“More than ever elegance is setting itself free from the movements of fashion,” Olivier Saillard
Perhaps I am weary of the limitations of my apartment and the sameness of the days. Maybe it’s just a passing moment in the stream of feeling as I’m pulled back and forth between optimism and dread by the tide of this thing. Give it whatever name you prefer; quarantine, shelter-in-place, or lockdown. The descriptor you choose reveals how you might feel about the experience of staying in on any given day.
Today I feel discouraged about the Future of Fashion, at least here in the U.S. Perhaps I’m projecting all my disappointment on how my country has responded to this crisis on the fashion industry, but that is the territory I have been living and working in. It’s the lens through which I reflect on the world for the last five, almost six years.
I don’t see the innovative solutions I imagined, a focus on sustainability nor the renaissance of small businesses. I’m not seeing dynamic collaborations nor small independent and creative partnerships being rewarded. I see an initiative brokered by Vogue with Amazon and a group of designers I know and admire and I’m heartbroken about it. I read a fashion manifesto written by a group of designers that at its core a partial solution. One that involves cutting back on seasons, but not a word about less production. Only rules that expensive clothing could only go on sale during very limited windows. Perhaps the problem is mine, but I don’t see this as the brilliant re-design of the fashion system everyone else seems to think it is. Hype is still alive and well. The only sustainable thing I see about these responses is a call to sustaining a system that has not been very nice to its workers as per the current need for a “Pay UP” movement, environment for sure, and no longer seems all that creative. Is it worth the price it charges for clothing that erases the meaning of personal style because so many people can have it?
So today I offer two articles, one sent to me by a reader that validates the conversation we have already been having. The second one an interview with Olivier Saillard has so many gems in it, I can’t wait to hear what you have to say about it. Olivier Saillard is a noted curator, performer, poet, and conversationalist. His collaborations with Tilda Swinton, “Eternity Dress” and “The Impossible Wardrobe” are worth a look.
I invite your comments and conversation on what you see as “elegant” solutions/narratives in engaging others in fashion conversations that raise the intellectual bar.
And as always these days, stay safe and well.
The only solution is the make it yourself!
I owned a natural fiber fabric shop for 25 years and when the Made in America slogan became a “thing”, I posted a sign in my window that said “If you really want Made in America you have to make it yourself!
Smaller private seamstresses are trying to do just that using Etsy, craft shows and even farmer’s markets.
Money rules and big money is hard to win against.
Many small companies start out with good intentions then they get discovered and can no longer meet the demand for their goods in their small shops so they try to find small manufacturers in the USA then they move on to China, Pakistan, Vietnam, and there you go……
The “Dear Fashion” article’s points are spot-on. But one point that’s missing is that of “relevance.” I believe it’s imperative to keep in mind that consumers’ view of what’s relevant in their lives will be quite different going forward.
I also suggest strongly that serious writers not resort to blatant misuse of words such as “architect.” The misuse of that twice in this article was jarring and, for me, lessened the article’s impact. “Re-architect.” Really?? “Restructure” or “redesign” are just fine – no need to invent a new language. Focus on reinventing the industry.
I am deeply saddened by your post. I have long been a follower and consider myself a ‘fashionista.’ After a very painful divorce 8 years ago, I had to take a long, hard look at the way I was living. I decided that consignment and sustainability was the way for me. I decided to part with many memories through consignment and have been thrilled at the responses from women looking to give my things a new home. I feel sustainable fashion can only be had through rethinking and repurposing items already in existence, using less carbon and water through consignment, and being mindful of WHAT we purchase. My thoughts now are prices per wear, quality of products, and can I give it a new home after I’m done enjoying it?
It makes me even sadder to see once famous couture houses hawking their wares to Amazon all in the name of ‘fashion.’ This isn’t rethinking fashion, it’s rethinking MARKETING. I shudder to think of Coco Chanel seeing her iconic wares being ‘dumbed’ down, Louis Vuitton being shocked at how things are being wasted, or the House of Dior grimacing at the thought of ‘fast’ anywhere in association with the word fashion. The world as we know it is no longer in existence and fashion MUST change along side it — or it will be no more.
Be well, safe, and keep being fabulous.
Thanks for the links. And the perspective. I’m disappointed in the fashion world as well. Still clinging to the old model. Maybe we should start calling that model the Titanic?
I’m a bit disappointed in other fashion bloggers and “influencers” as well. At least those who are getting increasingly shrill in their hyping of chic lounge wear, and at home outfits. Can’t we be more creative that that?
I, too, am discouraged about change because power and privilege will fight against real change while claiming to embrace it. This is rational except for the pesky realities of nature and sustainability. It lacks an acknowledgment of the common good. Why would the powerful expend time, money, and energy to create a system better for the common good but far less enticing and profitable for them? I think it will take a complete worldview change, and those seem to take many years to develop. We don’t have those years, I’m afraid. So it will be up to small groups of people and like-minded communities to build new systems for themselves and simply ignore what “fashion” is doing. The life-raft concept. I think of the movement toward the simplicity lifestyle—owning fewer goods. It is appealing, and it is even gaining in popularity. Change—real change—most likely will come up from the consumer, if it comes at all.
I appreciate your thoughtful blog. Your ideas are beautiful and elegant.
Vogue + Amazon = ?
When I think of elegance, I think of grace, class, movement, dance, ballet. How does the clothing move on my body? How does the fabric feel ? Does it reflect my personality? Or is my personality and mood reflected by my fashion choices in color, cut, design? My grandmother sewed a brown corduroy jacket for me when I was in college. It was lined with a smooth nylon lining. It fit me perfectly and cinched at the waist with a tie belt. I gave it away years ago, but I wish I had kept it. It was one of a kind and made especially for me with love and care. I felt wonderful wearing it. Why did I get rid of it? I am not sure. It was crafted with love.
Thank you for this simply elegant picture. I’m a visual storyteller (photographer) this gives inspiration…
I am with you. I would love to see the world rebooted. At the moment the great capitalist machine grinds on, hoping to reprise where it left off. However, I suspect that things will not be the same again, and I really do think that many are taking stock of what is really important and what matters to us all. I live in the (dis)UK and I feel that the writing is on the wall for the status quo, but we may have to be brought lower before things settle and improve. Fashion should be about creativity and self-expression. It can be engaged with on so many levels – not just as part of the elite, money-making model.
Thank you for sharing the Dear Fashion, No One Is Going To Save You article. I’m now in the midst of building a PPE start up—fashionable high quality scrubs and gowns, with three other people out of my studio in Vancouver. We are addressing how to be sustainable both environmentally as well as taking pride in branding our products Made in Canada, to never offshore our labor, to know where our fabrics come from and how they are made. Before we launch we are taking all of these moving parts seriously This is challenging once demand kicks in, but we are aiming for this and are up for the challenge, as something has to change.
I enjoyed this beautifully calm, sincere lament. I miss the clean, fresh, elegance in fashion reminiscent of the 1920’s. Simple. Beautiful. Classic. Not abstract. No 21st century philosophical puzzles to unlock, as they come one. after. another. So we grace that for louder voices. I get it. Perhaps loudness disguised as grace. But we just can’t ever seem to find a happy centering of space, time, resources, or man-made philosophies. I remember the first time I went to NYC in 2016; I looked forward to seeing people on the streets in beautiful clothing. All I saw was black and blah. I was so disappointed. Our cab driver with a thick Russian accent questioned why we would come to a prison with no bars. That we should have stayed in paradise from which we came. I took that as anything beyond the borders of the city. Fractured, disrupt, ripped, torn, and the like are trends I will not miss. It echoes reactionary temper tantrums. Political, individual, collective statements, etc. through fashion, I get. But I do miss beautiful fashion that is immediately palatable and not something I have to chew through to find the taste. I fear this went off course from the essence of your finding that a new, collective revolution of conscientious fashion as a truly gathering force seems to be more of a weakening rather than strengthening system. But I do so enjoy your pursuit to hold it accountable through the beauty of your spirit.
Form follows function. Elegance is refusal.
Thrift is elegance.
I read the other day about someone comparing the covid crisis to 911. She made an observation about how people pulled together during 911 and today people are just being rude. I see that as well and I think a lot of it is being generated by fear. At least with 911 you could indulge in in-person retail therapy (sorry but amazon just isn’t the same). Not that this is really my point other than the current fear is so easily manipulated by the media. People are afraid to go to the doctor (me being one of them) and patience is wearing thin. While I understand the frustration and feel for those whose livelihoods have disappeared (been there and it’s scary) people are turning to anger towards those who are trying to protect them. As a result this fear creeps in everywhere in our daily lives and makes it hard to focus on elegant solutions or sustainability or whether it’s worth even risking a doctor visit.
Are you a MasterClass member by chance? You could open up this discussion:
This Wednesday: Anna Wintour
Tune in this Wednesday, May 20 at 5pm PT/8pm ET when Anna Wintour joins MasterClass Live.
Anna will share her leadership insights and answer questions, moderated by Vogue Editor Hamish Bowles.
Have not, I will check it out.
Thank you for this thought provoking post.
The article “Dear Fashion” by Lawrence Lenihan articulates everything that is problematic and dangerous with Amazon for the quality, sustainable small brand. Years ago I thought Amazon would be a wonderful marketplace for me to use, but I soon understood the issues that Lawrence outlines. I rarely found products that I was confident were produced in a way I wanted to support, nor the quality I wanted to purchase. Nowadays Amazon represents to me, a world ethic I don’t want to support.
It is exactly the same in my industry, small quality holiday rentals and what Airbnb has been doing for years. Stripping away your identity, turning your rental into a commodity, owning your customer and trying to force you into a price war with your competitors instead of us working together to improve and grow and market with meaningful experiences and sustainable accommodation.
We gave up on Airbnb 2 years ago and suggest the brand sustainable fashion industry does the same thing with Amazon. We thrive on our individual rental offering. We have a huge email list of previous guests which we use monthly to entertain, enliven, inform with stories of wildlife and the beauty of our region. We respond to guest suggestions immediately. We are always booked! And how do we know what our guests want? Because we are always, always in conversation with them. Real conversations not so called Airbnb reviews.
I know it can be tough to go it alone, or go it with a small group, but we and many others have shown it works. Not only are we very well booked, but our team is happier, we love what we are doing and feel good about how we are doing it.
Lastly, I also no longer support these huge behemoths as they do not pay taxes in my country, a disgrace.
Any “fashion” I purchase these days must be made and sold in the same way. Local, ethical, local.
As always, Lyn, thanks for throwing us these ideas! Keep up the wonderful discussions. They change the world.
I agree there is a lot of marketing spin about eco-fashion, but when you dig into the detail there’s little substance. It’s great that some brands are working to reduce their environmental footprint by using more sustainable materials. However, the issue of needing to keep sales and profit margins growing through ever-increasing volumes of production remains. My thoughts on the solution are a return to old world elegance and the tradition of making things of higher quality i.e. built to last. It requires a huge shift in everyone’s mindset, including companies along the entire fashion supply chain and consumers. Less is more!
I can’t see the comments!
I can now—-
Thank you for connecting us to thought provoking content we would otherwise miss about questions that concern many of us. The best response I can think of to make is to focus on simplicity and sustainability in my own choices – and be willing to pay the true cost of fair and clean clothes – which by definition probably involves having less clothing, thoughtfully curated.
Thank you for this, Lyn. A conversation I feel part of, even here in a rural part of the Canadian west. Days ago, I was thinking about the backlog of used clothing that is groaning in warehouses and on barges, trucks and train cars. We want to simplify. We want elegance. That means winnowing out what we have. How to do that without adding to the waste?
I had the thought, inspired by the Eileen Fisher Renew and by Baby and Co., an innovative high shop, both in Seattle. EF resells their own well made, thoughtful clothing. Baby and Co. has a dedicated space for vintage jeans and reselling of interesting second hand items. I called my local shop, Bella and Wren, run by two hard working and creative young women who have shown and sold my reworked denim jackets. They have agreed to run a vintage section on a trial basis and are excited to work with me. I know a few women who have beautiful collections of clothing who I will call on to keep the idea going.
I am imagining a world where the gap between retail sales of new items and used items begins to close. Imagining a world where a beautiful secondhand kimono is sold rather than a knockoff of a vintage kimono.
Thanks for letting me have a conversation like this that goes beyond my geography.
with love,
Suzanne
Some issues transcend geography as we are seeing with this virus.
Good Morning:
As I write this note on this beautiful morning where I am I thank God for my art, culture and fashion interest.
In fact the only thing that seems appropriate to say in this space right now is that I enjoy the distinct privilege of being able to comment to you.
I am so grateful to be a visual artist.
So many industries including fashion; to say nothing of those employed by the fashion industry which include many of my friends, have been grounded overnight. The conditions created by the virus simply shut off the faucet.
We will as a collective of artists, cultural influencers, and fashionista emerge from this thing pale and blinking hard against the light and wondering what economic reality awaits us.
In the meantime, we keep at it because we have the good fortune to be able to. I hope the next months bring you great joy and encouragement . May we all get back to our respective ways as soon as this strange brutal virus will allow.
Please be safe and well
Regards
John-David Powell (JD)
I am not an expert, but I think so far the fashion world is missing the point. The split between pre and post covid19 is clear and insurmountable. However, except for timid attempts to adjust to the current needs, what is marketed is mostly obsolete. In fact, I am looking at all the high fashion websites I used to buy from as if they were a picture of an old world. Now, not only we know we will dress in a different way, but also and all of a sudden, the whole discourse of fashion sustainability is prominent and undeniable. Even my husband who never got a damn to it, told me he won’t buy anything unless it didn’t harm the environment or slaved workers.
The fashion industry will not have a choice but to bend, low. Our world has forever changed and the constrictions of this change will not allow for excess. the market is gone for fashion in almost it’s entirety. Couture will no longer have an exhibition place for the masses. The industry can resist to it’s own demise. It will do no good. Sooner than later the industry leaders will find that they will need to acquiesce to simpler, less.
Simply stated and right on.
Thanks for your candid and honest remarks on our current affairs at hand. I was thinking I need to go back to ‘days of week’ underpants, the only days I do know seems to be Saturday and Sunday 🙂
Ha Ha me too
I buy the majority of my clothes on Ebay from a reliable website in China. Sure, there’s alot of tacky crap on it. But they also carry clothing that is funky, adventurous, well made, and at a price point I can afford. A linen coat for $18? I’ll take it! I have also found a few sites on Etsy that are reasonably affordable and fun, as well as alot that are too expensiveSorry i’m not supporting the American economy, but I don’t find the clothing sold here attractive, adventurous or affordable. I also shop at second hand shops and my local Salvation Army and alter a lot of what I buy, and i’ve also gotten some amazing deals – a $475 leather schoolboy satchel for $20, and a pair of Cole Haan boots forc $8. Find fashion that suits your style where you can. It’s not the label the makes it work for you, but your own creativity.
Love those moments when you find those incredible finds in a thrift store. Moments of great pleasure.
Your longing for redesign in the fashion industry is a tall order indeed but, it did prompt me to explore some notions mentioned in your recent posts. I would like to consider two concepts.
An intellectual is a person who places a high value on or pursues things of interest to the intellect or the more complex forms and fields of knowledge, as aesthetic or philosophical matters, especially on an abstract and general level. An intellectual is an extremely rational person; a person who relies on intellect rather than on emotions or feelings.
It seems to me that intellectuals are a minority in our world. In the absence of emotions or feelings, I wonder about the extent to which an intellectual is able to influence fashion. I feel that the fashion system preys on emotions and feelings. As with most businesses, the primary driver of that system is the bottom line.
The intellectual bar is not one that applies to or is considered by most people. One might argue that without those who are highly invested in the intellectual’s view of fashion, there would be no fashion as we know it, i.e. as Saillard notes “…it is essential to occupy the territory of provocation in order to provoke a visual, cultural disruption”, e.g change. This may be the role of the intellectual. However, he also points out “Once everybody has taken it on, then fashion loses its very meaning” (e.g. time for change). Change is then defined by seasons, production cycles, waste managment and ultimately, feeds the bottom line which is expressed in monetary terms. The system continues. Let me be clear, the aesthetics of fashion are heaven but on earth, its about money.
Elegant solutions are solutions that solve the problem in the simplest and most effective manner. Finding an elegant solution is a greater challenge than simply solving a problem. Its simplicity and consistency of design focuses on the essential features and requires deep understanding. Words such as minimal, optimal, efficient, effective and simple reflect the nature of elegant solutions.
People seem to be passionate about fixing/changing big things because they are easy to see…sweatshops, fashion redundancy, sustainability (a concept contrary to the essence of the fashion system as we know it), piles of wasted effort and materials. Unfortunately, the most obvious solutions are usually simply solutions to a problem and do not support sustainable change. To find an elegant solution…now that is rare. It is when the hope of change is most likely satisfied.
My nostalgia for intellectualism is clearly evident. Been spending too much time before COVID not in this country.
I’ve always sewn a portion of my own clothes. Since I’ve had the privilege of time, I sew almost all of my clothes, really, more than I need. But I have a very deep stash of fabric, and when I indulge in new purchases, I try to buy deadstock or linen or from a small business vendor. Wearing my handmade clothes wraps me in a profound sense of well being, making them satisfies a need for my hands to be busy and to interact with textiles, and my mind to problem solve and create. Most people don’t get it, because it’s not art, right…. it’s just clothes.
It is art when the end result is having all the feelings that you report.
Your post is really thought provoking and I loved the article about no one coming to save fashion.
I thought back on the latest series I just watched with Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum. I found it interesting that they have moved to a collaboration with Amazon. This show was more focused on the running of a big business and “branding”. Not so much on the creation of the clothing. I found it very unappealing – now that unfortunate direction all makes sense.
Many of the bloggers I follow now send me to very cheap “fashion” – more and more unappealing.
What I find myself doing now, is saving pictures of an interesting look that someone is wearing, and shopping my closet to invent a similar look…there’s a lot of good stuff in there…
Wat to live now! I am doing the same.
I think a lot of smaller brands are moving to a more sustainable view point as thats where fashion is heading … in 10 years time, if you don’t have a sustainable offering I think a lot of businesses will see their profit margins dramatically reduce.
I was browsing through Instagram yesterday when I came across a small brand who have just launched their first sustainable range, so it’s nice to see younger brands making that crossover!
https://www.saintgenies.co.uk/new-in/
I’ve seen some younger brands leading the way even more innovatively than more established ones.