Fashion 2023: The State We're In
Balenciaga, Vogue, Farfetch, Cardi B and the Pope. Where is it all going?
Fashion 2023, quite a year. As I write this on a sunny December morning, the ending of the story is still to be written… so what can we learn?
Firstly, there are some important plot lines that need to play out. Will Dubai’s COP 28 survive its scandal to bring home an agreement on fossil fuel phase out? How much further does the luxury slowdown have to go? Have we reached peak fast fashion? Will Farfetch crash and burn, or will Amazon (Amazon!) save it? How did the British Fashion Awards manage to put on an entire evening of self-congratulation without a single nod to the creativity going on in the materials and circularity sectors? Is Vogue lost now it has exited its most successful editor (UK); and the US clings on to creative despot Anna Wintour? How will Gen Z navigate their conflict about the rampant consumption of cheap disposable fashion and their crippling concerns about the state of the planet? And in the run up to Christmas, how has Balenciaga managed to undermine the entire concept of value and craft in luxury by making a hero of a paper bag? Despair!
A little Christmas gift from me to you as a thank you for being so loyal. You can also gift this to someone too.