Thursday, 4 August 2011

Putting Things In Perspective: Fashion and Its Pace

It's hard to imagine a designer's life. With all the hectic schedules, press handling, numerous collections and their celebrity, it does not come as a surprise that most of them fall into a downward spiral and break down. Fashion writer Suzy Menkes notes that "the pressure from fast fashion and from the instant internet age to create new things constantly has worn down other famous names" and these include the likes of Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, and most recently Christophe Decarnin, John Galliano, and the one who took the toll the most, Alexander McQueen. With an industry that is constantly going at a precarious rate, serving up casualties such as the aforementioned, somebody needs to ask the important questions. "Is it all worth it?" "What is it worth?"



I recently came across an article on Vogue UK by Lauren Milligan, about designer Richard Nicoll and his opinion on the debate over the whole business of the Galliano scandal. Fashionista or not, the news of Galliano's dismissal from the house of Dior has become a phenomenon and everybody wants their two cents heard. Nicoll commented that "Sure, he has to work hard but I do think that it's reflective of what's going on in fashion. It's interesting that at the moment there have been three losses with  McQueen, Galliano, and the Balmain guy Christopher Decarnin all seemingly suffering from the pressures." And what pressures may these be? For starters, designers are expected to create at least eight collections for their labels each year. The amount of effort that goes into a single collection, could only be so much that for us mere humans, it seems unimaginable to do seven more. And for what? A ten minute showcase at Fashion Week? Then before you know it, they are at it again, cutting more patterns and whipping up brand new ideas for a collection due in less than a couple of months in between. Then there is the critiquing of it, the press that comes with the territory, the projection of its selling prowess, the list goes on. Talk about heavy loading a freakin' shotgun and poising to pull the trigger. 

Perhaps what we should question is the necessity of this pressure. Do we really need a eight to ten collections a year? It must be taxing for the label and its design team to create and recreate multiple times. Nicoll pointed out that consumer demand for the newest and freshest pieces make it difficult for designers, especially the younger ones, to present collections that would be worthy of its debut. "I am not sure how you can come up with eight ideas a year and really endorse them and make them worthy of presenting." Take Tom Ford and Azzedine Alaia for example. Ford had decided to just make a few couture showcases a year, work at a pace that he manages and chooses, and therefore the demand for his stock rose because of it. He makes pieces that scream for attention and they manage to hold that because of their rarity and elusiveness. Alaia had just shown his first couture collection after an eight year hiatus, because he likes to take his time, and therefore the clothes are not only magnificent but also worth the wait. Unlike their peers, Ford and Alaia refuse to succumb to the industry pressure of satiating consumer demand, on demand. 

For Galliano and the others however, perhaps it is not a matter of time management or artistic freedom. It may be that they simply don't have a choice but to keep feeding the frenzy. Iconic labels such as Gucci, Dior, Chanel have become somewhat similar to fast food chains. They don't have the luxury to take time to create or improve, or reduce catering because they have a large demographic craving for more. Imagine McDonalds taking a national day off to reassess and repackage the brand and its chips. Yeah, not gonna happen right? So they keep going. Unfortunately for the likes of Galliano and Decarnin, the kitchen just got a bit too hot, so they cracked. Menkes sums it up perfectly, "While the vile statements seen coming from Mr Galliano's drunken lips on the internet video deserved the nearly-universal condemnation they were receiving, there is pathos in the vision of one of the world's most famous — and best paid — designers alone, clutching a glass in a bar,"

Surely even the chicest crop of the elite realise the difference between necessity and excess, even when it comes to clothes. Yes, it's a new season, and yes you need a new trend, but if you sit back and think for a minute, you'd realise that you already have what you need. Fashion is cyclical. On the business side of things, yes you need more to make more money. Artistically, you need more collections to allow a designer and yourself to improve on your creativity. There's always something more. However, sooner or later, this pressure to make more as soon as possible will just trigger a full-on domino effect. In fact, with the events of the past year, Its already happened.  And the thing is, it's not just in fashion either. Musician Amy Winehouse is a perfect example of this. The fans wanted more, she probably wanted more out of her career, and in doing so the pressure got to her, driving her to the vices she ended up suffering from. It's a universally relative problem. Our generation has just become so greedy and fast-paced that it affects all sectors of our lives. Sure enough, like everything else that is caught early, these problems are preventable. The question is how do we do that? Only time will tell. 

As much as I love clothes, at the end of the day, that's just it. They are just clothes. It sort of makes you feel guilty, even if you don't buy Dior, that just so you can see the next 'It' dress, somebody has to have a mental breakdown or get tried for anti-Semitism. Okay, so it's probably not as bad as that but whenever you hear news like Galliano's trial or Marc Jacobs entering rehab, its a case in point. Maybe all of it is one big fat lie. Perhaps it is all out of their personal choices. I don't know, but that's just my opinion on the matter. Things are moving way too fast and we all need a chill pill and slow down. 

xoxo

[Quotes on Suzy Menkes and Richard Nicoll, via Vogue.co.uk]

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