There are many discussions today about the changes that are going on in the fashion world. The advent of new means of communication and the rapid change in technology we’ve seen over the last 17 years has marked many aspects of culture, including fashion.
In this time, fashion blogging has become a very important part of fashion, but it has already seen its first crisis, see-it, buy-it concepts have taken over, live streaming of fashion shows has changed the ways we relate to fashion and online shopping has also contributed to a wide democratization of fashion. While it is great that everyone has easy access to fashion, this has also had some adverse effects, which now the fashion world needs to attend.
The fashion world has remained behind in some ways, but what is sure is that it has spread itself really thin. This caused a rather big decrease in quality in fashion overall. While many brands, especially luxury brands have managed to maintain big standards and to keep improving their work, the overall state of fashion has gone down.
In 2015, Lidewij Edelkoort, one of the most respected trend forecasters of the world, released a much talked about manifesto called “Anti_Fashion”, in which she declared that the fashion system as we know it is irrelevant today. In it, Edelkoort discusses education, materials, manufacturing, retailing, designers, fashion shows, the press and the consumers and breaks down the ways in which these interact and work today.
What Li has noticed is that the quality of the things that are related to fashion has decreased and that the fashion world is becoming a caricature of itself.
This is why we need to make some changes in the fashion system in order for it to sustain itself and be able to develop and become a big thing again.
There are many hopes we have for the fashion world and we’re contributing to making them happen. For example, we’re hoping that young designers as well as consumers will become more educated in the field of fashion. One thing we’ve noticed, that the Dutch forecaster also points out is that many people today misuse many fashion terms and concepts. “We have seen, for example, in major magazines such as Vogue or Marie-Claire triumphant announcements rejoicing in the return of prints. Do your homework madam editors and stop talking about prints when what is meant is actually jacquard” as Edelkoort explains.
While education will have a lot of impact on fashion, there are other things we hope will change as well. For example, we are looking forward to seeing a come-back of high fashion. We’re not only looking forward to it, we’re expecting it. As one of our main forecasts for the coming seasons (it won’t happen quite yet, but maybe in a few years from now it might start), we believe that high-end clothing will make a strong come-back. We will see masterpieces walk the runways of the world in a few years’ time.
What we would love to see besides this is a high-fashion world in terms of menswear. So far, men have not had a really high-fashion world since the dandies. Wouldn’t that come-bakc be really amazing?
Another thing we’re hoping to witness is the comeback of the supermodel. Think Linda Evangelista in the 1990s. Today’s so-called supermodels are social media presences, they’re barely impactful women.
Also, when it comes to fashion shows, we would love to see a come-back of energy and boldness. While conceptual fashion shows that move slowly and don’t present much “so you can contemplate the so-called amazing clothes” might have been interesting ten years ago, we’re hoping to look at a more eclectic runway world. This is very much connected with our hope of the come-back of high fashion and with the come-back of the supermodel. As Michael Kors always says, it’s a fashion show, meaning there has to be a strong emphasis on a spectacle created through fashion. More people should listen to Michael.
There are many things that we’re hoping will change in the fashion world. There are already so many amazing designers, editors, photographers, bloggers and models who are working on reshaping fashion. We’re sure that if the fashion system would see a revolution, we’d also see a revolution and a growth in maturity not only in the clothes we wear, but in culture at large.
Fashion is always striving to be better, to be more and we’re definitely encouraging the people who add their shoulder to making a change.
Fraquoh and Franchomme
Further reading:
Trend forecasting: Fashion Weeks ahead (2017/2018)
Is there a crisis in fashion blogging?
What were the most-searched for fashion questions in 2016? And how Attire Club had the answers
Fashion forward: Keywords of 2016. Where to next?
P.S. We want to hear from you! What do you think of the current state of fashion? Is it good, can it be improved? What are your hopes? Share your feedback, questions or thoughts in the comments below! For more articles on style, fashion tips and cultural insights, you can subscribe to Attire Club via e-mail or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!