Do we need to follow fashion trends
Fitting in- slavish, sensible or
sensational?
Renato Palmi from The ReDress Consultancy-South Africa asks if following trends is a good practice for young South
African fashion designers.
Seasonal change cues fashion media
editors to present the public with "must-have" and "no-no"
listings, which, no matter how individualistic or judicious we might think we
are, subtly compel us to reconsider the stock in our private wardrobes.
In these times of economic strain and
budget adjustments, does "fitting in" with rapidly changing fashion
cycles not pose challenges to designers and consumers alike? Are we prisoners of fashion dictates, or could we consider co-creating new looks with minimal expense? How
can local fashion designers sustain themselves by working around and within
global and local market forces?
Through aggressive
marketing, our individual identity can become effaced by homogenised clothing,
a veneer that suggests we are part of a recognisable whole. Trend forecasters,
retailers and brand conglomerates launching new styles, fabrics, cuts and
colours stoke the coals of peer pressure that conditions us to be seen in the
latest ranges. As social beings, we are construed as a
collective commodity travelling in a continuum of design renovation that is
dictated by a few but embraced by the masses, often with little thought to
suitability or personal imagination.
Being seen in the right
brand wearing the "in" label of a particular designer neutralises our
individuality and leads to a contradiction of the purpose of fashion:
individual style portraying human uniqueness; instead, we become fashion
clones.
By conforming to
seasonal trends, are we not impeding the innovation and growth of young fashion
designers emerging in the market? There are a few designers who have created
distinctive aesthetics and have steadily built a brand following. These looks
are not confined to the examples seen on catwalks at Fashion Weeks events;
idiosyncratic, semi-mass-produced, wearable garments are also available.
The old saying, "catch
them when they are young" can be applied to fashion education. For
example, when experts visit fashion colleges and advise students on the latest
European trends - as if these are the unassailably essential forms of good
design and as such, critical to design success - are we not diluting their
imaginative resources?
Both student and
established designers are required to be in touch with global fashion
directions, but is it a prerequisite to emulate these trends without any re-interpretation? The colours for 2009 are, according to the style forecasters, moving away from
metallic finishes to a more earthy, subdued colour palette; ripped denim might
resurge, and for younger women, appropriation of men's jeans (known as "The
Boyfriend Jeans") will be in vogue and Deep-V-T-shirts and jerseys could
be the 2009 new style for men.
We need to respect the
genius of our learner designers, and support them in steering away from
reliance on European trends. This information is available for reference, so
rather than delivering lectures on trend templates, their curricula should
cover instruction in sourcing, assimilating, and interpreting the data, with a
view to redefining trends in the local context and according to their own
design sensibilities.
Upcoming generations of
South African designers can consult a wealth of historical fashion approaches to inspire new nuances for their ranges, not only through their designs but by the way
they market and retail their creations. It is my sense that the edicts
filtering down to young designers and into the consumer psyche of what can or
cannot be worn should be challenged. It is time for fashion revolution and
evolution.