What do you think is the ultimate goal of fashion? Yes, it is indeed to make you look great, but it is also to make you feel good about yourself, be comfortable in your skin. The emotional and physical impact of clothes is deeply correlated as we have said earlier. However, unfortunately, that is not the reality of fashion, as it stands today.
The wave of fast fashion has resulted in a “trend-fulfilling” exercise for brands. There is a loss in translation of what people actually need and want, and what they get.
In a world, where we are constantly talking about “being real” and considering people as “people” and not “consumers”, it is important that fashion brands become more humanized.
The way we see it, here are some major concerns we have with current fashion and it’s time brands address them –
Not considering the changing bodies.
This is more applicable for women who are in their 30s and 40s. The body and mind go through major changes, be it age, pregnancy, and the changing perception of life, self, and everything. The clothes that swarm the fashion landscape are not addressed to these changing demographics. So, what do they do? Stick to their tried and tested styles or pick up the best of the worst from whatever’s available.
Not helping save time or money.
A study reveals that on average, a woman spends almost six months of their working life deciding what to wear. That’s a lot of active hours! It doesn’t matter if you have a family, or single, or have a business to run.
No one wants to spend that kind of time just scouting for the right clothes, whether from your wardrobe or while shopping. And even after spending hours, if you have to end up buying something that you are not happy about but you must, then what is the point of this entire exercise!
On the other hand, if you get the money’s worth from your clothes, you could still justify the time spent.
Unfortunately, the easily available, fast-fashion products are not of premium quality, so they don’t last too long. And you end up buying more and consequently spend more by the end of the year. It’s a vicious cycle.
Not creating relevant styles that suit everyone.
Let’s admit it, some styles look fab on the runway, or in magazines, blogs, on celebs. But they can’t be a part of our daily lives. Bare butt jeans, random slogans on tees, ripped stocking, cold shoulder jumpers, transparent leggings, the list could go on, make absolutely no sense. These styles don’t fit into the lives of the common people – in their functionality or even style quotient. Then why do we even have them!
Not accounting for sustainability.
With the changing needs of the world, we are all to be more conscious about the environment. At work or home, we are doing our smallest bit to make this planet healthier and safer, as much as we can. Logically, our fashion practices also need to be on those lines.
Trending styles come in massive volumes to cater to the rising demand and discarded easily. All these end up in waste because most of them are not degradable. Such kind of fashion is not healthy for the planet nor us.
Not considering the psychological impact on people.
Fashion is both a science and an art. Only when the aesthetics of tangible things merge with human behavior, we can call it impactful fashion. Brands have forgotten how to look at people as “emotional beings” and not just “buyers” and how clothes impact people. Once brands realize that, they can tap the right sentiment of people and help them with what exactly they seek from their style.
There is a huge gap between what we want and what we are getting from clothes today. And that’s why the fashion landscape needs a fundamental redesign, it needs to change how it makes us feel.
What would you want to change in fashion today?
