Style Industries London: Buy Better Not More Of

In this second response to Colin’s Column on the Business Of Fashion Blog dated 4^th June entitled “The Great Gatsby and the Epidemic of pornography masquerading as style”, I discuss the following. Colin’s overarching message that the fashion world has a lot to answer for regarding uncontrolled excess; the so called drooling over the lifestyles of the super rich; the lack of critique and debate for designers and their collections; and the endless pages given over to the usual high-end design conglomerates. Pornography masquerading as style is deserving of a separate response. A somewhat complex set of points racked with contradictions so huge, they may be in danger of dwarfing the contradiction that Gatsby is!

Has uncontrolled excess permeated the psyche of all walks of life? Check out the shoppers filing out of Primark, laden with numerous bags brimming with clothes. All for the princely sum of £50 I expect. An image a far cry from what Colin was thinking while he wrote his article I imagine, but very much connected to the complexity of excess. It’s not the cash that is excessive it is the volume of items. Can these said items be looked upon as vulgar and vacuous purchases? Perhaps these shoppers are “drooling over the lifestyles of super rich”, as Colin refers to, and there habitual excessive buying stems from wanting to emanate the lives of the super rich? Has the fashion industry (from designer to high street retailer) been responsible for a consumer who is never satisfied and always wants more? I imagine so. The scary part is, I am responsible, having worked and still do in the fashion business, and allowed myself to be sucked into excessive purchasing at times. Although is it time we all took responsibility? More to the point is it sustainable and responsible for the large retailers to keep producing “cheap” clothes? Lowering the price of fashion has certainly fuelled the greed and allowed excessive shopping to flourish. Not to mention the dreadful conditions some clothing is made in, another subject entirely. When fashion consumerism is perpetually participated in, can we label it as addictive? Hold on though, what’s wrong with wanting the latest, greatest, gorgeousness? We all want to look good don’t we? This is where the hamster wheel comes to mind. Is the desire to want to buy into the next fashion trend and look good, like being on a hamster wheel? Never quite reaching a point of satisfaction and therefore addicted?

Is it sustainable and responsible to keep purchasing? Do we need more clothes? I imagine not. But then, selling fashion is big business and retailers and high end designers are happy feeding a wanting market, it’s their lively hood after all. Mine too! So is it time for us all to question what we are doing including the fashion glossies and celebrity driven magazines who influence our desire to purchase perhaps more than we realize? Colin’s comment about “the so called drooling over the lifestyles of the super rich” does exist I believe. The influence of the super rich play a significant part in our purchasing patterns, especially with the growth of celebrity culture during the past 15 years and the reporting of it by the big glossies. This brings me on to the point Colin makes about the lack of critique for the high-end designers largely due to the risk of losing a large advertiser. High-end designers owned by large conglomerates essentially monopolize magazine editorial and advertising space, and in essence have magazine owners over a barrel financially. The result is editorial space devoid of a wider source of design innovation, the big names like Prada, Chanel, Chloe and Versace dominate. I happen to like some of what Prada, Chloe, Chanel and Versace produce, but I don’t want it forced fed to me every season, with a message of "please buy, I happen to be the next trend because I paid for a chunk of the advertising, and not because I really am super cool!" I want to make my own mind up with the help of a media who is committed to producing compelling, healthy, competitive and accessible trend forecasts with critique. So what is the answer? If the magazines rely financially on the key design houses then how can they break from the mold? The media surely inhibits the fashion journalists from being able to give us their knowledge, expertise and opinion freely? Do the advertisers who essentially pay their wages shackle them? This surely has a knock on effect to the high street retailers who rely on media gatekeepers to help drive trends and effect what people buy. Perhaps we don't want an opinion, we just want to look at imagery rather than read? A worryingly growing trend I fear.

There is no straight answer. If change is to manifest, it has to come from the top as they say! Or does it? The rise of the fashion blogger could be a telltale sign that all is not well with the way fashion is reported. Bloggers can offer freshness, usually creatively styled and accessible to most fashion savvy readers. There is an elite set of bloggers, which was inevitable I suppose. This set have front row access to key shows. Top designers recognize the need to entice such style icons into their world, which is a contradiction in part as the blogger very often begins to wear the designer clothes, and guess what the designers in question are none other than the big names like Prada, Gucci, Marc Jacobs and so on and the cycle goes on from a different angle. That said there are thousands of bloggers posting key looks not driven by the usual high-end names, which offer a welcome breath of fresh air, styled accessibly.

Is there a proportion of savvy shoppers who take inspiration from blogs and the glossies that are looking to buy better, not more of? I hope so. A phrase I learned from Anne Skare Nielsen who is a futurist and a partner at www.futurenavigator.dk. She in part inspired me to undertake my Buy Better Challenge, last year, which I blogged about. I stopped buying clothes for a whole year with the caveat that I allowed myself one vintage purchase per month. It was one of the hardest challenges I have ever set myself, it released me, I was able to be more creative, I had to mix and match my wardrobe, I had to be cleverer with what I owned. I might add that I did not buy one item per month because I did not have the appetite once on the challenge. After the successful completion of the Buy Better Challenge, this year has been refreshingly easy to shop with the attitude of what do I need, rather than what do I want. “buying better, not more of”. I mix and match from my existing wardrobe and have focussed on three to four key trend items for the season. I find that I wear a larger variety of clothes unlike before when I would buy three or four pieces every month and restrict myself to wearing the new items without being creative mixing older styles.

Why not try the 5:2 approach to shopping, this may curb the excess? The Guardian weekend magazine dated 15.6.13 had a feature talking about applying the idea of the 5:2 diet to other areas of life like spending money! If you are one of the 5.2 dieters like I am, (although I have dropped to one day a week now), then you may find the 5.2 when applied to spending money on fashion workable. For those un-familiar, for 2 days a week you curb your spending to a quarter of what you usually spend. The other 5 days you can do what you like!

In conclusion shall we go forth and think about buying better, rather than more of? This buying may include purchases from the high-end designers I mention who have the monopoly; it may be that their ranges are seriously on trend this season? But lets question this and push the media to give us a choice representing where possible designers and brands that are individual and cool because they are. Lets have integrity and ethics in our choice and search out the respect and transparency we deserve as consumers.

Markus Lupfer, Dion Lee and Simone Rocha are examples below of fresh design talent, the type of designers who do feature in the glossies but just not enough. More focus on alternative talent, emerging talent and designers who just don't get enough editorial space please.