It has been mentioned time and again in this blog that fashion is, above all, a business. It would not exist without creativity and gets a lot of its inspiration from art and culture. That we now have the world at our fingertips means an unlimited amount of material in which to draw inspiration. That we have more connectivity than ever before means we are more aware of commonality and thus can align inspiration with consensus to create relevance. That it is becoming formulaic is the problem with technical perfection. After all, how can we allow for individuality to inspire new growth and new directions if our creativity is commerce-reliant? And thus a problem exists within the current state of fashion.
The recent focus on other fashion weeks by media publications, such as those coming out of Scandanavia as spoken about in last week’s article, illustrate how the media aspect of the industry is hungry for something new. The media actually reflects the larger sentiment of the public that seeks inspiration, especially as fashion is more and more incorporated into cultural aspects such as our entertainment. A glance at videos, at television programming, in news commentary (notice how a politician’s fashion sense is added to the conversation) and of course advertising show how much fashion has become assimilated so deeply into our daily lives. Our attention spans, though, demand constant renewal, something exacerbated by the increased pace courtesy of our integration with our technological world.
Economic factors are supporting the inclusion of fashion weeks from other places to appease potential customers while our media broadens our coverage on the potential and economic aspects of other nations that, years ago, weren’t even on fashion’s radar to the point that representation is increased within the runways as well as the front rows of major design house shows. Recent inclusion of Russian and Chinese patrons at runway shows, the never-ending stream of everything to do with China and its market potential and increased attention to BRIC nations within the same vein are current examples.
This, while our need for stimulation amidst creative hesitation imposed by economic caution, finds us looking further beyond traditional fashion platforms. And while technology always brings new materials, if current fashion continues to hover around the exhaustion of everything retro, it is going to run out of inspiration. There needs to be new elements to broaden the creative pallet and satisfy a customer base ready for something new. We will eventually have to incorporate new factors to take us beyond the existing scope of components and to satisfy that the world is looking to technology itself.
In fact, whereas the immediate post- 9/11 shaked our confidence about the future and spurred the public into the safety of retro sentimentality, the gradual (albeit shaky) economic improvements and the acceptance that the worst has passed has allowed for optimism to reenter the mindset; the future is looking interesting and even inspiring again.
The non-stop excitement and trepidation over Google Glass and anticipation of smart watches has progressed to discussion not merely of function, but of their style component; our incorporation of fashion into our daily lives is such that aesthetics has become a noticeable factor. Of no surprise was the inclusion of Saint Laurent’s CEO Paul Deneve by Apple earlier in their Special Projects Division this year as stories abound over the impending explosion of wearable tech to soon flood the market increase. Meanwhile, MJ Mclaren started a crowdfunding campaign on Indegogo to get video earrings manufactured and on the market.
It is inevitable that we will see more obvious hybrids of technology until nanomanufacturing brings more complex hybrids of function into garment structure. One idea recently reported on Scoop.it, a textile that generates their own power sources and thus eliminate the need for batteries, is an example of seamless technological hybrids that fashion will need to move forward. And for fashion and technology to work, it needs to reflect our desire for simplicity and ease, something currently reflected in collections over the past year. Seamless is key to success.
The sophistication of this level of innovation will most likely be found in and help redefine luxury and, in turn, lay the foundation for the new form of creativity that fashion will be about for the coming century. Whether we see any of this in the coming weeks remains to be seen. Again, the future is looking interesting and even inspiring, and that may be the real buzz in itself.