Shopping Detox, Social Responsibility in Fashion, and more.
Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 10:43AM Gala Darling's blog is always chock full of food for thought and inspiration. This article is interesting to me for a few reasons. I don't have a clothes shopping problem per se; however I like the idea of taking change personally, challenging oneself to embrace the change you'd like to see. I actually find shopping really difficult. Like I'm in an awkward position of no longer wanting to shop at high street fashion stores, and yet, also often unable to justify the expense of the brands whose quality I would like to support. Things I find easy: clothing swaps, donating old clothes/shoes to charity shops, finding new ways to wear what I already own, re-making old things, shopping at charity shops/thrift stores, and creating new things for myself.
Also I'm interested in how Gala's resolution applies to me in a related sense; my tendency to buy numerous craft supplies that then get shelved for ages. I'd like to push myself to USE more of my craft/art/yarn supplies in unexpected ways.
http://galadarling.com/article/resolutions-for-january-the-shopping-detox-experiment
Source: inkblotphotography.blogspot.com via Grace on Pinterest
I came across this provocative image recently, which led to this post and it has stuck with me. I'd like to begin untangling my complicated and conflicted relationship with fashion. There's so much to not like about the industry. So much. But bridging from above, you can talk about what you don't like, or you can do something. Sharing here is a step in the right direction I think.
Quotes that stood out for me:
"the fashion industry needs to employ some kind of social responsibility for the messages that they disseminate"
"as much as i love fashion, and as great as we all know that great clothes can makes us feel, too many of us conveniently ignore the fact that industry is powered by body shame"
That article led me to this site: http://www.endangeredspecieswomen.org/
"Endangered Species: Preserving the Female Body is an international summit to challenge the toxic culture that teaches women and girls to hate their bodies."
"The summit will be a lively combination of keynote speeches, panels, international video testimonials, LOVED BODIES, BIG IDEAS presentations, and group discussions/action groups. We hope it incorporates frank, complex, and solution-oriented conversations among a genuinely diverse range of people."
Hell yes! I will be watching this and looking to find ways to be a part of this.
I loved this WWD Interview with Miuccia Prada. She continues to be a fascinating and opinionated, and hard to define. There are two parts, the second one being a little more intriguing to me.
http://www.wwd.com/fashion-news/prada-takes-spring-summer-to-beijing-3443673
http://www.wwd.com/fashion-news/more-from-miuccia-prada-3449050
A few excerpts that stood out for me:
"WWD: What do you think of the fast-fashion boom?
M.P.: I have never even considered it and I’ve explained why. It’s because I don’t like the idea of a bad copy of what one does for the main brand. If I had an ingenious idea to do fashion that costs less but that wasn’t a bad copy of something else, with completely different criteria and ways of doing things, I would do it. Also for myself, it would be an ingenious idea. For now, what I see more or less is the bad copy. Also with clothes that cost little, you need to ask why they cost so little. Because no one ever asks themselves that.""Luxury products are costly because the companies…manufacture in Europe, produce with salaries that have to be paid. You have to pay for everything that is needed to do research etc., etc. It’s clear that these things cost money. It’s not like the owners of luxury brands make enormous profits. Probably the [mass market players] earn much more."
"I have always tried to keep [art and fashion] so separate, even to the point of possibly exaggerating and making a mistake, but I don’t care. Everyone does it their own way. There were very important artists that wanted to make bags with me and I told them no. Sometimes I think I’m making a mistake because maybe the coming together of these two worlds is the future. Everybody wants to do everything. I’m not convinced that it’s right and creates something really valid.… Fundamentally I’ll continue to keep them more or less separate."
love the spirit of this video:
And finally, this concept and design of this site intrigue me although some of the content isn't that interesting to me. Basically the idea is looking at fashion industry insider's closets/homes and the stories behind each item. The idea of things being symbols, having meaning, or a sense of ritual about them resonates with me and my philosophy that style can be a series of conscious personal choices representing a vibrant inner life.
Reader Comments (4)
A very interesting post!
I read everything, didn't have time to watch all the videos but the articles are full of valuable thoughts and intriguing opinions about fashion and everything that is linked with it.
I never had a shop-addict issues and I'm very happy about this. I was never shopping excessively because I always had plenty of interesting activities and shopping was very boring comparing with them. Less is better and I think it also goes for cloths. Wearing only few cloths (made of nice fabric and with beautiful colors) is often a sign of a good taste and a way to show one's body and personality which is unique and which makes one an interesting person. (I'm not talking about being naked which is always the most interesting for everybody! lol)
Ha! It's funny you should mention nudity, I was just listening to a talk about Radical Self Love, which suggested you should get naked and dance in front of the mirror everyday!
I think part of the reason perhaps you and I grew up with out shopping addictions may have to do with having less exposure to magazines and advertising that suggested shopping was the equivalent of happiness. what do you think?
Yes, definitely magazines and advertising are one thing. What was also mentioned a few times on the Gala Darling website was boredom! Boredom as a reason for shopping. It looks like for many people it's the ONLY way they can spend time. Why? Maybe because they never had any hobbies, they never knew anything else, they were raised in shopping centers...
But definitely advertising and the general social pressure of "possessing things we don't need" are the most important factors. We are very often influenced by brands without even realizing it. Well, it's a very vast subject and not easy to write more about it with a baby girl in my arms :-).
For those interested in the origins of mass consumption I strongly recommend the BBC series "The Century of Self". It's about marketing and how we are influenced by it. Apparently, it was Freud's nephew Edward Bernays who invented the marketing and made people believe that they have to buy things they don't actually need. You can watch the series on You Tube.
liked the video; like you too ... kepp going the way you are headed