Newness

Some folks claimed the FW24 show season fell short in the creativity department, suggesting that brands were playing it safe by leaning too heavily on previous ideas. 

Staying true to who you are and building consistency is never a bad thing in my book, take Chloé for example - it was a gorgeous and familiar return to a romantic, cool-girl femininity which mined their well-defined heritage perfectly well. So what’s the problem?

We all know that the business of fashion is built on forward motion, so surely we should all be welcoming a less ferocious pace of newness, especially with the incoming regulatory requirements for brands around sustainability.

I thought it was interesting that in Phoebe Philo’s interview with The New York Times, she refers to her collections as ‘edits’ rather than seasons, which “build into a body of work”. I think it feels right to be adopting a more cumulative approach to wardrobe building, buying fewer nice things, with longevity and versatility at the core. Looking at the recent positive sales figures coming from the stealth-wealth brands such as Hermes, Zegna and Brunello Cucinelli, it appears customers agree. These logo-free brands are eating the more fashion-led luxury brands for breakfast.

I get that it’s no easy task, but changing customers relationship with clothing and consumption is one of the key weapons in the arsenal against excess. Recycled fibres are great, but will only get you so far…

So in an industry where the perceived success of a collection is often measured by its MIV (media impact value), perhaps we should stop designing for the internet, go click-bait cold turkey and give customers what they want by building beautiful collections that stand the test of time, just like Chloe.