Over the last years, there have been a lot of discussions in the fashion world on creating a new fashion system. According to giants like Lidewij Edelkoort, the fashion system as we know it is “obsolete” and needs a reconfiguration. For many people like Li Edelkoort, the image that represents the fashion of today is the “Nothing Changes” jacket by Russian designer Tigran Avetisyan. When we interviewed Tigran for the July 2017 issue of InCompany by Attire Club, he explained that the jacket represented the way he was feeling about the state of the fashion world today. And, while many people love fashion and discovering new clothes, there is a feeling that some things should change in the fashion system.

Fashion and textiles are the world’s 4^th largest value creator. This good standing of the style industry could be the reason why people in the business are so reticent to change: if you have something that works, why change it? How can you be certain that the things you will change will have positive results and not negative ones?

Despite this, one thing is for sure. As a recent Bloomberg article said, “apparel has simply lost its appeal”. What this means is that, while people are still interested in buying new clothes and accessories, the trend is a decrease in demand.

The main problems

There are more possible reasons for this phenomenon.

One, that the “fast fashion” trend has made clothing less interesting. The oversaturation of the market makes people place less value on the clothes. 2018 is said to bring back the big labels, like Supreme did in 2017. In 1967, Roland Barthes wrote that “it is not the object but the name that creates desire; it is not the dream but the meaning that sells.” This is the concept on which luxury brands rely and are always looking to reinvent. And, for their respective markets, it works. But how about for a larger, more mainstream market? What are the values behind everyday clothes?

Two, the heavy discussions, or better said conflicts over the very concept of “identity” that have been at the forefront of news and legislation in the Western world make people be more reticent to clothes. For those in West, clothes are very strongly connected to identity and in a context where identity is in crisis, people tend to shy away from investing in new clothes, as apparel is deeply connected to our identity as individuals and as group members. On the other hand, the people in the non-Western world, while they are still buying enough clothes, are not very sure what attitudes and visions they want to encourage. They are careful about where their money goes.

Thirdly, fashion is not in tandem with the desires of the market at large. Given that clothes and style in general has become so political, the world of fashion has become extremely exclusive. All those who are not interested in the political messages of clothes tend to feel left out. In the menswear sector we are seeing a strong discrepancy between the wants of men and the offer of the market. The clothing offered today is simply not interesting enough for the markets and, more than that, the overall image of the modern man is disconnected from what many men on a global level demand. In other words, the identities proposed by many brands don’t overlap with the identities modern men have or want to have.

Solutions

Digital technologies

There are some relevant things that are most likely to mark the new shifts in fashion over the coming years.

The latest developments in digital technologies will have a tremendous impact on the world of fashion. The fashion system will integrate blockchain technologies, which will lead to an increase in the buyer’s experience and will add to the system’s transparency. Moreover, cryptocurrencies will play a role in how fashion is sold and bought.

As technology progresses, clothes and accessories will become integrated in what is called today the “Internet of Things”. Clothes will have a lot of technology integrated in them, which will be connected to the rest of the things we do, listen to, read, watch and even eat. For example, your clothes could take measurements of your body’s metrics, make an evaluation and give tips on improving your diet. This may sound a bit sci-fi, but in the January 2018 issue of InCompany by Attire Club, Pierre-Alexandre Fournier of Hexoskin gave details on how his brand’s clothes will give the wearer great insight into their state of health.

If this technology will mix with others, such as with clothes that measure the quality of the air around you and so on, one will be able to have a lot of insight into their own presence just by wearing clothes and checking their tablet or whatever device will be fashionable.

Slow fashion

A second thing that will bring change to the fashion system is the birth or rebirth of slow fashion. Many designers today are becoming more and more interested in creating clothes that are not line-produced, that are unique and that follow slow craft work. The future might very well be a combination between old craft and new technologies.

It is not clear how the fashion system will change. The most probable scenario is to have a rebranding of both the very meaning of clothes and of the way we relate to them. It is of the highest importance to make sure that we don’t change the things that work well and that are great about fashion, as much of what fashion is already should not change.

The fashion world is a strong and stable giant and there are many microsystems in it that work very well. However, certain things will demand a change whether we like it or not and thus, fashion insiders should be careful in the way they conduct their work in the years to come.

Fraquoh and Franchomme

The main problems

Solutions

Digital technologies

Slow fashion

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