The Transformation of Fashion

I’m back to explore some considerations on the “transformation of fashion” over the past 25 years. In the last blog, I discussed the cycle of Gucci from the arrival of Tom Ford to the exit of Alessandro Michele.  Now, I am considering what the future of Gucci could be.

It is quite bizarre to now read an article by Reuters with the headline “Out of fashion, Gucci faces the daunting task of replacing top designer”.  Is Gucci really out of fashion?  Why does it matter?  The past few years have been somewhat turbulent, to say the least. Humanity has become really quite polarised.  We face real-life problems with protests, war, many displaced people, and cost of living crises, and yet we’re still talking about selling more fashion and how quickly Gucci has become outdated.  

Don’t get me wrong; I am not criticising Gucci or the Fashion world.  However, I am asking questions about how we can create a world of Fashion which is not polarising and is a force for good for the world and the lives of the people involved.  As someone who has been involved in Fashion for over 30 years, I have seen many changes in the industry.  Sadly the “transformation of fashion” in the past 25 years has made it both more accessible and even more polarising.  The accessibility has made fashion available at a lower cost, but the polarisation has meant that the bottom of the Supply Chain has been severely impacted.

Let’s explore “polarisation”—the definition in the Merriam-Webster dictionary is: “division into two sharply distinct opposites, especially: a state in which opinions, beliefs or interests of a group or society no longer range along a continuum but become concentrated at opposing extremes”.

How is this playing out in Fashion right now?

• Gucci is considering how to further increase sales by finding a new Designer.

• Garment workers have become unable to feed themselves.  BOF article “How can we live.  For Garment Workers, it is worse than the pandemic.”

• Influencers are showing several outfits a day—both in the luxury sector and fast fashion.  

• Cost of living crises in many countries.

Fashion always reflects life; here is another example: Fashion reflects life as lived now.  If this is true, how can we create Fashion to reflect the life we want to live?

As an idealist, I would love a world where we create beauty, magic, love and abundance.

What would that look like for fashion?

• There would be a lot less made and wasted.

• Circularity would be taken on as a problem to be solved for the benefit of everyone.

• We deal with the issues around workers’ rights, wages and security. 

• The beauty of fashion is to be celebrated at all levels through a sense of collaboration and leaving a legacy.

• Finally, Gucci would lead the way in upcycling and keep that sense of magic that Alessandro Michele so beautifully gave us.

Another thought to ponder…
Have we made ourselves “crazy for buying Fashion and Luxury Goods” as a way of distracting ourselves from the realities of life?

Love to all

Kate Padget-Koh

The end of an era?

What’s happening in Fashion right now?  In the past couple of weeks, we’ve seen Tom Ford selling his namesake brand to Estée Lauder, Raf Simons closing his brand, and Alessandro Michele now stepping down from his role at Gucci.

Tom Ford

On the surface, these look pretty much like normal changes with fashion brands, with endless collections to pump out and designers being exhausted or unable to meet the financial demands of either running the brand or feeding the relentless growth requirements. But, upon reflection, is it something else; are we really at the end of an era?

Raf Simons

What is really going on here?  Something these designers have in common is that they are part of the incredible growth of luxury brand dominance over the past 20 years.  They have been in the world of luxury Brands through their monumental growth; they have been key factors in the transformation of Fashion.  

Alessandro Michele with Jared Leto

What is this “transformation” of Fashion?  Is it better or worse; what has been gained, and what has been lost?

Let’s start with Tom Ford.  How many of us have watched “House of Gucci”?  We see his rise to fame through his clear vision for glamour and sex through clothing and accessories.  He literally woke up our tremendous hunger for fashion, glamour and dressing up, craving those sexy bias dresses, sharp tailoring, towering heels and bamboo-handled bags.  By wearing Gucci, we could feel like celebrities, think Madonna and Gwyneth.  It was epic and made an impact so great and so legendary.  Mr Ford had become a legend.

After an unfortunate exit from Gucci and YSL, Tom Ford went on to start his own label with Accessories, Make-up and, eventually, Clothes.  It was incredible.  Mr Ford was giving us luxury through his own Brand; expensive and glamorous but so desirable.  I remember thinking at the time, “what did I do before Tom Ford designed sunglasses?”  The cosmetics line was so perfectly packaged and, compared to other brands, very expensive.  I had to buy it.  I tore out a magazine advertisement for “Black Orchid” until I could actually buy the fragrance.  It was all so desirable.

If we look at the Eyewear market now, it is filled with “Luxe” Brands.  Linda Farrow, Victoria Beckham and every Luxury Brand sell eyewear for every occasion.  I don’t even think of buying Ford.  Likewise, the luxury cosmetics market is filled with Luxury Cosmetics and Fragrances.  I still buy Tom Ford, but I buy much more of his former Creative Director’s namesake collection, Charlotte Tilbury.  Again, Victoria Beckham, Gucci, Liza Eldridge, Pat McGrath, and Huda have all found their place in this busy market.

This blog is running the risk of becoming a brief history of fashion.  So, in writing, I will extend this to a series, starting with this one with two more to follow.  

Now, let’s look at the most recent and very successful Gucci Designer - Alessandro Michele.  He, like Ford, made us ‘crazy for Gucci’.  I really wondered how I could get my hands on those embroidered sneakers or cool loafers.  Mr Michele changed the way we dressed and the way we looked at life.  He was truly on the cusp of the fluid movement, a natural talent and lover of beauty.  He brought magic and whimsy to the commercial world of luxury goods.  

The drive at Gucci was to make the Brand somewhat like Fast Fashion, making it appeal to younger consumers and driving the desire to keep buying more.  Undoubtedly, Alessandro Michele has been successful.  So his exit from Gucci came as a surprise to many.  Instagram has been full of acknowledgement, sadness, shock and reflection on this news.  I wonder what the future of Gucci will be.  I wonder what Kering have in their future plans.  In these days of Sustainability challenges, cost of living crises, anti-consumerism and anti-fast fashion, will Kering continue on the same journey?

In summary, are we at the end of the fast fashion and mega consumerist trends?  Does the exit of Michele complete the cycle started by Tom Ford?  Will the progressive Kering Group take a new direction and pave a more sustainable, mindful, and collaborative path, and less about buying more?  Let’s wait and see.

Talk to you all again soon,
Kate

A creative supply chain is one that does some good while putting beautiful clothing into the world.

These days, it seems the news and many conversations are filled with challenges around the supply chain industry. The shipping costs have escalated, limits to raw materials, access limited across countries and regions, sanctions, rising energy prices and general economic gloom.

Challenging times like these always bring great opportunities. Pre-pandemic supply chains were very focused on efficiencies, volumes, movement of goods from low-cost environments and how to create margin from buying from underdeveloped countries. Essentially, buying from the Third World to sell to the First World, using large factories, low-cost raw materials and low labour costs. 

The pandemic has escalated the awareness of sustainability in the fashion and lifestyle sector. Additionally, many new brands have been created from independent sources, people who have a point of view and want to contribute something to the world, rather than buying from large faceless conglomerates. This is, actually, such a joyful progression, with many start-ups citing sustainability as a key pillar or core value. 

If we would move too far away from this previous description of a supply chain, what would that be? This new Supply Chain would be creative, it would be sustainable, and it would honour those people connected with it. By taking into consideration every aspect of the chain, it would provide value at all levels and to all involved, from creator to consumer. It will also provide the workers with a lifestyle and a way of working, a cultural environment that is rewarding, respectful and creates growth for them. The materials would not be depleting; they would be innovating and influencing future materials and models. These materials would care for the consumer, as well as the planet. The Supply Chain would encourage biodiversity rather than harming it. 

The Supply Chain would be transparent. So the consumer will know exactly what they were purchasing, including all the actions and impacts throughout the supply chain. It would look at crafts that have long been forgotten or those crafts on the way to being forgotten. It would encourage and educate people to learn those crafts and keep them alive for future generations. So the skills of artisans and artists are valued, rather than working in factories and constantly looking for lower overheads.

I'm not being idealistic; I don't think. 

So, here is an opportunity to feature a brand so extraordinary and, having created this commitment, will be a new, future Luxury Brand.

"Stelar". Are they doing everything perfectly? No. But, they are doing a lot, which is amazing.

Here are a few ways they are making the supply chain more sustainable:

1. TRACEABILITY: They care about where their products come from, who made them and how and when, using locally sourced raw materials. 

2. MADE IN COMMUNITIES, NOT FACTORIES: Such a great and more holistic way of looking at the supply chain.

3. COMMITMENT TO UNITED NATION'S GOALS: They work to contribute to the achievement of goals; #1 Poverty Reduction, #5 Gender Quality, #8 Decent Work and Economic Growth, #12 Responsible Consumption and Production.

Learn more about their impact and brand here.

Thanks

Kate Padget-Koh

Recently, the Supply Chain has become more conscious with greater considerations around sustainability, ethics and human rights. But, how does this fit with the capitalist culture of growth forever?

This is a question I’m constantly pondering. The Global Fashion Business is worth 3 Trillion USD (2% of global GDP). It has doubled since 2000. The industry’s phenomenal growth is unquestionable. So how does this fit with ethics and sustainability; how can we continue to consume while being more conscious.

Let’s look at this in a number of ways. First of all, are we really becoming more conscious, more aware and more sustainable? How much clothing that we are currently buying is really sustainable? Are recycled polyester and organic cotton robust solutions for the future, or does it provide a caveat for fast fashion retailers to continue making vast amounts of products and selling them under the auspices of sustainability and conscious consumerism?

And many of us will say: “Well, I buy preloved, consignment, vintage or thrift”. This is also a great solution, but on closer review of any of the key consignment models or platforms, there are brand new items there. Are we fooling ourselves? Is it just a cheaper way to keep shopping with the side portion of sustainability to relieve our conscience?

I’m not proposing that we stop shopping and stop producing, but who is going to take action? How do we, as consumers, consume less. What is the delicate balance between growth and sustainability? Where and how are we as consumers going to be conscious and, really, there’s so much temptation around us. Endless newsletters, constant discounts, social media filled with advertisements, influencers and special offers all tempt us to keep purchasing.

So what is the solution? There isn’t one way until there is governmental legislation to prevent fast fashion from that constant growth spree; Shein will continue producing endless amounts of product. Zara, H&M and Uniqlo will provide semi-conscious and sustainable versions of what we’ve been so used to buying. How many of us will actually take on being conscious consumers?

I am setting you all a challenge: how about not buying any item of clothing for the next three months?  

For Brands: who is going to be the first one with a completely circular solution?

Now that is a game worth playing.

Thanks

Kate Padget-Koh

THE FUTURE OF FAST FASHION

I'm always looking for indications of future trends in fashion, clothing and lifestyle brands.

Over the past week, a few things have been brought to my awareness through several key conversations I have had and articles I've read, plus some of my own musings. These have started to indicate something that I find quite interesting, quite a critical question for those involved in a brand's supply chain in the future.

There are several seemingly unconnected incidents that, when connected, point to something approaching a future trend.

Last Saturday, I woke up very early and started to browse the BBC website. I was attracted to an article on 'Misguided', the now almost bankrupt fast fashion brand. Recently bought by Fraser/Sports Direct in a fire sale for 20MGBP, the CEO, Nitin Passi, stepped down in May. Since then, Alteri Investors Corporation has been operating the company with suppliers forcing bankruptcy due to their unpaid invoices. The company was cited as claiming the global shipping crisis, inflated courier costs and supply chain challenges to have impacted the business so much that they could no longer trade. 

The next item is: I heard that Zara is charging for returns. It may only be 1.95 GBP, but it is a charge, which we would hope would discourage customers from buying 5 and keeping 1.  

My next question is: Is the fast fashion business model effective any longer? Does it really work? When we look at low price entry clothing coming from third world countries, we find a model that requires a lot of stock and inventory, plus a requirement to move this through logistics, the cost of which has escalated.  

It certainly points to a chink in the armour of the previously seemingly impenetrable fast fashion industry. When we put all these challenges onto this model, it can't really work anymore.

The next question is on the proposed European legislation on Fast Fashion. As someone engaged in the Financial Times Non-executive Direct Programme, I spent a large chunk of time last weekend reviewing directors' responsibilities and what they could be held accountable for. Having been pondering the above questions and considering the European legislation, what are the potential issues for anybody on the board of a large fashion company? Are the Boards willing to take on these accountabilities? Who will take them seriously, and who will be the first to be impacted.  

The future of Fashion is about Sustainable Fashion in many aspects, through Design, Materials, Sourcing and Regulation. By 2030, it will be impossible to ignore legislation implemented, and the cost of entry to Fast Fashion will become much higher and considered. So, looking forward to seeing how the state of Fashion 2030 will be, let's look forward to Fashion being a "force for good".

Thanks

Kate Padget-Koh