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Driving diversity: how Virgil Abloh is fixing fashion
Diversity isn’t just about skin colour, it’s so much more than that. We’re talking about gender, sexual preferences, age, physical abilities, and religious beliefs to name a few. It isn’t just about “making up the numbers” to fill a quota. Diversity is crucial to providing equal opportunities to all. The Equality Act of 2010 was a step in the right direction for modern diversity and equality in the workplace. It brought together acts dating back to the 1970s to early 2000s such as: Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003 Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 So how is it possible that still to this day, we…
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Does Fashion Have an Ageism Problem?
Diversity is a hot topic in the fashion world, however, one of its lesser known elements – ageism – is rarely covered. We are used to seeing young, vibrant figures lining the pages of magazines or striding down the catwalk, but we never think to question it. Why aren’t there more older models, and why does most fashion seem to be aimed at younger people? Unfortunately, ageism is an issue that is rife across a wide variety of industries, but fashion’s unwillingness to accommodate for older people is particularly glaring in an age of mass consumption and rapid fashion industry growth. Missing mature models Models are a major part of…
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Are Fast Fashion Brands Overpowering the Market of Sustainable Fashion?
Sustainable fashion brands are still competing to win over consumers of fast fashion brands. Fast fashion brands are heavily advertised resulting in consumers shopping more with these brands than those that are sustainable. Changes are necessary and consumers are educated and shop with sustainable brands, to protect the future of the environment. Sustainable fashion Sustainable fashion refers to how the clothing will affect the environment – in production, through sales and how it’s then transported and creates waste. There is an increase in demand for sustainable fashion. People are more considerate and educated of the effects their actions have upon the environment. Some are aware of the damaging consequences fast…
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The Fashion Industry & Diversity: What’s the Deal?
In the past, fashion was centered around painfully thin models. Brands looked for the same body shapes with almost no diversity shown. The fit models that we saw online appeared to follow that same criteria. The industry showed no representation of the average body shape and it was hard to relate to for many women. We were once surrounded by a manipulated portrayal of beauty. Women were encouraged to believe that there was only one perception of the perfect body shape. The body shape that flooded adverts, campaigns and runways was a far cry from the that of the average female. The industry had almost prevented us from accepting ourselves.…
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Is the Future of Fashion Really Female?
It is a common belief that the fashion industry is one which is built for women, but controlled by men. While the patriarchal foundation of the industry confirms this, it does not have to stay this way. It is time we start to look beyond what the fashion industry is, and begin to question its future. What does the future of fashion mean to us, and how do we get there? “The Future is Female” This was the primary slogan for Prabal Gurung’s New York Fashion Week show back in 2017. Gurung stated that feminism is not just a trend, but an ongoing movement to showcase female talents and overcome…
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White-Washing and Cultural Pick-Pocketing: Token Diversity and Why it’s a Problem
Why is token diversity so problematic? Does it hold a mirror up to the whitewashed walls of high fashion? Or does it actually reveal the failing mechanics behind an industry dominated for too long by white noise, marred by our inability to confront the issues of underrepresentation? In November 2019, Elle Germany faced backlash after its ‘Back to Black’ issue featured a white model on the cover. Complete with the tagline “Models of colour were never in demand as they are now”, the magazine had made a clear misjudgement. By implying that models of colour are somehow a trend, Naomi Campbell called it “highly insulting” in her address to the…
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Dress for Success: How Fashion Can Empower Women
Dress for Success: What do your clothes say about you? What does it mean to dress for success? Your clothes are a reflection of you. They are a visual statement of how you see yourself. The first impression you can make on a person whether that’s in the workplace or personal life. Clothes tell the world a story. They give strangers an insight into your values, personality traits, beliefs, and mood. We’ve all heard the phrase ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’. Yet in reality several industries profit off our desire for beautiful product packaging, eye-catching colour combinations and appealing book sleeves. Thus, it seems although we are reluctant…
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Habits: Combating Our Collective Habit of ‘One-Time-Wear’
Just another thing to leave behind in 2020. Unloading how social media reinforces the habit of one-time-wear and how to avoid it. Where did this habit come from? Why is the habit deemed bad? There are three main reasons why one-time-wear is not something you should encourage or contribute towards. Firstly, it is an endless cycle of consumerism (which fashion brands know and will use this to persuade you!). You may buy a new blouse for the weekend, then when it comes to the following week, you feel the need to buy another. Brands often use this as a marketing strategy, which can explain why you may get several discount…
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How Pretty Packaging Influences Consumer Behaviour
Packaging of products is the main selling point for many competitive companies. If the product is shiny with a bow on top, we run to it like moths to a flame. Personally, I am definitely more enticed by Kylie Jenner’s lip kits rather than M.U.A sold at your local SuperDrug. But, why? Why does something have to look good for us to be interested? The answer: psychology. How Our Brains Work Psychical beauty is the initial attraction we have to humans and other things. This is typically because one of the first senses we use is sight. We first notice attractiveness and then we start associating this with other positive…
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How Does Fashion Change the Way We Work?
Global affairs and recurring trends have always influenced fashion in a very noticeable way. One very noticeable trend being the movement towards sustainability and away from fast fashion. Yet we often overlook the everyday impact fashion has on our psychological mindset. How do you feel when you put on your favourite pair of jeans? Does wearing office attire feel the same way? The difference may be small, but the impact on our mindset has determined the business casual dress code for decades. Often without realising, the clothes we put on can impact the way we work psychologically and consequently how we work in the office. Yet recently the offices are…
