Fashion between past and present
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the beginning
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FashionWe're more accustomed to thinking of this time of year as the last quarter or even back to school or fall, but this issue of Your Wealth is all about fashion, its trends, the most exciting moments from the "big four" fashion weeks (New York, London, Milan, Paris), and even The carbon footprint of fashion and its impact on our behavior and thinking.
A brief history of fashion week
A Brief History of Fashion Week: Long before Fashion Week revolved around the likes of Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid, and before the paparazzi and influencer stories that filled the social media sky, clothes were displayed on... paper mannequins. In the first half of the 19th century, customers learned what a garment would look like by looking at copies made of paper and displayed on miniature mannequins, The Good Trade reports.
Fashion designer Charles Frederick Worth was the first to use real models to showcase his designs to clients in Paris during the 1860s, laying the foundation for the Fashion Weeks we now see in the Big Four (New York, London, Milan, and Paris), twice a year in February and September. These shows were intended exclusively for elite clients only, and the models would go out in front of the audience after being summoned by calling out the design number that each one was wearing. You can see the models holding up the model numbers they're wearing in this clip from the 2017 movie Phantom Thread (watch: 2:39 minutes).
Merging fashion and socializing: In the early 1900s, French designer Paul Poiret would show off his designs to audiences at lavish parties. Lady Duff Gordon has been doing the same thing in London, inviting her strategic guests to view the designs in order to build buzz, Vogue reports.
The next development was at the hands of the Irish Brothers department store, which held its own fashion show in New York in 1903, according to Reader's Digest. Other boutiques soon followed suit, and were inviting the press to attend their fashion shows.
By the 1920s and 1930s, shows organized by Parisian fashion houses were increasing in popularity, coinciding with the rise of labels such as Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli. With increasing concerns about the theft of designs, fashion shows have become more private, some for potential clients only, and photography is prohibited. Clients used to travel to Paris to attend the shows, but World War II and the Nazi occupation of the French capital in 1943 caused most of them to be cancelled.
First Fashion Week: With Europe preoccupied with war, American fashion journalist Eleanor Lambert seized the opportunity to promote her country's designers, The Good Trade reports. In 1943, Lambert invited the media to New York Press Week, a series of shows that became the first Fashion Week.
Institutionalization of shows: After the war ended, the French Federation of Haute Couture began organizing its own shows in Paris, which quickly became a mecca for designers to present their seasonal collections, with at least 35 pieces on display per day. Milan was followed by the Italian National Fashion Chamber, which established Fashion Week in 1958. Then Paris Fashion Week, organized by the French Fashion Federation, became an official event as of 1973, while the British Fashion Council established London Fashion Week in 1984.
Here are the most interesting moments from the “big four” fashion weeks (New York, London, Milan and Paris), where international fashion designers presented their vision of what we could wear in the spring-summer of 2023 at the latest fashion weeks in September.
Fashion trends we expect to hit the streets in 2023: Cargo pants, which are loose cotton pants with large pockets, were a trend in 2022 and seem to be here to stay, but this time these pants are made in softer fabrics like satin like the ones we saw at Fendi and Jil Sander . Another big upcoming fashion trend is sheer fabrics, according to Cosmopolitan magazine. Although some of the transparent fashion styles on display may be considered inappropriate by some, the presence of layers in designer fashions – which is also another trend during the upcoming season – may make them acceptable. Wearing long dresses over trousers was a trend that continued to appear during fashion shows last month. A more conservative trend making its way back onto the scene is maxi skirts. As for spring nights, you can go out into the street wearing a sequined dress, skirt, blouse, or anything else like that, according to the Who What Wear website.
Most popular color: lime green.
Double vision? Designer Alessandro Michele's Spring/Summer 2023 show during the Gucci Twinsburg fashion show was amazing. Everything seemed normal at first, until a wall was raised and the audience discovered that two identical fashion shows were being held on either side at the same time, with the help of 68 twin models, according to Anather magazine. The twin models then came out for the second time, but this time each holding the hand of his or her twin. The Italian designer's fascination with twins, evident in previous shows, is entirely personal, dating back to the fact that his mother Eralda was a twin, and he considered his aunt Giuliana his second mother.
A dress that is sprayed - like spray - on the body without any fabric? Coperni's dress, which was sprayed on the model's body as if it were a spray, was one of the most strange and exciting moments during this year's fashion weeks. Model Bella Hadid walked down the catwalk wearing almost nothing, before fashion designer Manel Torres, the inventor of Fabrican technology - an instant spraying technique for fabrics on the body - appeared, and two tech scientists began spraying the model's body with what looked like white paint, which quickly turned into... Canvas, according to Wired magazine. You can watch what happened here (1:19 minutes). Fabrican was founded in 2003 with the purpose of exploring the use of technology in fashion, healthcare and the automotive industry. Torres was inspired by a thread spray can to create this technique, which can also be used to re-repair damaged items.
Subtle sustainability: Designer Stella McCartney's latest show, held at the Center Georges Pompidou in Paris, was her most sustainable show to date, but she hopes no one will call it that. “I'm doing my job right, and you shouldn't see any sustainability in that,” the designer was quoted as saying by The Guardian after the show ended. “It should look like the most luxurious and glamorous show,” McCartney adds. McCartney's fashion show included jackets, shoes and bags made from leather substitutes. The Frame bag, which has become popular this season, is made from a grape-based leather alternative, and its strap is made from mycelium, a mesh of fungal threads. McCartney has long been a proponent of eco-friendly fashion, and has declared her brand leather-free since 2001, according to Reuters.
Most controversial moment: Famous American rapper Yeo Kanye West organized a last-minute fashion show for his Yeezy Season 9 brand, according to the New York Times. Yee began the show with a six-minute speech - but what caught attention was the black T-shirt he was wearing - which had "White Lives Matter" written on the back. The Anti-Defamation League deemed this slogan hate speech, according to The Cut. American rapper Jaden Smith was among the attendees who immediately left the show as soon as they saw the T-shirt. Edward Enninful, editor-in-chief of British Vogue and one of the most well-known black men in the industry, described the T-shirt as “unacceptable” and “insensitive given what is happening in the world.”
Egyptian fashion
Egyptian elegance: We recommend some local brands that give you an Egyptian aesthetic.
For luxury lovers:
Azza Fahmy came into the jewelry business in the late 1960s, becoming one of the first women to break into Cairo's historic Khan al-Khalili neighborhood. Fahmy took inspiration from Nubia and traditional Egyptian architecture for her first collection, “Nile Houses,” and continues to draw inspiration from Egyptian heritage and culture. Her luxurious designs often feature inscriptions in Arabic calligraphy, including some Egyptian proverbs and verses of poetry. Fahmy's designs were worn by actresses such as Souad Hosni, and she also worked with director Youssef Chahine to design jewelry for some of his films. Azza Fahmy branches are currently spread across the Middle East and North Africa, in addition to London and the United States. Read the interview conducted by Enterprise in 2020 with Fatima Ghaly, partner and CEO of Azza Fahmy Jewelry Group.
Okhtein Luxury Accessories Company was founded by Egyptian sisters Aya and Monaz Abdel Raouf. In 2014, the sisters designed a collection of luxury bags based on high-quality Egyptian craftsmanship and copper, and used social media to market the brand, according to Forbes. The company began to spread strongly, and its products were worn by a number of celebrities such as Beyoncé, Demi Moore, and Emma Watson. The Bidayyat Investment Fund acquired a stake in the company last year, CEO Mohamed Abdel Raouf told Enterprise, without revealing the financial details of the deal. The company's products are now sold in retailers across the world, including Bloomingdale's in the UAE, Harvey Nichols in Saudi Arabia, Saks in Bahrain, Harrods in Britain, and Le Sweets in France.
Maison Yaya: An international French-Egyptian luxury fashion house founded by Yasmine Yehia, who launched her career after being selected in the “Mission Fashion” program on LBC, and then getting the opportunity to train under the supervision of the famous designer Elie Saab, according to the official website. The Maison Yea brand is now known for its wedding dress designs, but it also designs other high-end products, and received international media attention after Jennifer Lopez wore one of its designs to the BAFTA Awards in 2019, according to Forbes. Her designs were then worn by royal families in the Arab world, model Chrissy Teigen, artist Mona Zaki, and others.
For casual lovers:
The brand In Your Shoe was founded by Ezz Tariq and Amr Kawashti. The company started by making socks with cheerful designs, but as demand for socks faltered during the pandemic, it moved to expand into pajama pants, which found a good response and boosted revenues. The company then began offering hats and belt bags, turning into a full-fledged fashion brand that offers everything from men's swimwear and women's dresses to laptop cases, and it also has a line of unisex clothing. The brand already has two retail stores and is looking to open more.
Every detail of the clothing offered by the brand Fufa is inspired by places in Egypt. The company's founder, Farah Al-Ashery, works on digital designs that draw inspiration from different regions, then prints them on locally sourced, sustainable Egyptian fabrics, which eventually find their way into collections of clothing made in Egypt. Part of the manufacturing process is done by women from the destination where the design was inspired, providing them with a source of income.
Entrepreneur Ahmed Hamdy founded the brand Nile Eyewear in 2014. Hamdy began manufacturing eyewear locally and selling it in small stores along the North Coast, and in malls across Cairo. Hamdi constantly changes the available collections, and creates limited quantities of each design to ensure that each eyewear is unique. You can find the designs at Arkan Mall, Capital Business Park, Mall of Arabia, Mall of Egypt and Downtown Mall.
The environmental impact of fashion
Huge carbon footprint hiding behind the glamor of the fashion industry: The fashion industry is responsible for up to 8-10% of global carbon emissions and about 20% of global wastewater, according to a report from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Producing and delivering your favorite jackets and sneakers to a store near you requires more energy than the airline and shipping industries combined, according to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. What's even more terrifying is that it takes nearly 3,800 liters of water to make and deliver just one pair of jeans. At current levels of production, the industry could contribute to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50% by 2030.
Waste is also a problem deeply rooted in the industry: about 87% of all textiles are eventually thrown away and find their way into landfills or end up incinerated. Even more worrying is that in some countries, as much as 40% of clothes purchased may never see the light of day. Since 2000, the number of new clothes produced annually has doubled to about 100 billion. As fashion cycles become shorter and new products are produced faster, the amount of waste generated by industry can take a greater toll on the planet.
There's also the problem of harmful microfibers that leak into our oceans and waterways every time we wash our clothes. About 16-35% of microplastics currently in our oceans can be traced to synthetic fibers used in clothing manufacturing, which leak from washing machines into sewage systems before being released into waterways. As well as the direct harm these fibers cause to marine life, the presence of toxic microplastics in our ecosystems means they inevitably end up in drinking water and food.
Some of the biggest polluters have pledged more sustainability: Fast-fashion company H&M has pledged to reach zero emissions by 20240 and run its operations through a circular model, a business model that attempts to reduce waste and puts sustainability at the heart of production and consumption. Reusing and recycling waste, reducing pollution and regenerating natural environments are all “circular” concepts. Levi Strauss & Co. (pdf) has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% across all sectors of its supply chain by 2025 and reduce emissions by 90% across all its facilities.
One partial solution could be digital: For many, fashion can be an essential form of individual expression, and reducing or changing one's wardrobe simply for the sake of environmental concern may seem like an impossible task. This is where digital fashion comes in. With unlimited options for new clothes, digital fashion allows people to paint their own image on social media or in the metaverse at a dramatically reduced environmental cost. Not only personal clothing is in the digital world, but fashion shows, which often have a very high carbon footprint, can also be available online.
Relying on alternative materials in production may be another solution: For many fashion houses, using more environmentally friendly raw materials in clothing production instead of polluting materials such as plastics and petroleum-based synthetic fibers is considered a big part of the solution. Brands such as Adidas, Stella McCartney and Lululemon are already backing fungal leather manufacturer Milo in a bid to move towards more sustainable leather alternatives. Other high-end fashion brands such as Burberry and Balenciaga are working to develop a new list of materials with a lower environmental impact for their production processes, from lobster shells to lotus stems.
But perhaps the most effective way to reduce the negative effects of the industry is simply to dress less: As consumers, one of the most effective steps we can take is to buy less clothing. This is easier said than done, but thinking deeply about what you really need and choosing fewer high-quality clothes instead of piles of clothes from fast-fashion brands can go a long way toward reducing your carbon footprint. If you desperately need to get something new for a special occasion, consider renting instead of buying or buying used clothing. More retailers are working with this model and some local outlets like La Reina can help
What our clothes say about us: The way we dress says a lot about who we are and how we want to be perceived in the world. While what we wear can be a source of individual expression, clothing throughout history has had a connotation of status and social roles. Changing clothing styles tell a story of status and values, even when it comes to what we think of as today's more relaxed or simply casual dress codes.
The history of clothing is rooted in maintaining a clear social hierarchy: From the early to mid-Middle Ages, Western fashion was based entirely on a person's position within the social hierarchy. There were clear differences in clothing styles between merchants, artisans and aristocrats, for example, as Stanford law professor Richard Thompson Ford explains to the BBC. As tailoring developed, even the boldest class differences began to appear in people's clothing styles, Ford said.
Clothing styles then came to reflect personal differences: By the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance, fashion in the Western world had become a means of expressing individual taste, along with class and religious affiliation, Ford told Stanford News. This increasing focus on the individual reflected the broader cultural shift in philosophy, science, art, and literatureBut these individual modes of expression remained restricted by the harsh laws of dress codes: As individualism came to the fore and more room for expression of status increased, certain laws known as laws of presumption were established to prevent people from straying too far from the limits of dress for each class. These laws were ostensibly intended to prevent "extravagance," but in reality they were designed to prevent merchants and workers from dressing as gentlemen, even if they could afford it, according to Ford. Part of the logic here was to limit the appearance of power and authority to aristocrats and kings to help them maintain social control.
Today's clothing style is more casual than ever but that doesn't mean it's done away with its connotations of status: the preferred uniform of many tech CEOs, such as Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, is a plain T-shirt, jeans and sneakers. It may seem that Silicon Valley's clothing choices are increasingly casual or careless compared to the business suits that business owners used to wear in previous decades, but they are actually part of the emergence of an entirely new kind of dress code in an evolution that began with the merchant class of the past.
Welcome to the era of business casual: When it comes to workplace attire, we've been part of a long history of dressing inappropriately. This trend, of course, accelerated due to the pandemic, which forced many office workers to stay indoors for two years, and wearing pants became optional on most days. As people return to the office, the dress code has changed to a more casual trend and fashion retailers have embraced a more relaxed style of clothing called “business casual” or “business at ease”. Part of this shift is because employees have become accustomed to the convenience of working from home. Another reason is that the strong labor market in rich countries means that workers are less concerned about appeasing their bosses and maintaining a very formal appearance.
Sometimes what you wear can change the way you feel and act: some clothes carry much deeper meanings than their aesthetic sense might suggest – in many ways, they may actually have the power to influence the way we feel about ourselves and how we behave, According to an influential 2012 study from a group of researchers..Northwestern University.Researchers have called the idea of clothing affecting the way one thinks or behaves “clothing cognition theory.” The way the researchers arrived at this conclusion was by measuring test subjects' response to lab coats — typically associated with scientific thinking — which showed improved performance on certain tasks. The results of this study lend some credence to the idea that changing out of your pajamas in the morning and into a button-up shirt, for example, may help you do your job better.
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