Carla Fernandez, Mexico City
Exploitation and greed. There was a great article in MetaMute Magazine about how the introduction of the sewing machine to the fashion industry has made people become slaves to the machine rather than the machine being an aid to production. People saw the speed at which garments could be produced, and time equals money. Factory production has pushed humans to the limit, with disastrous consequences.
Christa Bösch , Basel
Kids working for us! And that every one is so stressed - we should calm down a bit. GO HOME and relax! But that’s not only a problem in fashion - it is our society.
Cres.E Dim, Seoul
It is really difficult to be a designer nowadays simply because there are so many brands existing and competing out there. The industry is crowded and consequently it gets harder and harder to sell and make your mark. From talking to other designers, the issue of selling their product is the main problem they encounter.
Domenico Cioffi, Amsterdam
There is a lot of competition in the industry and many people are willing to sacrifice quality and creativity in order to change their wardrobe every season.
It looks depressing but fortunately there is also great interest towards young designers. The internet helps us a lot and without it the effort to emerge would be tripled.
Harem Royal, Belgrade
Fashion ought to be about expression and narrative, not judgment! If we keep on developing this culture of pure indulgence and judgment around clothing and design, there’s going to be a chilling effect. People won’t dress the way they feel. People will dress the way they think other people want them to feel!
This self-censorship is already the norm. I think that there’s a popular trend away from this sort of behaviour right now, but the trend is very fragile.
House of Sunny, London
For me the forever-speeding-up pace of the industry means that the tranquillity of design can evolve into something it shouldn’t be; redesigned and pulled out of shape, when the original design itself was correct.
The times are always changing and everything needs to be fresh. It’s just a shame it has to be fresh four times per year. I think this climate makes it hard for emerging designers to focus on all elements of their business; sales and strategies have to be reconsidered and innovative to work.