Ordinary Luxury (Article)

O R D I N A R Y L U X U R Y

BY LILLIAN ROWE

The Covid-19 pandemic brought unprecedented change to every industry, including fashion. While Tiktok seemed to encourage overconsumption of fast fashion through “£500 Shein Hauls”, a counter desire for slow fashion grew much more organically with DIY and second hand shopping becoming increasingly popular.

Maybe it was a consequence of dwelling on human environmental impact after seeing viral images of “nature healing”. Perhaps, the abundance of time, and financial anxiety of furlough drew people to finding new hobbies to enjoy during particularly dull Zoom meetings. Or possibly, social pressure to become a multi-talented polylingual marathon winner found millions of social media users frantically researching sewing patterns for their House of Sunny knockoff before a New York influencer brands it ‘cheugy’. Whatever the cause, consumers are purchasing more cautiously and in smaller quantities. In addition to countless protests and social justice movements, this growing demand for a more ethical and sustainable industry standard has led brands to re-examine their values, as consumers meticulously decide who to support with their wallets. With recent climate disasters providing worrying reminders of the little time we have left to reverse the effects of the Anthropocene, sustainability is no longer an option, but a necessity, and fashion must take responsibility, being the second most polluting industry. Glamour and opulence need to be consumed sustainably, not in excess – luxury doesn’t have to cost us our planet.

For example, rising couturier Park Sohee looks to the century old tradition of Haenyeo to reinvent couture for the modern age. She marries tradition with innovation by representing the declining practice of female divers with clothes made from recycled materials that won’t damage the sealife. Marine Serre is another leading force on the luxury frontier driving the industry towards sustainability. With a strong emphasis placed on human impact on the environment, the brand focuses on ‘closing the fashion circle’ to create futuristic garments that can integrate themselves into modern life. However, perhaps one of the most important aspects of Marine Serre’s sustainable efforts flies under the radar compared to its BladeRunner-esque campaign videos. A large majority of the brand’s garments have easy aftercare, with their cult classics crescent tops being suitable for a quick 30-degree wash.

As fashion becomes more accessible, designers shouldn’t underestimate the significance of the ease of garment care in increasing an item’s longevity and lifespan.

“Sustainability is not just about using recycled materials, but also the methods of production and how an item interacts with its environment.”

With luxury fashion looking to increase sales by expanding their client base, they need to consider the lifecycle of their clothes after purchases. While consumers may be able to justify an expensive purchase every so often, elaborate aftercare is often at odds with their busy lifestyles and will deter them from choosing the brand again. Unfortunately, not everyone has the luxury of personal assistants at their beck and call to take half of their wardrobe to the dry cleaning after every wear.

Of course, there are many ways luxury fashion can reduce its damage to the environment. Luxury fashion has cultivated its glamourous image on exclusivity and rarity. However, more and more people are beginning to peek through the curtains, and we are moving past the practice of one-time consumers barely wearing an item, keeping it in the box in pristine condition as an ostentatious boast. Perhaps due in part to the rise of second-hand shopping where labels are nowhere to be found, clothes are now fashionable to wear, not just for showing off. Therefore, luxury fashion brands need to consider how their clothes can operate in normal day to day life. Whether that be sitting on the grotty tube seats or perhaps falling victim to the backsplash of a London puddle. Luxury can meet the demand for sustainability with a focus not just on the materials and processes used to create a garment, but what happens after an item is purchased.

The industry has the capacity to change and is slowly moving towards accepting a new standard. Once businesses begin to recover from the pandemic, sustainability must be the greatest priority of every sector of the luxury industry to halt the detrimental effects fashion has on the planet - before we run out of time.

It may be naïvely optimistic to believe that fashion will take responsibility for its contribution to the acceleration of climate change, and then take action to significantly limit its disastrous impact. Unfortunately, we must acknowledge that an industry based on profit will go to any length to achieve economic success, even at the expense of their ethics and morals. However, glimmers of hope within rising creatives, such as Marine Serre and Park Sohee, or changes to the standards employed by legacy brands, leave us excited to see what’s next for the luxury fashion industry.

Photography-Jess Young Models- Robin Kwon, Aino Rajantie Styling- Pabasha Perera Special thank you to “That Nice Laundrette” (3 Crowndale Road, Camden Town, MW1 1TU) for giving us permission to shoot on their premises.