Alexander McQueen RTW Fall 2018
Fashion has always been there to unite a generation among diversity, taking inspirations from everything and anything, creating crafts imagined from the simple and mundane to the complex and avant-garde. Whether these are womens straight leg jeans or loose dresses, it’s your choice how to represent yourself to this world.
But how does fashion help shape society? Why is fashion so deeply engraved in our community that it is here to stay and influence our way of living? How does fashion affect our society in a way that it enhances our experience?
It promotes innovation.
5 Ways How Luxury Fashion Affects Society in a Positive Way
With the continuous change the world has gone through and will continue to be in, it is necessary in the field of fashion to discover something new to give to its consumers. New unveilings pique interest and boost sales. And with this fact, fashion brands are always looking for ways to advertise innovation and elevate creativity without the need to sacrifice valuable resources.
Nike Flyleather Cortez
1- The Use of Recycled Materials
Also called upcycling, repurposed clothing, reuse clothing, or recycled clothing. Introducing recycled materials for the fashion industry means using old, damaged, or worn-out supplies and turning them into fresh new pieces.
This type of remaking is approved and admired in the contemporary fashion industry, where the price is reasonable, and the style is acceptable to the general public. More pressing concerns such as those that involve the environment support innovations like upcycling because this method uses few raw materials to produce new cloth pieces, preserving the resources, and answering the call of environmental conservation.
PARIS, FRANCE – SEPTEMBER 04: LVMH Prize 2019, Thebe Magugu attends the LVMH Prize 2019 Edition at Louis Vuitton Foundation on September 04, 2019 in Paris, France. (Photo by Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images)
2- The Opportunity of Forward-Thinking
Many fashion brands also hold competitions and programs, so less known artists can present their own designs. These contests do not only give aspiring designers the chance to get their name out but also generate brand new ideas that can help the industry, the consumers, and the environment.
It emphasizes sustainability. The world is changing fast, and it’s both for the better and for worse. Not only because of economic development that paves the way for new technological products to make life easier but also because of what these advancements’ effects in the environment are.
Fashion brands are mindful and working with the reality that it is impossible to keep the luxuries of today without striving for sustainability. Sustainability is the ability to exist continuously, and this will be a tough feat if there is no balance in both the economic and environmental departments of the world. Fashion brands join the movement of making their clothing line collections without the need of sacrificing the future.
Adidas Futurecraft Loop
3- The Use of Sustainable Materials
Eco-friendly materials like organic cotton and linen, Tencel that’s made of wood pulp, and bamboo fabric are now picked over man-made textiles such as nylon and polyester that take years to disintegrate.
These campaigns are getting more and more attention as sustainability becomes the priority of fashion brands in their mission to help the world keep its natural resources. This effort can be seen in campaigns with the objective, such as saving the ocean or defending animals that lost their habitats because of global warming.
4- The Art of Repurposing Old Clothes
Some fashion brands promote prolonging clothing materials and opt to redesign instead. These brands don’t launch new collections every season; some choose to present a collection only once each year.
This course not only makes the collection more valuable since they are the special release of the brand for the whole year but also helps save resources used in making the pieces.
Some fashion brands also utilize surplus fabrics or fabrics that are cut and essentially thrown away in making a clothing piece. These are gathered and are repurposed. Patchwork designs with these surplus fabrics have been a unique style fashion brands are taking pride in.
Gucci ‘Off The Grid’ 2020 Collection
5- The Focus of Sustainable Living
Fashion is not the only concern a person has. Aside from staying on the latest trend, people have a lot of other dynamics to take care of, such as their work and family. All of which demands expenses and other costs.
In a mutual understanding of helping the fashion industry stay afloat and for the clothing lines to keep their businesses, brands are always finding ways to assist their customers in fitting fashion expenditures among their budgets.
The sale of plain, yet ethically produced garments are not only revolutionary as it keeps the materials needed at a minimum, but also prudent.
Promos such as take-back schemes where consumers send their used wares for a discount in their next purchase are also becoming popular to encourage consumers to stay on their allowance without being out of style.
It brings awareness to social issues. Fashion brands also shine more light on advocacies such as cancer awareness, support for the LGBTQ+ community, and many other concerns. Educating the public about these social issues has been a central part of modern fashion.
Among the social issues in the world, today is the matter of pollution, including its short-term and long-term effects that do not only pose a great threat to the economy but more on health and sustainability.
Initiatives like the usage of materials like plastic from polluted seas to create fashion drives learning of what the world is facing, urging humanity to help and start the change Earth desperately needs. Some brands even dedicate a percentage of their profit to help in the following efforts, among others:
- Cleaning the ocean
- Funding food programs
- Donating to charities
- Understanding mental illnesses
It encourages respect for the culture. The younger generations are thrust into society with various sets of beliefs that it’s easy for them to get lost in the turmoil of current standards. Fashion brands introduce these cultures, so others will be able to appreciate these heritage items properly. Some brands turn vintage clothes and update them to modern designs to bridge the gap between the past and the present.
By Julia Roxan
