we call sustainability now was for our grandparents just their way of living. It was their intentional choice, determined by necessity and contingency. But also by being aware of the value of goods, an understanding that each object or garment had specific properties and purpose. Manufacturing offered durable products therefore, almost nothing was wasted. Moreover, for them, objects had a second life. There was a shared sense of respect, and life didn’t revolve only around consumption.

That’s the education our parents received, yet no slogan framed that simple way of life.

Then came the time when, fascinated by the consumerist mindset, our parents gave up on their education. Harmufl habits replaced a thoughtful lifestyle. A new ego-centred vision in which we believe we can dispose of nature or people the same as we do with the things we buy. Everything is at our feet–consume and throw away.

We have lived as if nature’s resources were infinite, let’s be honest about it. A very few people questioned it in the past, not the CEOs of corporations for sure.

Sustainability or common sense?


Eventually, we realised that resources are finite, and the world in thirty years will be unlivable. So here comes the term sustainability, sold as the discovery of a new meaningful lifestyle (the one we forgot about).

Well, there’s nothing new. What you call sustainability is just common sense.

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The Fashion Bullshit

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Exposing notorious fashion marketing empty claims


The fashion industry loves to discuss important matters that we would better describe as fashion bullshit.

How does the system work?
As soon as a new concept becomes popular in the fashion world, the proclamation is made. So the word spreads rapidly. As a result, marketing takes over the subject right away. And, once marketing steps in, you can feel the smell of it. What follows is an unmistakable sense of artificiality that permeates the entire communication strategy.

As voices outside the chorus, we’ve put together a list of some of the fashion bullshit: terms that, the more people in the field put at the centre of the discussion, the more they sound weird.

The fashion bullshit list

• New:
usually said about things done and redone. Again and again. Eye roll when you hear this word.

• Change:
a kind of mystical belief we like to talk about, but never happens.

• Luxury:
or the fake representation of it. What remains after the voluntary shift towards overproduction and mass distribution.

• Affordable luxury:
a total absurdity launched to compensate for the collapse of real luxury.

• Sustainability:
the biggest bullshit of our times. Most designers who wave this flag lack a distinctive design imprint, and as a result, have no real reason to exist.

• Diversity:
possible or allowed only in fashion shows or advertising.

• Inclusion:
possible or allowed only in fashion shows or advertising.

• Disability:
possible or allowed only in fashion advertising. But please, don’t show up during fashion event!

• Fluidity:
gender-fluidity is popular in fashion shootings. But when you go shopping, items are divided by categories. And so, the shop assistant kindly invites you to shop in the section assigned to your gender.

• Collaboration:
possible only as co-branding (sharing a profit). However, genuine exchanges are very rare among fashion professionals.

• Humbleness:
unreported, or simly missing.

Does anyone have anything to add to this list? We’d love to hear from you.

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The Island In The Desert

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Have you ever wondered where our textile waste ends up?


Talking about the cost of fast fashion and the madness of disposable items can be upsetting and frustrating. No one wants to listen.

We could define it as a hidden cost, assuming people do not see it directly. Except that there’s nothing hidden anymore. And so, we call it the true cost because it happens before our eyes. Although, people refuse to see it intentionally.

To illustrate the abnormity, perhaps a visual image helps awaken the conscience more than words.

Atacama desert in Chile - fast fashion leftovers
Atacama desert in Chile – fast fashion leftovers

Here, in front of your eyes, is the Atacama desert in Chile, the driest desert in the world. And that is an island of discarded clothing, including Christmas sweaters and ski boots, piling up in the desert. Horribly revealing the cost of fast fashion.

Chile is a hub for secondhand and unsold clothing coming from all over the world. USA, Europe and Asia. Approximately 59,000 tons of garments arrive there every year. Clothing merchants buy part of it, but the majority, about 39,000 tons, end up in rubbish dumps in the desert.

That happens because those garments contain chemicals and are not biodegradable, therefore not accepted in the municipal landfill.

The cost of fast fashion


We wonder what’s going to happen over time. Do you still feel ok with fast fashion and disposable goods?

On Monday, we posted about the need to shift our consumption habits. After reading this, the sense of urgency becomes imperative. It doesn’t need any further explanation.

Educating ourselves towards thoughtful consumption habits is fundamental. If brands don’t produce items made to last, we don’t buy from them!
Stop overconsumption. Stop purchasing disposable items. That is how we bring our contribution.

We know that expecting a change from brands is an illusion, yet it’s just a way to exclude ourselves from the game. If we pretend we do not play an active role, we hide our responsibilities.

On the contrary, we have to educate ourselves in order to become conscious and make intentional choices.

Break the loop. Take action now!

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