013 - WHY FASHION MATTERS

Notes and quotes from this book.

If I am to merge fashion and technology it is important to have background and historical knowledge in both these fields.

Fashion matters. To the economy, to society and to each of us personally. Faster than anything else, what we wear tells the story of who we are - or who we want to be. Fashion is the most immediate and intimate form of self expression.

Fashion's darks side : eating disorders, lack of ethnic representation, water and resource depletion, the exploitation of vulnerable workers.

Fashion is all about the art of self adornment.

Haute couture follows strict rules : it must design made-to-order garments for private clients, with one or more fittings necessary. It must maintain a workshop in Paris that employs at least 15 people full-time and show 2 collections each year in Paris (January and July) with each one comprised of at least 35 outfits for both day and evening wear.

Anachronism : something belonging to or appropriated to another period other than that in which it exists.

According to LEVI's, over 3000L of water will be used during a full product lifecycle of a single pair of jeans.

Technology and its creation of an ever-increasing number of fashion-savy, international consumers have led to further contradictions. The internet has made geography and the seasons irrelevant. Online, fashion is expected to evolve 24 hours a day, 365 dyas a year – and crucially, it can.

Fashion and feminism :

Fashion is frivolous and fun. Politics, intellectual engagement and fashion are not mutually exclusive, whatever side of the political spectrum you fall on.

If we all extended the use of a garment by 9 months – which according to studies would mean making it last 3 years – we could save $8 billion a year on the cost of resources used to manufacture, launder and dispose of clothing. The carbon water and waste footprints of our clothes would be reduced by 20 to 30 percent. Surely 9 months isn’t too long to ask?

- However, what does this mean to fashion companies and retailers, would they need to slow down their production in order to adapt this new lifestyle? Would they lose out on profits? Does this lifestyle benefit everyone?

Here is an interesting article by The Guardian which talks about this book. It really presents the goods and the bads of fashion. If used well, fashion could have such a vast positive effect.

https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/fashion-blog/2014/apr/23/fashion-really-does-matter