Reality starts with a vision — the vision of a dream. A vision of what fashion will look like tomorrow. We all thrive for the next chapter, and since this year has made some of us more creative than ever, we might have found an answer.
With fewer public events and socialite gatherings to attend, this year has abruptly disconnected us from the rebarbative routine of four collections per year and frenetic travels worldwide to attend fashion weeks while neglecting its supply chain. It was a world where workers are not fairly treated, considering how little time we had to think about their conditions.
This year is the perfect time to reflect. We have to be grateful for the space and the enormous amount of free time we have been given to really think about what is next. But we also need to think about what we did wrong.
Sustainability has been a trend for a while, yet it has only been approached as a sensitive topic. How should we talk about it? How should we join the movement? What does “sustainability” mean, and how can a brand go from being fast-fashion to eco-conscious? I have been asked these questions many times while giving talks or being on panels.
So far, no one has the answer, only because there are a million ways of respecting the environment: creating designs from deadstock, upcycling a capsule wardrobe, buying fabrics made from recycled or vegetal materials or, simply, not buying at all. It’s like helping someone; there is not a single one way to do it, as long as you put good faith and effort into it.
Traveling the world and telling stories about sustainability for the past few years has made me realize that we do not want to face what we see: a clock ticking. There is no other option than adapting ourselves to what is yet to come. And let me tell you, we will have no choice but to create with what we already have.
This is why we all have a vision. We gather visions of a dream so that we can all create a better future. A responsible fashion industry is one that will ethically hire workers and pay seamstresses fairly, that will conquer the hearts of the consumers with storytelling of women in need being supported.
A story, or even a legend, has always been at the heart of a great brand. Think of Coco Chanel and her first store in Paris or Vivienne Westwood, a London punk-turned-couture designer.
But what about sustainable clothes? We need to educate ourselves and our consumers that buying local, buying is responsible is sexy. Investing time in research and even driving to a local store requires work — and, yes, some people will not see the point of it. But sooner or later, we will not have a choice.
With more than 30 retail store chains filing for bankruptcy in the U.S. over the past year, including J.Crew, Neiman Marcus, JCPenney and others, there is a huge gap to fill. As a result, if we all join this vision of consuming responsibly, we will all be able to be a part of this movement. I simply call it: tomorrow’s fashion.
In September, Wear the Future streamed its first-ever, digital, click-and-buy, sustainable fashion show. It was a green digital fashion show that gathers conscious influencers, activist models and sustainable brands. Our goal is to show that we can find edgy and high-fashion brands with a twist of urban cool just around the corner.
We just need to stick to our vision so that we can create tomorrow’s fashion together. Respecting the environment is not a political statement but a necessity that we all need to follow if we still want to be a viable industry in a decade.
Annabelle Azadé
Wear the Future
wear-thefuture.com
