Fashion Week and the Future of Sustainability
After a year of restrictions, fashion week was revived with designers shifting from comfortable loungewear to expression based trends that highlighted sustainability lost during the pandemic.
In London, well known sustainable designer Stella McCartney focused on sensual femininity as inspiration for her collection in which she redefined sexiness through feelings of softness and lightness.
“Stella McCartney showed mushroom leather handbags and dedicated her entire collection to celebrate the mushroom, which is the future material of sustainable fashion,” said John Bartlett, Director of the Fashion Program.
While designers like McCartney focused on sustainability, Louis Vuitton experienced a public display of protest during its “Le Grand Bal of Time” show in Paris. A climate activist from the Extinction Rebellion group interrupted the show with a banner “OVERCONSUMPTION = EXTINCTION.” The protestor was escorted out of the show and Louis Vuitton has since issued no comment.
“I admire the protester so much and wish others had that same courage to bring such issues to the spotlight,” said Tracy Li ‘25. Bartlett added, “Climate change is a true issue and the fashion industry definitely has a responsibility to address it. I applaud the protesters and hope to see more protesting and activism in the industry.”
Dorothy Pishkur ‘25 said, “The protest shows that big brands and corporations need to do better and use up less non-renewable sources”. She also mentioned that brands like Louis Vuitton need to be environmentally friendly in aspects like sourcing and shipping as it contributes to the efforts.
The protestor highlighted the fashion industry’s impact on the environment and the lavish lifestyle in fashion which is driven by consumerism.
“This is a big issue and brands do need to focus more on sustainable efforts to address climate change as this is not the only time this has happened,” Rebbeca Dowling’ 25 said.
Previously, in Christian Dior’s Spring 2020 fashion show, a protester from the Extinction Rebellion group carried a yellow banner saying “WE ARE ALL FASHION VICTIMS”.
While there were some controversies surrounding fashion week, many refreshing ideas and trends emerged. In Milan, Fendi and Versace combined their brand’s signatures and ended the Milan Fashion Week with a collaboration that also combined their names, “Fendace.”
“I enjoyed and really appreciated the idea of two powerhouses collaborating,” Bartlett said. “We are all in this together.”
Some notable trends throughout the different cities were low rise pants and twisted trench coats. Bartlett particularly liked how Miu Miu presented low rise on hip skirts in Paris, alluding to Britney Spears in 2000. Li was drawn in by the twisted trench coat, especially at this time when people are still preferring “comfort and ease of wear”. The construction details of the trench coats with a twist is an exceptional way to keep comfort, but at the same time, show personality.
Fashion Week 2021. Photo by Flaunter on Unsplash.