Welcome back to the Fashion Soc blog. We now have a whole new team of bloggers, with a collection of inspiring ideas to write about this year. Through their voices, we will bring our readers various perspectives on fashion, sustainability, style, art, culture, inclusivity and many more topics. For this piece, I am reflecting on the future and the passing of time, in our lives as students, and in the world of fashion.
Amy xxx
Own video of RVDK 'opera coat' taken at Fashion For Good Museum
Uni has made me realise that the future really isn’t as far away as we think. Sometimes that is comforting, each day is new and fresh, even if the last one was difficult or messy. But then sometimes it’s a little overwhelming, as the weeks pass by so quickly, and midterms are upon us in full force.
I think that for many of us, uni is something that we worked towards through much of our life at school. For me, uni almost felt like an end point, in some ways, a goal that I had never really expected would come to an end once I got there. Now that I am in third year, I have come to realise that this version of the future is way closer than I thought!
This got me thinking about the first blog I ever wrote for fashion soc, back when I was a first year, about designers making a difference in the fashion industry. I remember being a little unsure about putting myself out there through my writing, questioning my own capabilities, would people like it, would it have an impact? And yet, ultimately, it was so fulfilling to have a platform to use my voice, to spread the message, and to spread hope. Hope that fashion can go beyond environmental damage and social inequalities. Hope that through thoughtfulness and creativity, fashion could be so much more. The future could be so much more.
This summer, I can only thank KLM’s unpredictability for a day flight layover in Amsterdam on my way home from holiday. I discovered online the ‘Fashion For Good’ Museum, and decided that I had to take the opportunity to visit. Situated by one of the city’s signature canals, this museum was full of stories, ideas and inspiration for the future of fashion, a future of good.
The museum was divided into 3 floors – past, present and future. The ground floor told the stories of the history of fashion; the formation of alliances such as the women-led Ladies’ Garment Workers Union - responding to a garment factory fire in New York back in 1911 - through to the formation of Fashion Revolution after Rana Plaza collapsed in Bangladesh in 2013. I must admit, seeing these parallel events a century apart in history was quite poignant. Lives continue to be lost for clothing, and therefore, these movements are still needed, as we demand better, and remember those who we’ve lost. I was also inspired to see the powerful collective responses, standing up against these injustices which continue to occur.
The 1st floor featured ‘The Good Shop’, showcasing brands currently pushing back against generic models of fast fashion. Focuses were on timelessness, capsule wardrobes, slow fashion and thoughtful production.
Designer Ronald Van Der Kemp stood out to me particularly, who has much experience in the industry, having designed for the likes of Gwen Stefani and Celine Dion. I discovered how he is using his expertise through his own brand RVDK, working in the present, leaning into ‘collaboration’ and ‘eccentricity’. His brand values spreading messages of sustainability above fast-changing trends. This is shown on a luxury level in his work using high-end local material in the Netherlands, as reflected in his current ‘Trashure’ Collection. Perhaps there is room for these ideas to be used in a more mainstream and accessible way? I was inspired, and I think that ultimately, the rethinking of how we see garments, as Van Der Kamp does, is very powerful indeed.
RVDK Project Trashure (2021-Present)
This collection is premised on circularity based on discarded industry waste.
I was mesmerised by the use of eco felt laser-cut into chain links and spray painted to create a beautiful tile effect. This garment was created for Paris Couture Week, through a circular model for sustainability.
Own photograph of RVDK eco felt garment taken at Fashion For Good Museum
The white ‘opera coat’ is produced totally from recycled textile. I thought that the chain effect creates a powerful silhouette.
Own photograph of RVDK 'opera coat' taken at Fashion For Good Museum
And finally, the top floor looked into the future, and wow, how incredibly exciting this future is. An example displayed was the development of ‘Frumat’, a material made from leftover apple skins, that mimics leather. This highlighted to me how different industries can collaborate together to collectively reduce waste. And futures of garment production, a vision of those who produce clothes thriving and enjoying the experience, through proper pay and opportunities from their jobs. There was speak of clothing rentals becoming more accessible and normalised, and the design of garments beyond their first owner, for a long life, and many lives after that.
Nitin Bal Chauhan X Graviky Labs
I had never seen anything like this before. Chauhan debuted in 2007 at India Fashion Week. Graviky labs collaborated with his recent 2022 collection, creating ink from air pollution, to dye the fabrics for the garments. This dress stood out to me particularly. The natural-looking flow of the fabric combined with the pollution-dyed fabric created a unique paradox. This strange innovation showed me how much opportunity the future holds through the creativity of human beings.
Own photos of garments from Nitin Bal Chauhan X Graviky Labs 2022 Collection at Fashion For Good Museum
I hope that everyone is enjoying autumn and keeping cosy and I hope these words may spark a little bit of excitement about the uncertain, but enticing future ahead.
Thanks for reading!
Amy xx
Fashion Society
*All images are own photography, taken at Fashion for Good Museum, Rokin 102, 1012 KZ Amsterdam, Netherlands
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