Why Is The Fashion Industry In The State That It's In Today?

Do you also think not having supermodels elevating these clothes is what's hurting the industry as well? I still look at pictures of Christy, Naomi, Linda, Karen, Claudia, ect... wearing beautiful clothes on the runway and made me want to buy them.
 
This is the same feeling I get with editors at fashion magazines. It used to be that all they had to worry about was a single print magazine once a month. Can you imagine? How quaint that seems now. Today, it's a print magazine, a website, Instagram, commerce/affiliate revenue, events/conferences (Vogue World, etc), not to mention worrying about getting canceled or saying the wrong thing on social media, and on and on. Who has time to think about deeper meaning or quality? They are now trapped on this hamster wheel of producing endless content -- which people forget about two minutes after they see it. So why bother trying to accomplish the impossible task of making anything good or lasting? There is no time now.
agreed!! its just too much stuff being churned out and when you actually take a look most of it is just rubbish, publications have nothing to say anymore. c*nde n*st shared content strategy was the final nail in the coffin imo, like for instance when im reading lets say vogue portugal or taiwan i dont want to see a gugu haddud editorial in a tacky versace dress talking about the struggles of being a millionaire mother with 5 nannies and 3 chefs lol. everything is sooo homogenous and bland, having a point of view feels like a crime
 
Do you also think not having supermodels elevating these clothes is what's hurting the industry as well? I still look at pictures of Christy, Naomi, Linda, Karen, Claudia, ect... wearing beautiful clothes on the runway and made me want to buy them.
To me presentation definitely matters. Now, a fashion show doesn’t have to be a Dior/McQueen theatric spectacle, but at least have somewhat charismatic models who can walk, sell clothes, and look good in them.

Nowadays it’s all about who can have the biggest maze of a runway (so they can invite the most influencers) I think.
 
To me presentation definitely matters. Now, a fashion show doesn’t have to be a Dior/McQueen theatric spectacle, but at least have somewhat charismatic models who can walk, sell clothes, and look good in them.

Nowadays it’s all about who can have the biggest maze of a runway (so they can invite the most influencers) I think.
Agreed. Presentation 100% matters and its sad how much thats lacking today.
 
Broader statement that can be applied to any business/industry but I’ve always suspected the whole ‘woke phenomenon’ was just a way for a brand/business to be more risk-averse. You need serious capital to finance serious projects which would have higher return yield than say, a crowdfunded homegrown startup or whatever.

I think more and more companies/businesses/people though are realizing being ‘woke’ is not that potent of a risk deterrent they once assumed…so yes ‘go woke go broke’ is a thing (though not entirely true either). However being ‘woke’ does more to ensure you have a steady relationship to big creditors, ie banks, who can loan you the money you need for the big undertakings. Banks will drop you if you’re a neo-nazi for example.

How does this relate to fashion? Well same thing is going on, and has been going on, because it’s commercial (minor) art. Independent designers who don’t need that institutional backing might be more boundary pushing in their narrative/designs but I’m guessing at some point, if they want to scale, they’d want to tone it down…

On a final note, I remember coming across that NYT article on Elena Velez/business of fashion from a Bliss Foster video, and I looked at what that girl is doing now to finance her brand; she’s just schmoozing up to ‘right wing’ patrons ie Thiel, Red Scare, Praxis types. Maybe they have the money/connections/resources to help launch her into something bigger (I doubt it) but it shows the rise of alternate moneyed institutions could help counteract the homogenizing influence of conglomerates like LVMH (maybe for the worse, we’ll see…)
 
I feel the need to go on another vent about the education of technical skills, because of this rising designer called Aaron Esh. He's a very new designer (he graduated from CSM two years ago), but he's a perfect example of why I find London and New York's schools to be so problematic. Here's a few looks from his latest collection:

While, unlike most his CSM peers, he aims to design for living people, there's so many fit and construction issues (strained buttons, gaping waistbands, puckered seams, wavy hems) for designer garments.
To me presentation definitely matters. Now, a fashion show doesn’t have to be a Dior/McQueen theatric spectacle, but at least have somewhat charismatic models who can walk, sell clothes, and look good in them.

Nowadays it’s all about who can have the biggest maze of a runway (so they can invite the most influencers) I think.
I think that the maze-runway phenomenon was done as a reaction to Chanel's iconic runway productions throughout the 00s and 10s (thanks Etienne Russo). The issue is that brands today are so focused on displaying power than emphasising the actual collection, that the staging becomes oppressive. The only brand today that really does this type of runway well is Saint Laurent, because of the very strong storytelling elements.
Broader statement that can be applied to any business/industry but I’ve always suspected the whole ‘woke phenomenon’ was just a way for a brand/business to be more risk-averse. You need serious capital to finance serious projects which would have higher return yield than say, a crowdfunded homegrown startup or whatever.

I think more and more companies/businesses/people though are realizing being ‘woke’ is not that potent of a risk deterrent they once assumed…so yes ‘go woke go broke’ is a thing (though not entirely true either). However being ‘woke’ does more to ensure you have a steady relationship to big creditors, ie banks, who can loan you the money you need for the big undertakings. Banks will drop you if you’re a neo-nazi for example.

How does this relate to fashion? Well same thing is going on, and has been going on, because it’s commercial (minor) art. Independent designers who don’t need that institutional backing might be more boundary pushing in their narrative/designs but I’m guessing at some point, if they want to scale, they’d want to tone it down…

On a final note, I remember coming across that NYT article on Elena Velez/business of fashion from a Bliss Foster video, and I looked at what that girl is doing now to finance her brand; she’s just schmoozing up to ‘right wing’ patrons ie Thiel, Red Scare, Praxis types. Maybe they have the money/connections/resources to help launch her into something bigger (I doubt it) but it shows the rise of alternate moneyed institutions could help counteract the homogenizing influence of conglomerates like LVMH (maybe for the worse, we’ll see…)
This could be a very risky route to take since the industry population is not only left-leaning, but very trigger-happy. Creating ties with right-wing figureheads could really damage her image, so she really needs to attract a customer base that isn't part of that art/fashion/political culture. This might mean looking for support beyond industry insiders.
 
I'd argue that fashion wanting to be an art is what caused "its downfall" take that however you will. I agree that couture can be an art. But fashion on its own? No. Brunelleschi's buildings are art, but a run of the mill apartment block? No.
No, not really. And Richard Meier's buildings (he's a rationalist who's focused on residential architecture) are far more art than Brunelleschi's. Like I said before, fashion is the ideal marriage of art, craft, design, and functionalism.
worrying about getting canceled or saying the wrong thing on social media, and on and on
I'm truly sorry for breaking this to you, but if you have zero bigotry in you, you will never have a reason to get cancelled.
Banks will drop you if you’re a neo-nazi for example.
And so should they for God's sake :shock: I think I never read in my life such a bunch of nonsense. So 'woke' is, according to you, benefitial to your wallet? Are you kidding me? We are living in a white supremacist, cis man led society.
 
Belgian schools seem to produce more convincing and capable avant-gardist designers.
And so have they done so for quite some time, it seems. Haider is one of my top 3 favorite designers of all time. He is one of the last real couturiers according to Gaultier himself. The man has rejected being CD at Margiela and many other prestigious fashion houses, I don't see his eponymous label doing any collections, but he's surely one of the most talented designers in our times. His fashion has the vintage allure of Galliano and others, but translated to a contemporary and modern language, some are immune to assimilate. It's probably because he's not your average cis or gay white dude.
 
No, not really. And Richard Meier's buildings (he's a rationalist who's focused on residential architecture) are far more art than Brunelleschi's. Like I said before, fashion is the ideal marriage of art, craft, design, and functionalism.
Sure, but I obviously wasn't referring to an architect like Richard Meier when I mentioned run of the mill apartment blocks...
 
Sure, but I obviously wasn't referring to an architect like Richard Meier when I mentioned run of the mill apartment blocks...
Apartment blocks are a nice analogy, but they're not translatable to people wearing clothes in real life. You can be poor, yet not be wearing ghetto, if you know what I mean. And you don't need to wear ultra expensive either, fashion is just about wise choices. And there are designers out there who offer wiser choices than others, which means a functional garment with a unique, artistic touch.
 
You obviously do not live in America.
And I thank my lucky stars I don't, because America is being controlled by a bunch of politicians with a neofascist agenda legislating against transexual people instead of tackling the real problems in order to please the fundamentalist Christian Republican wing and distract the general population by finding scapegoats. America's police kills black people indiscriminately and it is a country that criminalizes marginalized people. With all that being said, I really, really doubt that wokeness and cancel culture are the biggest problem that society has or that it has anything to do with the fashion industry affecting designers. Karl Lagerfeld was a giant racist bigot and mysognist and he was never cancelled, neither has any fashion designer I know other than Alexander Wang due to his sexual assault allegations.

I recommend anyone wanting to know the reasons for the current state of fashion to read the first 2 pages of this thread, where a lot of users offer a very thoughtful analysis on the topic. Skip the rest, because the anti-woke crowd decided to join and as per usual decided to blame everything on wokeness and cancel culture. Laughable, tone deaf, skewed but above all extremely ignorant. The Trumpian undertones of the last pages of this thread sends shivers down my spine.
 
Oh lord not more passé stuff. Very drole very old. Out of date ideas. We dont do anything out of date here. Me; personally, everything I do needs to be exotic foreign and unscrutible. I dont want anyone being familiar with anything about my lifestyle…

There are so many people in NYC or LA who still have their hippie mindset. I guess you are the new hippies…. Well - there are plenty of boutiques for you all work at. Like this is so normal for NYC. any 40+ sales rep you meet at like a prestige furniture store is a low key communist…. Those people are just the ones who refused to continue to be in society its simple.

I mean this is the problem with fashion right here. Some random person with nothing to add to the conversation. Just sh*tting on everything not improving anything. I believe the term for people like that is toxic.
 
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And I thank my lucky stars I don't, because America is being controlled by a bunch of politicians with a neofascist agenda legislating against transexual people instead of tackling the real problems in order to please the fundamentalist Christian Republican wing and distract the general population by finding scapegoats. America's police kills black people indiscriminately and it is a country that criminalizes marginalized people. With all that being said, I really, really doubt that wokeness and cancel culture are the biggest problem that society has or that it has anything to do with the fashion industry affecting designers. Karl Lagerfeld was a giant racist bigot and mysognist and he was never cancelled, neither has any fashion designer I know other than Alexander Wang due to his sexual assault allegations.

I recommend anyone wanting to know the reasons for the current state of fashion to read the first 2 pages of this thread, where a lot of users offer a very thoughtful analysis on the topic. Skip the rest, because the anti-woke crowd decided to join and as per usual decided to blame everything on wokeness and cancel culture. Laughable, tone deaf, skewed but above all extremely ignorant. The Trumpian undertones of the last pages of this thread sends shivers down my spine.
I certainly don't blame everything on "wokeness," as you say, but it's a huge part of the culture in America right now (as well as the rise of the far right) and to not mention it would be irresponsible when discussing the current atmosphere in media. And hey, I probably agree with you on many things -- I don't want to be here either, and I wish I could pick up and move to Europe lol. (But it's not so easy.)
 
And I thank my lucky stars I don't, because America is being controlled by a bunch of politicians with a neofascist agenda legislating against transexual people instead of tackling the real problems in order to please the fundamentalist Christian Republican wing and distract the general population by finding scapegoats. America's police kills black people indiscriminately and it is a country that criminalizes marginalized people. With all that being said, I really, really doubt that wokeness and cancel culture are the biggest problem that society has or that it has anything to do with the fashion industry affecting designers. Karl Lagerfeld was a giant racist bigot and mysognist and he was never cancelled, neither has any fashion designer I know other than Alexander Wang due to his sexual assault allegations.

I recommend anyone wanting to know the reasons for the current state of fashion to read the first 2 pages of this thread, where a lot of users offer a very thoughtful analysis on the topic. Skip the rest, because the anti-woke crowd decided to join and as per usual decided to blame everything on wokeness and cancel culture. Laughable, tone deaf, skewed but above all extremely ignorant. The Trumpian undertones of the last pages of this thread sends shivers down my spine.
‘Woke’ness isn’t the issue here, ideology (‘wokeness’ and ‘antiwokeness’ alike) is just mystification for people’s very real material interests. People on both sides are advancing these smoke and mirror ideological covers to cover their financial, material agendas. Companies do this by cynically deploying woke ideology, and so do the right wingers who make a killing commentating on how ‘woke ideology has gone too far!!’ They’re two sides of the same corrupt coin, and they’re symbiotically aligned with one another. The ‘culture war’ in America is just two idiots mouthing off to each other, while smiling all the way to the bank.
 
Let's talk about the fashion industry, please.

I always wonder if a collection is going to be produced (big quantity or very exclusive numbers) or the fashion show I'm looking at is just branding to sell shoes and bags. Which brands are the real main players of luxury pret a porter clothes? I heard d&g main business is pret a porter. Versace too. What about the parisian brands?

Why some brands relie on this model? Why don't they just show their bags in a show room? Is it less glamourous? Not to mention the conglomerates pulling the strings on all of this (except the independent brands).

And the million dollar question that plagues my brain: why does fashion relie so much on marketing? It was big before the internet, but now it's hemorrhagic. It doesn't make sense exclusive luxury brands having this much of exhibitionism towards the masses.
 
Why does fashion rely so much on marketing? Because most of the money comes from perfumes, licensing, accessories that the poors can afford, duh. Obviously someone like @Nimsay isn't buying this stuff.
 
Nostalgia...
Fashion now heavily relies on nostalgia whether it be with casting in runway shows or campaigns, even re-issues. People are so desperate for the "glory days" to come back, that they don't even realize how much it's hurting the industry creatively. Designers are trying to emulate what they did back then, instead of trying to come up with new innovative ideas but then again the consumers aren't looking for anything FRESH which makes it almost pointless to try and design something that no one will buy. Which is why I think they use nostalgia as their biggest marketing tool.
 
Why does fashion rely so much on marketing? Because most of the money comes from perfumes, licensing, accessories that the poors can afford, duh. Obviously someone like @Nimsay isn't buying this stuff.
Not all brands profit solely from perfume and bags. Dolce is a bona fide pret a porter brand, for example.

They do. And I have unspeakable words about the damage Gvasalia did for Balenciaga's name.

Luxury brands deserve to be mocked at the moment. They made their cheap, hyped, unsubstantial bed.
 

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