value

Details make the difference

Although it is easy to copy high-fashion items, the difference between designer pieces and fast fashion is tangible.

With fast fashion, you get low-quality materials and poor construction (not to mention labour exploitation). Those elements change the final result completely.

By the way, it is well-known that people don’t see details.

Designer collaborations with fast-fashion chains are a way to make money by reaching a broader audience, which otherwise wouldn’t approach the brand.

But what’s left of the original design?

We still remember the first collaboration Karl Lagerfeld did with H&M. There was a lot of hype, so we decided to try. We bought many pieces, also some lingerie-style reminiscent of Chanel. Whenever we had the occasion, we tried on one or the other, but there was always something wrong. Pull one side, pull the other, no way to make the top, or the dress, seem decent.
The fitting was terrible, stitchings and materials too. We ended up wearing some of those pieces as pyjamas.

Since we bought many items, the total amount was not small. Rethinking of it in terms of worth, did it make sense? Wasn’t it better to buy only one valuable piece, which we could wear for years? Rather than wasting money on several pieces we never wore?

Designer Vs fast fashion

Indeed, this is the trick: reproducing a similar shape doesn’t mean tailoring the same construction. It doesn’t imply the same stitching ability and, definitely, not the same materials.

The quality of materials, together with the knowledge in crafting, are what make a piece of clothing look beautiful. And only expert hands can shape the proper fitting.

Change those ingredients, take out the sartorial touch, and instead of a Chanel imitation, you get a rag. Instead of an oversized dress, you get a garbage bag.

Yes, details make a huge difference.

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The benefit of being different

What if we consider being different more valuable than being better than the others?
Let’s focus our attention on worth rather than on popularity. The actions we take, the choices we make, the interactions we exchange. Also, the things we buy. In all this, value is the key.

“Is it worthy?” – This is the question we need to ask.

Conforming to the standards is not what we want. Fashion, beauty, learning, lifestyle standards and all the ideas of the majority, are not for us. There’s a lot of appearance in that, but there’s no value.

People live as if being part of the majority is the cool way to be. Indeed, they talk like the others, dress like the others, eat what’s popular. Perhaps they don’t have to think that much, and it gives them a sense of belonging and protection.

But, the sense of belonging can be satisfied in smaller communities. Like-minded people can connect to share their vision of the world.

Consider being different offers its own sense of beauty. A rare object, just like a rare person is valuable because it’s scarce, uncommon. And it doesn’t need to be like the other ones. Standardization is not what we are looking for. Little treasures, that’s what we want.

As our beloved Virginia Woolf has pointed out:

“Large groups of people are never responsible for what they do.”

Taking a different path is not easy, it takes courage. But, choosing to be your own unique person and hold yourself accountable is a powerful act.

Responsible fashion means holding ourselves accountable for what happens in the short and long run. It is a conscious choice, serving our eventually awakened collective soul.

The touching point is that being better is a matter of ego, being different is a matter of the heart.

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Social media & value

In our modern and hyper-connected society, life revolves around social media. While it is nice to be in touch with your audience, it is impossible not to notice the vain by-product of this virtual life: images artificially created and obsessively shared. Yes, too much even for those of us that work in fashion!

Perhaps, you might think, social media worked well to boost self-confidence, instilling the idea that everyone can be super beautiful. We all have an amazing life. People need approval.
But if we dig deeper, we see the void generated, all the meaning has been swiped away. You mainly find empty boxes. Nice, but empty. And a certain horror rises in knowing that the percentage of suicides among teenagers has gone up due to social media.

Social media and fashion

Whatever they say, all this exaggerated overexposure didn’t bring anything positive. Not even in fashion. The expectation of fake models looking like plastic dolls together with poor language created a devastating environment.
The strategy to run a successful account consists of buying followers to attract the attention of a large audience and letting the algorithm fly. In other words, you end up talking to yourself in the mirror.
That is the game you have to play if you want to be successful unless — you need something more than a facade.

For people like us, who believe that buying books is way better than buying followers, the discomfort gets real. You don’t really want to interact with fake accounts, do you?

People who have no idea what they’re talking about, who are not able to distinguish a fast fashion brand from a high quality one, are not our point of reference. We do not consider such a person a leader, no matter how many followers they have.

It is possible to be on social media having a different approach, setting up a healthier environment based on quality and real connections, and being clear in your mind that you are playing a different game.

If you are looking for meaning, for something that matters, this is the challenge. Bring back valuable content. Bring back value. Share ideas, not plastic faces.

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The real value

Sustainability must pass through the re-education to the real value of products, quality, materials and skills of those who carry out the work. Understanding and respecting the craftsmanship, the workers and their rights.

These values are the opposite of a fashion system that has taken fast food as a productive and consumption model.

Since the explosion of fast fashion people have been pushed to buy disposable clothes. Now, how can they understand garments that have a totally different value?
Higher value, in terms of quality, therefore a higher price.

Self-education can make a difference.

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