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Why the Anti-Aging Industry is Damaging to Society
The anti-aging industry is based off a novelty, a novelty that I think consumers need to be aware of. To put it plainly: society convinces us that we need to look younger (we don’t) and companies profit off our insecurities. Companies are constantly looking for new ideas to ‘reverse aging’, and I think we need to realise that this isn’t possible… When I was younger, all I wanted to be was a grown up; now I’m an adult, I’ve realised I was kidding myself. Instilled into society is a need to look younger. The fashion and beauty industry force a desire to look young and radiant. By doing this, they…
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The Forbidden Beauty of Age in Fashion
Everybody ages, that’s a given. Yet the image of age is very rarely represented in the fashion world and is sometimes frowned upon. OK, you’re right, there are symbols of older beauty in popular culture, with people like Idris Elba and George Clooney winning the title of Sexiest Man Alive in their older years. But although they may have had a grey hair here and there, they hadn’t even reached 50 when the earned the title. The absence of age in beauty standards In the age of representing diversity, the fashion industry is performing poorly. Most brands that we see and consume have standard for their models. Their models are…
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Does the Fashion Industry Have an Ageism Problem?
The discussions surrounding diversity and inclusivity in the fashion industry are now commonplace. Yet these discussions tend to rarely extended to include the lack of age varied representation, particularly the older generation. Ageing is a process of life, so why is it that this process, through the older generation, less represented than the younger counterparts? With the lack of representation through advertising and targeting clothing brands, there could be a gap in the market. Fashion can be about self-expression and inclusivity. Fashion cannot be fully diversified whilst a demographic of customers are not seeing themselves represented and reflected within the industry. Is fashion catered towards young people? There is a…
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How #OOTD Has Created a Global Fashion Community
It is with no doubt that the online world has put fashion at its forefront. Along with gaming, beauty and blogs, fashion is one of the most popular categories of content on the internet today. From buying online to admiring online, it is clear that influencer culture and #OOTD have successfully created a fashion community that can be accessed anytime, anywhere. #OOTD – Outfit of the day Instagram was launched on the 6th October 2010, with the app gaining 25,000 users in one day. Since then, it has become one of the most influential apps on the market and has created a world full of influencer culture and brand deals.…
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York Fashion Week: A Week for Community
York Fashion Week debuted in 2018 as a way to showcase the creative talents of York’s community, as well as inviting in fashion from all over the UK. It spans the length of the city, taking over venues big and small, coordinating workshops, runway shows and activities for both residents and visitors of York. Having been postponed in 2020, previous years have featured bridal events, live mannequin shop window displays and talks from top fashion designers, as well as famous high street brands. It is encapsulated as ‘eight days to celebrate creative designers, elaborate fashions, thriving high street brands and exciting independent brands and businesses… a dynamic range of events…
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Sustainable fashion: The community you want to be a part of
2020 has been a chaotic year; politics has become so polarised, the world has gone into lockdown, and our climate is descending into madness. But in reality, this could be our future if we don’t act now. 2020 was the year to save our planet and to hold the big industries accountable. 2020 was the year to redeem ourselves, but the pandemic has diverted our gaze to the immediate threats we’re facing. It’s time to make our consumption sustainable. Climate crisis Environmental activists have been flooding the media with statements trying to draw the world’s attention to our planet’s cry for help. We are rapidly depleting our resources and most…
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Support Local: Fashion, Compassion and Community
As we are well into the second lockdown in the UK, it is more important than ever to feel a part of and support the fashion community. And what better way to do this than to support your local and independent fashion businesses! Essentially, you’re unessential Throughout this year, so many workers have been told that their businesses are non-essential. But what the government fail to recognise is that for many, keeping their business alive and profitable is essential for their livelihoods. It is said that it takes two to three years for a new business to become profitable, and for new businesses in lockdown, I will do the math…
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How fashion can unite and divide communities
Fashion can unite and divide communities. It has the ability to shape and identify communities. The iconography it creates within some communities can have connotations which cannot be removed. Communities have a tendency to be intensely insular sometimes to their detriment. Thus, fashion used to identify groups can not only unite the community wearing the items but isolate them from the communities not wearing them. Portraying fashions usage as an instrument to unite and divide communities. Its employment as a political component or social agent to unite people against or in favour of a cause is fascinating. The use of an everyday element such as clothing to express opinions is what…
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Is the rise of e-commerce destroying the high street?
Without technology and the e-commerce market, we wouldn’t have access to the everchanging fashion trends society goes through. By the click of a button, we can instantly see what the world is wearing, and change our styles accordingly. Yet, is the rise of technological fashion having a detrimental effect on the high street? It goes without saying that 2020 has challenged retail, with online flash sales becoming increasingly more frequent for stores to get rid of their stock. Many people (including me) crave retail therapy, and with the closing of clothing stores, customer service is non-existent. The rise of technology has opened many doors for the future of fashion, and…
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The Horror Story of the Fashion World
Simply put, we are killing the planet. And one of the big contributors to this is the fashion industry. It is the third biggest pollutant on the planet and it continues to rip through our natural resources on a daily basis. We have the solution right under our noses, yet we still do nothing. We, as consumers, need to become more aware of the impact this industry is having. Our money is single-handedly funding our planet’s demise and the majority of us have no idea how. The life cycle of fashion The life cycle of your typical fashion garment is probably a bit of a mystery to most – other…
