The Domination of Ugly in Fashion and Politics

Whether it be reading the troubling news or scrolling through the flood of street style photographs on Instagram, it seems recently things have become a lot more ugly. According to Lyst, the leading global fashion search platform, “Ugly” was one of the most searched terms in fashion for 2017 thanks to a dominance of fanny-packs, wedgie-inducing jeans, and bulky puffer jackets featured heavily on the catwalk. The global trend has escalated especially within the footwear segment with Birkenstocks, Crocs, Uggs and in particular the chunky “Dad” sneaker legitimised by leading designers within high fashion, including Christopher Kane and Dema Gsavalia for Balenciaga and Vetements.

Within the field of fashion ugly is now respected - it is unexpected, provocative, an unflinching punch. Ugly is more interesting than the conventional notion of pretty because it gets people talking and shifts our compass of aesthetic norms and expectations. As exemplified by the collections by the likes of Miuccia Prada, promoting “ugly” design offers something new to the conversation and often acts as a catalyst for further design innovation. While the current trend for ugly arises from a mix of factors including a priority of comfort over style and an increased nostalgia for 90’s throw-backs, the composition of a general trend is much more carefully calculated and out of a consumer’s own control. Case and point: Miranda Priestly in the Devil Wears Prada explains in the famous cerulean blue sweater scene-

In a FT interview Lauren Santo Domingo, contributing editor at US Vogue and co-founder of the online luxury retailer Moda Operandi, stated that for a consumer to be convinced in a purchase, they need to see it three times: 1) on the catwalk, 2) in the form of an editorial spread, and 3) finally in store. Throughout the process, the product never changes, but the context does. This clear-cut process can even be applied to the most demanding items… enter the Gucci fur loafers AW15. Trend making can be a calculated journey which makes consumers believe own sartorial decisions are purely individual but in truth are more often decided by higher powers and subsequently trickled down.

Why else would people buy platform Balenciaga Crocs for £350? Why else would people vote for a repugnant bully like Donald Trump for President?

Placing the process of fashion trend dissemination to political exploitation is the Cambridge Analytica whistleblower and PhD in fashion trend forecaster Christopher Wylie. As reported in The Observer, Wylie stated "Trump is like a pair of Uggs, or Crocs, basically. So how do you get from people thinking ‘Ugh. Totally ugly’ to the moment when everyone is wearing them?"

The same way “ugly” becomes a global trend - calculated repetition and visibility of the product.

By using the data harvested from over 87 million Facebook users, Trump was repeatedly presented again and again, in form of various tailor-made, targeted ads representing a trustworthy candidate who gets the job done. An all-American who was smeared by the fake news. A hero tackling the political correctness of the liberal establishment. You get it. They are wrong. They are “losers”. You have hopped on board a trend, a movement of something bigger.

You are wearing the Crocs instead of a hand-crafted pair of Manolo’s at the dinner party.

In fashion, trends come and go and through the digital landscape, they are extinguished as rapidly as they pop up suggesting Trump’s moment in the spotlight will soon become last season and tossed in the clearance pile. But it frightens me to think what comes next?

Europe: New Creative Frontiers

Saturday’s atrocious terror attack on London Bridge and Borough Market replayed a heart-wrenching narrative, one we have heard much too often, flooding waves of sadnesses and shock over the banks of the Thames. However, heading to university this morning on the Tube with my fellow Londoners I did not see fear and apprehension - I saw unity and compassion. If anything, people looked again into each others eyes as you passed one another, and even smiled. This is London!

Last night’s One Love concert organised by Ariana Grande in honour of the Manchester attacks only exemplified this relentless strength and even as I watched through a Facebook livestream got goosebumps as I watched police dance with families, Liam Gallagher belting “Live Forever” Justin Bieber and 50,000 people chant Love! Love! Love! and Ariana sing a touching rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”. What a time to be alive and witness such compassion and love.

However, as Prime Minister Theresa May stated in her powerful speech, these are barbaric events and the world we live in is changing. Therefore, so must our approaches and actions.

Now, I need to take a step back.

I write about fashion and planned before the terrible events to recap on a fantastic panel discussion I watched at the Hyères Fashion Festival regarding Europe and its new creative frontiers. The events this weekend stressed that future of Europe remains uncertain - with shifting teutonic plates politically, socially and environmentally. Thus I’d say it is (even in the context of fashion) worth examining what impact does this uncertainty mean on future creativity.

The discussion was chaired by renowned fashion commentator Godfrey Deeny, with an illustrious panel: fashion editor of la Repubblica Simone Marchetti, designer Boris Bidjan Saberi, designer Peeter Ilison, general director of Paco Rabanne Bastien Daguzan and Eric Peters responsible for the EU’s drive to guarantee a single digital market.

On that hot April afternoon, in the gardens of Villa Noailles the sun was beaming through the plastic greenhouse-like tent where the panel was held (it was quite funny seeing fashion heavy weights including Pascal Morand - president of the Chambre Syndicale- forced to wear ill-fitted polyester blue baseball caps to shield from the blinding rays) making it a dream location for some serious chin scratching thoughts.

Many compelling points were made, beginning with the importance of culture and meaning. Culture and art have the distinct ability to reflect society, and are thus able to show fractures within a system, often foreshadowing major events. One of the most recent fashion examples foreshadowing such change is Demna Gvasalia’s sartorial revolution. The creative head of both Balenciaga and Vetements has offered an “anti- fashion” approach. His “norm-core” designs including sweatshirts and provocative t-shirts are an antithesis to perfectly coiffed couture, shamelessly challenging the status quo of Parisian Mode.

In an interview with Suzy Menkes, Gvasalia stated that "Young people want a change; there is a certain Zeitgeist that we feel everywhere - not people of my generation, but under us, people who are 20 now… Even in Paris, which is a very conservative city, the young generation is hungry for change.”

However, Boris stated that young brands such as Vetements must also think of the long term and not just look at quarterly bottom line profits. Culture can only be generated through time and as things speed up continuously, we start to lose that meaningful exchange and creative purpose. This is a huge problem and could potentially inhibit future innovations.

Apropos future: another main theme revolved around the new generation - the new kids on the block. Boris stated that kids today don't know anything, can’t do anything, are difficult, and are just Google kids... As I wrote his comments with my pen in my notebook, I stir in agitation at this very unfair accusation. Marchetti too found this remark to be very false stating that kids today experience knowledge differently from previous generations, and that is ok! He added his generation has the responsibility to act like a bridge connecting the old with the new.

In regards to Italy, Marchetti emphasised the importance of fashion to the future of the Italian economy - a continuous stimulator for growth. 2016 saw turnover in the Italian fashion sector of €83.6 billion - more valuable than the Italian car industry thank you very much!

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UMwftLlrQQ[/embed]

Although the Italian economy struggles, the Italian fashion sector keeps growing, due to the increasing  global demand for highest quality craftsmanship and for the “human made”. Brands such as Dolce and Gabbana and Valentino respond to this trend and are investing in their people through training, education and opportunities to learn and develop skills.

On a European context, the luxury consumer is looking for the unique and individual - small niche boutiques offering the exceptional. Not something mass-produced which everyone else has. A wonderful trend shifting away from often devastating outcomes of the mass-market, making way for diversity and more creativity (not industry group think). This compliments the trend we also see on the supply side. Gone are the days of new talent aspiring to work for the big brands of Louis Vuitton or Prada. No, now it’s about collaborating with small teams, being independent, being true to a creative vision and a unique offering - thinking local not global.

With fashion schools and events such as Hyères providing generous sponsorships and through communicating through social media, it is easier than ever to get your vision out into the world. Peeter however stated that as a young designer, his digital platform is more like his business card and that having a physical store is still very important as you need to feel and experience the product. See not all millennials are tech obsessed. 

The big message for sustaining a positive future for Europe was the need for generating dialogue and encourage open cultural exchange and collaboration. This is when the good stuff comes out. Europe has deep roots in tradition and heritage. Those roots will helps weather the storm of volatility and allow the industry to look ahead and to flourish to new heights.

In not only a creative context, Europe today more than ever is united and motivated to conquer today’s biggest threats including climate change and terrorism. There is a very exciting energy bubbling under the surface full of determination and new ideas. Despite deep tragedy, we see optimism and hope.

And I’d like to end this piece with a quote Marchetti added - and this is one of my favourite quotes from the festival and sums up our love of fashion so perfectly:

Fashion is not about clothes. Fashion is about stories and dreams. We need that.

Yes we do, especially today.

Fashion Disruption: Vetements

Whether you love them or hate them (or in my case both) Vetements is riding the wave of flux and are flourishing under new circumstances, rewriting the rules of logistics, collaboration, and the often turbulent relationship between creative and management.

Change is in the air. From every corner of our global society whether it be politically, economically or socially there is uncertainty and instability unravelling in full force with most of us asking “How do we get out of this mess?” The tectonic plates of what we have believed or at least have accepted  as our norm have shifted and we begin to reluctantly tiptoe into a new era possibly filled with revolution. I have always been mesmerised as to how fashion captures the zeitgeist and takes a sugarcoated snapshot of contemporary PESTLE forces, representing ideas and beliefs of the present, one day providing future generations reference of what went on. Hence we are living through a disruption period in fashion as well due to ch-ch-ch-changes from powerful forces in fast fashion, the lack of desire for certain products, inconsistent timing and seasonality of shows, social media and the dominance of e-commerce with new ways people purchase items today. That being said, there is no magic potion solution to tackle all of these problems at once- but one thing is for sure: each brand needs to reevaluate their own strategies and adapt to the new preconditions on the competitive landscape and no one is doing this better than Vetements.

Whether you love them or hate them (or in my case both) Vetements is riding the wave of flux and are flourishing under new circumstances, rewriting the rules of logistics, collaboration, and the often turbulent relationship between creative and management.

Vetements debuted in September 2014 with Georgian born brother super-duo at the helm: -Mario and Luigi - JOKES! Demna and Gurum Gvasalia the latter CEO and the former creative director. Impressively, within a couple of seasons, international press gushed about their rebellious aesthetic, comparing Vetements to the likes of Martin Margiela (where Demna trained) and as a reincarnation of the Antwerp 6. Think early 90s with low street fashion notes and atypical, asymmetrical tailoring. The brand quickly became one of the must-see shows of Paris (along with Chanel, Dior, ect...) and it was the presentation of SS16 which grabbed the attention of not only the fashion folk- but anyone who happens to read a newspaper and wears clothes. It was the DHL t-shirt which sparked outrage, controversy, and ogling due to the price of £245 a pop. The DHL uniform can be bought for $5 from DHL... Not only t-shirts, but also casual hoodies printed with Leo and Kate's face on it demand astronomical prices. Was this a statement? A joke on the pack mentality of fashion? A social experiment proving that you can charge any price you want if considered cool?

In an interview, Demna even stated he wouldn't pay that price for clothes- he would rather go on a holiday. The joke is on us. Statement aside, the boys seem to poses the Midas touch, where everything they send down the runway is immediately sold out on luxury e-commerce sites like Matches and Net-a-Porter. While most brands today struggle to stay afloat and are dependent on profits in make up, perfumes and accessories, Vetements is one of the few labels to be financially independent with their ready to wear collections. One reason for their success boils down to the solid and transparent relationship between creative and management teams. Being brothers, it is inevitable to have brilliant communications and fluidity and it is this synergy which most labels are lacking. Decisions are made together and each is involved in every business and creative decision, setting the example that “no man is an island” - especially not in the management of a fashion company.

One specific example of merging creativity and management brilliantly was at the SS17 presentation from this July. The collection was shown at the beginning of Couture week attracting buyers, press, and  personalities who were conveniently already in Paris. First of all, how brave must they have been to have gone to the Fédération française de la couture and requested to present their ready to wear men's and women's show during couture week- a display of the world's most prestigious fashions. Provocative? Yes. Smart? Absolutely! Not only were all of the most important people in town, but Vetements showed months ahead of competition who normally display their ready to wear collections at fashion week later this September. This gives (a) more time to buyers when purchasing stock and (b) more time to suppliers to manufacture the goods.

Apropos suppliers: the SS17 collection emphasised the potential and brilliance of collaboration in fashion, made even more evident as it was presented at the Galeries Lafayette with competing brands vanishing in the background. Vetements collaborated with Doc Martins, Levi’s, Juicy Couture (tell Paris Hilton the track is back), Canada Goose, Reebok, Champion, Eastpak, Manolo Blahnik and many more to deliver a collection made out of the expertise of others. And why not? There are so many incredible labels with specific advantages which could be implemented elsewhere into a truly incredible product. This idea isn't revolutionary but it is worth exploring further especially in terms of reaching sustainability, efficiency, and elevating quality designs. This shift in thought leads Demna to believe in the end of an era of the single designer of a house and that a network of multiple seperate creatives working together is the future or in other words fashion utopia. It makes sense though - who can replace a Giorgio Armani or a Karl Lagerfeld? In a world of globalisation a network approach seems to make much more sense with different cultures and nationalities excelling in different practices.

Clearly Vetements are single-handedly shaking up the industry and are embracing the shift in the macro-environment. Instead of passively complaining - adapting to uncertainty means action! Proactive indeed-I mean how impressive is it that after only 2 years the label already has a brand personality and look recognisable even to the untrained eye? In this regard anyone interested in fashion can only applaud them and take notes on the effect upon the future of the industry. Talent and intellect- unquestionable - however…

In my own personal opinion, I find Vetements pretentious and misleading as a “democratic” brand. What exactly are you paying for with a t-shirt or a hoody which costs hundreds of pounds? The inspiration is of street youth and skater boy culture - many of which are unemployed, barely able to afford rent. With all this talk of “appropriation” wouldn't this be considered as offensive? Vetements strives to be cool, nonchalant, “whatever dude” but contradicts this whole persona as it is only bought by the incredibly wealthy. Rebellious, provocative design but without a true cause. The clothes act as disposable and if I can compare them to anything: they are as fulfilling as a 'like' on Instagram - a jolt of excitement and satisfaction, boosting the good ole ego, but after a few minutes forgotten and onto the next thing please. I question how relevant Vetements will be in the long term, when competing with traditional maisons. Short-lived, shocking, shareable. But then again fashion reflects our times and I must admit no one is doing it quite as accurately as Vetements.