Menu

Fashion Observed


Trend observations with a sociological eye from afar...

by Darryl S. Warren  

Follow  on Twitter:         @FashionObserved
              on Instagram:   @fashion_observed_ 
              on Facebook:      /FashionObserved
              on Pinterest:      /FashionObserved

Knee-Jerk Normalcy

T he 2015 Resort collections are coming to a close. This blog of course will continue to dissect the details in coming articles as trends are examined for your benefit of understanding the depth of idea execution.

One of the main take-aways for the collections is the proliferation of normalcy. True, a designer’s job is to create collections that will sell; fashion is a business. And a designer is also looked at as the instrument of merging his practicality with creativity. With the hundreds of designer labels competing for consumer dollars, having some distinguishing aspects to their collection in balance with the pragmatic execution of function is tantamount to survival. On good years the public will spend and a designer can see their creative sides rewarded. In leaner times, the blend of practical with unique becomes tougher to achieve and more crucial as a skill set.

The dialling back of creativity goes hand-in-hand with economic austerity. Smarter houses see the signs and made inroads to establish themselves and instill the reputation as the label that offers essentials before the axe falls. Creativity can garner attention but when enough people are holding back due to anticipated economic cues, creativity can cost a company dearly.

In the 90s houses fell as the trend of more practical clothes swept away the uniqueness of the decade before. While some houses produced minimalism and what we now call normcore and did well, others that had established their identities on flourish and uniqueness could not compete as they were not looked at as the go-to for practical staples. So houses that built themselves on being creative became redundant when expression was scaled back. Others that overlapped by bringing high quality clothes with no distinguishing uniqueness nor prior brand recognition were vetted out. After all, in those times there were so many houses offering the same garment that it became about the best price, and not every house could survive that mindset.

Now we find that even the New York Times is commenting on the clothes in the 2015 Resort collections as, among other descriptives, “non-challenging”. Basically, we can read this as normal, boring clothes (and please don't blame the designers; they are doing their job). The only reason designers are heading this way is because the public isn’t buying enough of the creative items. That tells us that financial insecurity is coming to the fore. The problem, as stated in articles in this blog before, is that this move is dangerous in the industry.

When the trend moves away from creative to benign design, there is less incentive for consumers to explore designer lines. The quality of textiles and essential construction techniques are such that those on a low budget can find decent quality. Given that more people are dressing down (which is contributing to the streamlined and utilitarian direction that couture has been taking to remain relevant) this combination supports people willing to make more non-designer purchases., which eats away at the bottom lines of designers. Those who are more established will survive as those who do decide to spend money will go to more trusted labels. Those that are not as well-established who have not found a following will suffer the same fate as those in the 90s did.

The creative cusp between centuries gets a push back when uncertainty reigns. Given the easy access to conflicting news about economics and anticipated instabilities and financial blocks interfering with expansion goals that our connected world affords, it’s harder to instill confidence to ignore any signs that prompt reigning in spending. So although we may see some creativity, the predominant normalcy offered up is letting us know what designers are seeing: that as we pay more attention to world affairs and see their effects on the manufacturing and retail chains, many pull back as a precautionary measure out of habits based on previous experience. This, of course, contributes further to slowdowns and so the cycle begins. And the go-to becomes the familiar and tried and true. And we find ourselves back again at the familiar, the wearable, the normal. Or, for those who want to move forward into the 21st century, the stagnant the uninspired, the poison of inspiration for innovation.

The combination of information overload at real-time is playing havoc with our instincts for survival the same way that algorithms magnify buying and selling tends in the stock market. Too many of us are of a period when the information had time to filter through and make changes that could be mitigated or affected. Now, with instantaneous information so widespread we react en masse, creating more extreme effects. And just as the stock market is realizing the solution is to temper our dependence on technology to avoid creating worse problems, so too might we realize a solution to being too informed and too plugged in and find a solution that doesn’t result in creative pullback at the first sign of trouble.

 

Go Back

Post a Comment
Created using the new Bravenet Siteblocks builder. (Report Abuse)