USC FASHION DESIGN DEPARTMENT

BACHELOR'S THESIS-HUMANITY GROUP

MANUSCRIPT

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FASHION AND US

INCREASING KNOWLEDGE ABOUT SLOW FASHION

 Advisor : Ra

Student : Chang Yi Wen

Year Of Submission : April 2023

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract .......................................................................................................................... ii
Table Of Contents
.......................................................................................................................... iv

Definition of Terms
............................................................................................................................xi

Chapter I .............................................................................................................1

Justification ..............................................................................................................2

Purpose of Study ................................................................................................3

Conceptual Framework of the Study .......................................................................4

Psychology and Fashion.................................................................5

Consumerism and Fashion Industry

.................................................................6

Trends.................................................................7

Reflection on shopping habits....................................................................................8

What will fashion look like after the

pandemic............................................................................................9

Chapter II
.......................................................................................................................................10
Research

Review...............................................................................................................11

Sustainability in the Textile and Apparel Industry ................................................12

Materials......................................................................................13 Fast Fashion
Manufacturing..................................................................................14 Consumer
Transportation..........................................................................15

Ethical Issues ......................................................16

 Sustainable design methods

..........................................................................................................17

iv

Good and bad of sustainable fashion .................................................................................18

Small brands ..........................................................................19

Environmental Fashion giants ....................................................20

Factors Influencing Consumer Purchase Intentions ..............................................21

Additional Variables ..............................................................................................22

Environmental Values................................................................................23

Shopping Values ........................................................................................24 Knowledge of

Thinking beyond the closet..........................................25

Chapter III
.....................................................................................................................................

What is a capsule wardrobe ........................................................27

Capsule History..........................................................................................28

Benefits ............................................................................29

How to........................................................30

List...................................31

Amplify capsule wardrobe

...............................................................................................................32

Merging human memories with garments................................................33

Reasons.....................................................................................34

Research ..................................................................................35

Key variables ......................................................................................................36

Trends................................................................................37

Social Media influences .........................................38

 Post-Educational Environmental Values .......................................39

vii

Knowledge .................................................................................................40 Pre-Educational

Subjective Knowledge ........................................41

Post-Educational Subjective Knowledge.......................................42

Shopping Values ........................................................................................43

Educational plan....................................................................44

Pre-Educational Perceived Behavioral Control .............................45

Post-Educational Perceived Behavioral Control............................46

Purchase Intention Towards Slow Fashion................................................47 Pre-Educational

Purchase Intention...............................................48 Post-Educational Purchase Intention
............................................49

Effectiveness of the Slow Fashion Educational Module ...........................50

Research Question One..........................................................................................51 Research

Question Two .........................................................................................52

viii

Research Question Three .......................................................................................53 Research

Question Four.........................................................................................54 Research Question
Five .........................................................................................55 Additional Findings
...............................................................................................56

Chapter V
.......................................................................................................................................57

Discussion and Conclusions ..............................................................................................58

Research Question One..........................................................................................59

Research Question Two .........................................................................................60

Research Question Three .......................................................................................61

 Research Question Four.........................................................................................62

Research Question Five .........................................................................................63

Additional Findings ...............................................................................................64

Environmental Values................................................................................65

Shopping Values ........................................................................................66

Shopping Behavior.....................................................................................67

Impact of Module and Food Purchases on Purchase Intention .................68 Conclusions

............................................................................................................69 Theoretical
Implications ........................................................................................70

ix

Practical Implications.............................................................................................71
Limitations .............................................................................................................72 Future
Research .....................................................................................................73

List of References
..........................................................................................................................74

ABSTRACT
 Pre-Introduction Visualization

Picture any place in the world. Decide on the season, the time of day and the exact location.
Remove all people and animals. Remove their houses and their transportation but keep yours.
For now, there are no memories of other people, and no other people will appear in your
world. Notice the weather and yourself. What are you wearing in this image?

All your clothing, shoes, accessories, and toiletries are also available to you.
Would you like to change anything about what you are wearing? Change your clothing, hair,
skin products or accessories if you want to, or keep on what you have. Now picture your feet,
your legs, torso, and shoulders. What’s on your head, your face? Your skin? What are you
carrying? What will you wear tomorrow?

Next, pick one person who you know closely and add them back into this scene. Do you want
to change anything? Why or why not? Add a second person back into the scene, one that you
have only met once. Would you put something else on? Add a final person, one that has the
right to punish you for wearing clothing different than theirs. Do you change anything?
How much of your dressing decisions are based on your relationship to the clothing?
And how much was based on your relationship with other people? How many times have you
purchased a piece of clothing and never worn it? Is it because it didn’t fit, or because it just
didn’t feel right? What didn’t feel right? The fabric, the fit or the way you felt in it? How
does your choice of clothing help you better understand yourself? And how can we reconcile
the deeply personal choice of how to dress against other influences of fashion.

How much agency do you have in navigating the world through the nonverbal language of
clothing? And how much of your daily dressing is passive despite the active assumptions
others make about you?

The Systemic Influences of Fashion

If the relationship between a person and their clothing can be adopted as a discussion, could
there be a therapeutic application to using clothing as an avenue for psychotherapy? Could
the external, nonverbal language of clothing be an unexplored bridge into a person’s inner
world? Can you have a conversation with yourself about your clothing to help better
understand your inner world?

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Generation z- the generation born in the late 1990s or the early 21st century, perceived as
being familiar with the use of digital technology, the internet, and social media from a very
young age.
Capsule Wardrobe-A capsule wardrobe is a small collection of clothes that can be put
together in different ways and includes everything you would normally need to wear. The aim
is to have an outfit suitable for any occasion without owning excessive items of clothing. This
is usually achieved by buying what are considered to be "key" or "staple" items in
coordinating colors

Human extensions- The movement by which the two elements of any jointed part are drawn
away from each other.

Psychology attachments- Attachment theory is a psychological, evolutionary and

ethological theory concerning relationships between humans.

Nomadic- Moving from one place or another rather than staying in one place all the time

Interaction- An occasion when two or more people or things communicate with or react with
each other

Attitude - Attitude is a function of behavioral beliefs, which characterize the individual’s

supposed consequences of the behavior (Ajzen, 1991; Eagly & Chaiken, 1993).

Environmental values - a set of beliefs of the way the environment should be (Corbett,
2006). Fast fashion - inexpensive or cheap clothing that is considered fashionable. It is
characterized

by high-speed production and consumption (Joy et al., 2012).

Knowledge - can be divided into subjective, referring to an individual’s confidence in his or

her knowledge, and objective, what an individual actually knows (Brucks, 1985; Corbett,
2006).

Purchase intention – “Intentions are assumed to capture the motivational factors that
influence a behavior; they are indications of how hard people are willing to try, of how much
effort they are willing to exert, in order to perform the behavior. As a general rule, the
stronger the intention to engage in a behavior, the more likely should be its performance”
(Ajzen, 1991, p. 181).

Shopping values – shopping value recognizes both a utilitarian outcome resulting from some
type of conscious pursuit of an intended consequence and an outcome related more to

Slow fashion - an alternative business model to fast fashion. Its focuses are on the value of
local resources, transparent production, and sustainable and sensorial products. The consumer
should think of the garment as an investment and choose to repair it rather than to dispose of
it (Clark, 2008).

Subjective norm - The subjective norm is a function of normative beliefs, which represents
what the individual perceives others that are close to them to believe about engagement in a
behavior. (Ajzen, 1991; Eagly & Chaiken, 1993).
Sustainable consumption - an “umbrella term” that combines meeting needs, improved
quality of life, increasing use of renewable energy sources, minimizing waste, and looking at
the entire product lifecycle (Oslo Roundtable on Sustainable Production and Consumption,
1994).

Chapter 1
Justification

What is fashion? What makes fashion fashion?

Does it have to be a certain way?

What should it contain? Should it be instantly disposable or about preservation for posterity?

Should it be about functionality or pure aesthetics?

How should it be provided to the consumers?

Should it make them feel like excluded outsiders or should it be like their cleverest friend?

Should it be knowing or should it be searching?

Should it be elitist or should it be for everyone?

Should it tell untold stories in untold ways, or should it stick to saying the same thing in

different ways?

How can it be exclusive and inclusive at the same time?

Fashion is most often thought of as a global industry that is invested in anticipating what we

wear and how we wish to appear to others. These are factors that have to be considered in the

fast paced world for a solution that can still allow individuals to enjoy expressing themselves

in fashion and still feel responsible to play their part in saving the environment. Fashion is all

about being open to change.

Purpose of study

The purpose of this research is to understand could there be a therapeutic application to

using clothing as an avenue for psychotherapy? Could the external, nonverbal language of
clothing be an unexplored bridge into a person’s inner world? Can you have a conversation
with yourself about your clothing to help better understand your inner world?
Whether capsule wardrobes would be suitable as a starter pack to slowly build up one's
identity piece by piece rather than buying into trends sold by big brands. Deep diving into
the balance between functionality and aesthetics to benefit to create garments that will aid
the future generations rather than continue to be a problematic industry.

1. What if we give a deeper meaning to each collection and garments ?

2. Why are clothes no longer valued and treasured?
3. What kind of meaning can be given to a garment? Function? Memories?
4. Can the concept of a capsule wardrobe be widely exercised?
5. Will the use of this exercise thwart the economy?
6. What are ways to combat the cons of this structure economically and consumer wise?
7. Will this change remove the freedom for expressing in fashion?

Conceptual Framework Of The Study

The theoretical framework for this study is the Relationship Between Clothes and
Humans. This theory was chosen to examine the different factors that affect a
consumer’s purchase intention towards fashion.

The body–garment relationship covers interactions between objective and subjective

measures of fit, as well as the design features of a garment. Each area requires separate
research prior to assessing the associations between them.

Potential Contributions

The overall goal of this study is to research the relationship between garments and humans
and if the concept of a basic line of capsule collection consisting of basics can be a design
concept.Investigating how what affects purchase intentions could reveal information about
possible ways to create a better product to encourage people to look into the concept of a
capsule wardrobe whilst creating a more sustainable world.

Research in sustainability is very important as we continue to face issues with the increasing
population, changing climate, and degradation of our environment. Beginning the process of
changing our behavior now by increasing the knowledge about fast fashion will help to
reduce the burden that future generations have in achieving sustainability.
 Psychology and Fashion

Fashion is the head-to-toe representation of art, wearable art, ready to wear art, economic
production of clothing, hair styles, make up, body markings, accessories, foot coverings and
accessories, head coverings, visual expressions of any type worn on or near the body, and
clothing of any kind made of any material.

Clothing and dress both refer to a wearable body covering usually created from a textile, but
can be fashioned and held in place by any material or substance.

In this article, the body refers to the entire body and all surfaces that can be fashioned with
clothing from body coverings to shoes, to hats, accessories, and body art.

The legal system is the governing body who makes punishable rules around codes of
dressing. Cultural and societal influence refers to the groups and individuals in which a
person engages.

The Self is the true, undamaged, born essence of a person (Schwartz & Sweezy, 2020).
Nonverbal language in this article refers to the nonverbal language of a person’s fashion.

systemic influences on dressing

Connection to Society

Society does not encourage space for the Self to discover the Self. Asking the Self and
clothing to reconcile would take power away from society to dictate the dress of individuals.
Taking power from society is not the will of culture. Many of us do not take on the journey of
understanding who we are through our dress because of lack of opportunity, capacity, and
cultural cut off from understanding our own Self’s character. We are dressed by our parents at
an early age to fit in with the culture of our peer group, and the agreed upon aesthetic of the
laws of the school. While this choice to take away the choice of dress from younger children
can be seen as an act of care, taking the autonomy of dressing away from a child could also
take away a child’s time of cultivating how they do their daily ritual of dress, and how their
choice fits into the system of social code dressing. Any failures or success in dressing lies
with the parents and removes the child from the relationship with their clothing and the
consequences of their would-be-choices. Identity issues arising rapidly around age 9 are
already exacerbated by the lack of diverse role models in the media and leadership
(MacDonald, 2014). And the author wonders if the guiding hand of parents in their children’s
clothing choices may be more for the comfort of the parents than for the development of the
child. Looking similar to their peers and fitting in has a place for the child who choses that
path, but how is this potentially affecting a child who feels like an imposter in their clothing?
And does this person walking around in nonverbal cues that are not their own help them in
life, or hinder them?

The conversation of clothing is still taking place between the wearer and society with an
emphasis on how to influence people to gain power. It’s possible that the money motivation
of

marketing on fashion psychology pushes consumption without regard to the relationship of

Self and clothing. If you look around a store at any given time, patrons are usually purchasing
clothing very different from the Level they are currently wearing. People purchasing clothing
are having a dialogue with the culture around the marketing of their brand. If asked, they
would probably tell you exactly where they see themselves wearing this article of clothing
and what they will pair it with. A patron who is cut off entirely from Self and clothing may
shrug and say that they just needed a new pair of pants, and this is all that was available. In
both cases, the patron ignores the dialogue between the article of clothing and themselves and
allows society to drive the purchase. How different would the conversation be if you asked
the patron about a piece of clothing and they said, “this is what I will wear when I am
confident” or “I purchase clothes that I will never wear because having the wardrobe of
who I want to be is as close as I'll ever get.” What if the disconnected patron noted “I don’t
care about purchasing clothing, because I am part of the majority, and my privilege allows me
to wear anything and still be seen as competent and acceptable.” The author notes that this
form of communication is not socially acceptable, but maybe it should be. We are lonely,
suffering from depression, anxiety, and disconnection.

Maybe a social conversation about our bodies and the way we dress them could redistribute
the power of your personal nonverbal language and place it back in balance with Self.

Society is concerned with how to read your nonverbal cues but refuses to look inward.
Instead, they use clothing to assess if a librarian is approachable (Bonnet & McAlexander,
2013) or how to dress while giving a speech to appear more competent. A small pushback in
the power distribution of society’s influence on the Self versus the Self’s connection to
clothing as a nonverbal language sits with the issue of gendered clothing.
Society Attempting to Balance the Presence of Self

Inherently, clothing is not gendered. While body proportions and fit should be considered in
any garment, the separate gendered sections are more alienating than helpful. These gendered
clothing sections could help direct a shopper, but pre-determining the gender of clothing and
what section the clothing is sold in undermines the conversation between the clothing and the
wearer as there is an obstacle associated with shopping in a section not advertised to you
despite your need for a briefcase one day and a purse the next.

This issue of gendered clothing is polarizing for people who identify with these garments
and alienating to the ones who don’t. A woman who wants a bra feels especially catered to,
while a man who may need a bra feels alienated. And the issue of gendered clothing is
different in many cultures. Gendered clothing is viewed through the lens of social assignment
and self-socialization. In cultures where language is less linear the lines in typical gendered
clothing also are less rigid (Gutierrez et al, 2020). With the connection of Self and clothing,
gendered clothing could be neutral. If the wearer is connected to the Self, they understand the
labeled gender of the clothing is a marketing strategy only. Wearing the clothing from any
section could be emotionally safe like picking food from any section of the grocery store.
Again, the purpose of this article is to explore if there should be a therapeutic avenue
connecting Self and clothing, not to villainize gendered clothing, marketing, or culture. The
awareness of the choice to dress despite the marketing, and pressure of society is the concern.
Opening the dialogue between Self and dressing to notice small changes in your mood,
increase self-awareness, privilege, inner mapping, and social injustice is the concern.

Connection to Self

Many people believe they can dress passively and still have a strong sense of Self. However,
the author argues that clothing as utility or necessity is a strong indicator about the person's
inner world and their disconnection from Self. For example, a man recently noted that he
does not wear white. When asked why, he said that white gets too dirty. But dirt is not
specifically attracted to one color or another. A white shirt or a navy shirt will have the same
opportunity to be soiled through the course of the same day on the same body. However, the
navy shirt will show less soil and allow the wearer to appear cleaner. So, it’s likely that the
man isn’t worried about the actual dirt, but his appearance is dirty. The comment was about a
white shirt showing dirt, not the need for the man to find a way to stay cleaner during the day.
If the man had noted that he hated looking dirty and appreciated the concealment of the navy
color of dirt, that would be a different level of self-awareness, rather than passively noting
that white gets dirty. If the man truly prefers navy shirts over white, then the issue of how the
man associates himself with being dirty is not important. But the insight into the reasons we
chose what we chose to wear, and how we have the right to do so is the issue.

Conclusion

It’s possible that you know why you wear what you wear. It’s possible that in your empty
world scenario from the pre-introduction, you wore a dress that’s too tight to sit in and heels
that are too uncomfortable to stand in, but maybe you wore the oversized jacket and pants
you saved from your father’s closet. Maybe you know why, maybe you don’t. It’s possible
that you are already harnessing the nonverbal language of clothing to better understand
yourself day to day. But some of us still don’t know why some clothing is too special to wear,
and too special to throw away.

Some of us may feel that we dress for others, to gain respect, or to look competent though we
feel disconnected to what we are wearing. Or more commonly, some of us may never think
about our connection to clothing until our spouse dies and we can’t seem to handle their
clothing.

No level of connection to our clothing is necessary but realizing how we see ourselves
based on how we think others see us can be valuable. No level of expense is valuable
without the understanding of how our relationship with clothing can bring us closer to
ourselves.

Maybe the purpose of connecting to our clothing is to create less of a narrative about who we
believe we are, and more of a daily connection to ourselves as we change daily. Psychology
of dress can help balance the power between the law, society, culture and Self in our
nonverbal language. While narrative can be a helpful tool in organizing meaning, narrative
can be problematic when parts of our authentic self don’t fit a cohesive story.

We have the choice to squeeze ourselves into a neat template or and abandon our complicated
evolution. The addiction to competency and neatly told stories surrounding your journey help
prop up the decisions of your non-linear mind. Clothing may be a bridge to help create
freedom from perfectly told narratives about yourself.

Maybe we haven’t moved forward in the personal psychology of clothing because we haven’t
reconciled our relationship with clothing in the past and now is the time to check in with our
Self and see if we should.

Consumerism and Fashion Industry

” Does Social Media have a positive impact on the Fashion industry?”

 No – Fashion is Socially Connected, but More Disconnected than Ever

The fashion industry is a seasonal one by nature. You wear different types of clothing when
it’s warm vs. when it’s cold outside. This is a perfect recipe for over consumption. Something
new is always going to be on the shelf and when you see your favorite celebrities or
influencers wearing something, it encourages you to buy it too. With online retailers and fast
fashion making thousands of styles available per day, technology has helped it become an
even more vicious cycle.

Over the years, studies have shown that our attention spans have decreased significantly.
People are always interested in the hot new thing, and this is perfectly exemplified through
Pros and Cons of Consumerism

Although hyper-consumerism has been widely criticized for its social, environmental, and
psychological consequences (potentially causing feelings of unworthiness or depression
because you’re never satisfied with what you do have), consumerism doesn’t have to be all
bad. If looked at from the perspective that consumerism encourages you to purchase goods
and services as a means of attaining wellbeing, we can focus on conserving resources and
doing as much as we can to purchase the things that make a positive impact on people’s lives,
mental health, and the environment.

In the fashion industry, having such a wide range of trends come to the forefront allows
designers to be more creative and unique. Think about the Victor & Rolf Couture runway
show at Paris Fashion Week this year. In other ways, it can create additional stress to make
“the next popular thing” without remaining true to an artist’s authentic creative expression.
It’s a double-edged sword.

But, one of the things that excites me, is that if everybody can pretty much wear anything and
still be “on trend”, you can consume so much less. Because trends are cyclical, the clothing
items in the style you are seeking likely already exist out there in the world. This means you
don’t have to buy anything new if you don’t want to. I think this is part of the reason why
we’re seeing a stark rise in thrifting. Therefore, if we are intentional about how we consume,
people can spend less, fast fashion can do less damage to the environment and labor market
(ex: slave, child, or underpaid labor), and circular fashion can rise.

This phenomenon causes people to be exposed to much more content than ever before and
has allowed for an increasing number of niche topics to find their way to the mainstream.
We’re seeing monikers like cottage-core, barbie-core, Y2K-core, disney-core, even
core-core… you name it, it’s out there. You can find a niche for literally anything.

Trends ranging all the way from the early 20th century to futurism are seen across social
media. Nowadays, everybody is kind of wearing every style all at once. There isn’t often one
trend dominating the scene at any one point in time.
Trends

1. Fashion trends are particularly considered as the popular styles of clothing and

accessories for a particular period of time.

2. Some of the micro trends such as tiny sunglasses and high-waisted denim cycle

in and out of fashion within a few months up to a few years. But when the macro

trends are considered, they change over a longer period of time and have more to

do with lifestyle and demographic changes than the latest fashion designs.

3. It is simply a fashion style or creatively designed dress, jewelry, footwear,

handbag, etc., that is popular at a particular time. Most people (especially of the

younger generation) are crazy about the fashion trend.

4. However, as it influences people at mass level and society as whole, it has some

influence on society, which could be positive as well as negative.

Positive Impact:

1. Because of the changing fashion trends, it leads to a healthy and competitive

environment that inspires the next generation of fashion designers and other
related professionals to work hard and create meaningful and creative new
designs.
2. It leads to creation of new ideas, designs and trendy looks, as well as the apparel
industry gives chance to designers to express their talent.
3. It creates new employment opportunities for many incoming students (of fashion
studies).
4. There are enormous opportunities in the apparel sector. The possibilities are truly
endless. The new fashion emerges and gives a fashionable look to any ordinary
man, which gives him or her confidence to perform efficiently, especially in an
interview.
5. The world is huge, filled with many diversity and cultures. Fashion and apparels
is like one language that everyone can understand. It connects people
internationally because fashion travels from one city to the next.
6. The new fashion trend makes even an ordinary person into a special person. It
gives an identity to the wearer, and creates an image in front of other people.
7. And last but not the least, it is an opportunity to merge different cultures and
traditions.
Negative Impact:

1. Due to excessive orientation towards the new fashion trends, capitalism would
use this to their advantage leading to fast fashion industry booming which
actively affects the environment
2. Art and fashion stems from culture with social media promoting short cycle
trends will take away cultural focus
3. Many people not only follow the latest trends and styles but also believe and
emulate the images and develop insecurities
4. Such new fashion trends also affect the psychology of younger generations, and
hence, if they do not get it, then it badly affects their minds and (likely) they
become victims of psychological disorders such as mental illness, stress, etc.

What/how do/if we give a deeper meaning to each collection and garments ?

Striving for absolvement from the physical world and rising above material possession are

noble endeavors indeed, and over-production surely plagues our sorry planet, but there is

something deeply human about the way we assign emotional value to inanimate objects and,

for better or worse, it is a large part of our culture.

So, I thought about the things that I own that don't just make me go “neat, a pretty thing!” but

help me reflect on my emotions or remind me of times I covet, and I asked my friends to

do the same.

“Despite being a relatively sentimental person, I don’t really own a lot of clothing with

feelings behind them – I couldn’t say where most of my wardrobe has come from. However,

this pin-badge, made by one of my best friends, really sticks out for me. It was a gift that

really wasn’t expected, and I cherish it so much. I don’t own many handmade things from

friends, so it’s incredibly unique to me. Which is funny really, because that fact also worries

me about wearing it sometimes, I don’t want it to come under damage or get knocked about,

but then again, it’s made to be worn. It’s a nice reminder that there’s some really, really cool

friends out there. “

– Tom
“I am not one to be too sentimental, especially considering clothes. But there is this one hat

that will always have a special place in my heart. It was my grandfather’s gift to me for my

10th birthday. It was just an ordinary old fashioned hat. Nothing about it struck me as

special, apart from the fact that it was definitely not the latest fashion trend.

That was changed immediately after I was shown several photos, depicting the very same hat

being worn by both my grandfather and my great grandfather on multiple special occasions. I

was even told a few stories about the hat being present on basically every pivotal moment in

both our family and nation’s history.-Pavel“

This is probably one of the only pieces of clothing that has real sentimental value to me. It

was my mom´s until I stole it from here because I really liked the casual vintage look it had.

It's from a restaurant on the pier at Dana Point, California, near to where my mom grew up.

We always used to take walks and count all the little crabs we could see. It sounds silly, but I

hope I don't get a stain on it and ruin it because I am passing this down to my children,

whether they like it or not. I remember my mom always wearing it when we were little. Now

when I wear it, she just shakes her head and says “I don't know why you like that thing so

much, it's really old.” Next thing you know I´ll be stealing her blue eyeliner and leg

warmers…”

– Abby

“I really do love my rucksack. Even though I like to think of myself as quite stylish, it is one

of those practical all-duty backpacks and it never really goes with anything I wear. I pride

myself on how I equipped it with everything I could possibly need on a trip through the

mountains or a night out with friends. From a toolkit to zip ties to some snacks and a lighter;

it has it all. I never go anywhere without it.”

-Corvin
Keywords : one of a kind, gifted, reminder, not the latest fashion trend, past tense, memories,

stories,practical, all-duty,equipped

Why are clothes no longer valued and treasured?

As behavioral economists point out, the act of shopping for fashion provides consumers with

satisfaction and personal fulfillment.Therefore, shopping for fashion, or fast fashion in

particular, is related to hedonic motivations and to the hedonic value and pleasure

experienced when shopping. The fast fashion business model provides luxury fashion

imitations at a low price and with a short shelf life. The sense of urgency when purchasing

fast fashion relies on recurrent consumption and impulse buying. As a consequence, fast

fashion consumption enhances the consumer behavioral pattern of buying more but using

items less frequently, which leads to questioning its social and environmental impacts.

Moreover, the behavioral pattern of fast fashion consumers has a detrimental impact on the

environment, where the waste of outdated or unwanted outfits accounts for some 17 million

tons, according to the figures from the Environmental Protection Agency.

What kind of meaning can be given to a garment? Function? Memories?

Multifunctional fashion garments can be defined as clothing or clothing systems that allow

different uses in different scenarios, such as adaptation (dynamic or not) to diverse social

situations or weather conditions, or just clothing that has different characteristics in different

body areas to have different functional features, such as different permeability characteristics

and different flexural properties in specific areas of the garment, among others.

Multifunctional design” is a kind of design mode that not only makes clothing more

interesting, but also encourages the wearer's participation in choices. It not only increases the

possibility of clothing style, but also extends the service cycle of clothing. In this “fast

fashion” run market, the multifunctional design idea can be a breakthrough point, helping us

to find the way to balance the low-carbon and environmentally-friendly requirements of the

fashion supply chain.

Can the concept of a capsule wardrobe be widely exercised?

A few brands in the industry have adopted the practice of launching capsule wardrobes

planning each season's collections with a clear garment count for basics and accent pieces.
Many luxury brands have been seen exploring functional clothing to make an effort to be

more responsible as a manufacturer. Multi-purpose clothing can also hugely reduce the

amount of clothing needed in a wardrobe.

Combining the concept of a Capsule Wardrobe, functional clothing and the psychology of

fashion and consumer can be the best solution for the industry.

Capsule wardrobe = Base wardrobe + Accent wardrobe

A capsule wardrobe is a marriage of two things. First is a Base wardrobe – a collection of a

few (up to 30) essential items of clothing that are classic in style and color that do not go out
of style. The second is an Accent wardrobe – all the fun stuff that makes up your unique style
– from red lace dresses, oversized plaid jackets, embroidered jeans, leopard tops, to Gothic
Victorian blouses and pink joggers.

Will the use of this exercise thwart the economy?

After several research a capsule wardrobe also stems from the Minimalist movement.What is

minimalism fashion?
The term "minimalism" refers to a way of living in which you only possess and utilize items
that have some use in your day-to-day activities. The concept of a simple life is broadly
stated, where you only own items that you genuinely treasure and require to get by each
day.What are the benefits of minimalism in the fashion industry?

Fast fashion results in many problems. There’s massive amounts of waste, an extensive use of
materials derived from fossil fuels, widespread use of cheap, poisonous colours, and unfairly
paid labor. Minimalist fashion attempts to reduce these issues by encouraging shoppers to buy
and use less clothing items.

While promoting a sustainable way of life, minimalism also helps you in fighting back
against the anxiety and stress caused by the constant need to keep up with the ever-changing
fashion trends.

As the world becomes increasingly aware of the environmental and social impacts of the
fashion industry, it is clear that we must reevaluate our relationship with clothing and how we
consume it.

As futurists, it is our job to look ahead and consider the long-term consequences of our
actions. In the case of fashion, this means considering the environmental, social, and
economic implications of our clothing choices.

Minimalist fashion, which emphasizes simplicity and functionality over trend-based excess,
can help reduce the environmental impact of the fashion industry. By choosing to own fewer,
higher quality pieces that can be worn and enjoyed for longer periods of time, we can
significantly reduce our carbon footprint and the amount of resources consumed.

In addition to its environmental benefits, minimalist fashion also has economic and social
benefits. By investing in higher quality, timeless pieces, we can save money in the long run
by not constantly needing to replace cheap, fast fashion items. This not only benefits the
individual consumer, but also helps to support ethical and sustainable fashion brands, which
often pay fair wages and use eco-friendly materials and practices.

Sustainable fashion, which focuses on the use of eco-friendly materials and ethical
production practices, is another important aspect of the future of fashion. As the world's
population continues to grow and resources become increasingly scarce, it is important that
we consider the impact of our clothing on the planet. By choosing sustainable fashion brands,
we can help to protect the environment and ensure that future generations have access to the
resources they need.
Will this change remove the freedom for expressing in fashion?

Hyper-Individualism and Personality

In today’s high-income industrialized countries, most people have the possibility to express

their personalities visually without being exposed to overly harsh criticism. Except for some

shrinking areas of social life where strict dress codes still exists, everybody can create a

visual persona that reflects how he or she wants to be perceived. While freedom of visual

expression in itself is a positive development, social media and global interconnectedness

have caused the rise of hyper-individualism. With everybody trying to be individual,

individualism becomes normality (González, 2012). Because of the highly appearance-based

image cultivation on social networks, style has become less of a way to express the

personality but a tool to create the perfect self. Authenticity is often lost in the process.

What Will Fashion Creativity Look Like in the Coronavirus Aftermath?

So what will fashion creativity look like in the aftermath of the global pandemic?

“In general fashion isn’t really about a formula, but instead it reacts to the needs of a given
period and a given moment,” said fashion curator and historian Pamela Golbin.

Melissa Marra-Alvarez, curator of education and research at The Museum at FIT, predicted a
multipronged approach influenced by the socio-economic circumstances that will see a
different world emerge from the pandemic. “I think the thing to understand is [that] shifts in
fashion are often a reaction to what came before it. Fashion is about change, and so, these
reactions are what propel fashion forward,” she mused.

“On the one hand, with many of us working from home in ‘comfy’ sweats, tracksuit bottoms

and yoga pants, we have adopted casual wardrobe choices. I keep thinking of Karl Lagerfeld

and his comment about sweatpants being a sign of defeat, of losing control of your life. When

quarantine lifts, we could see people yearning to dress up again, and a strong move toward a

return to maximalist glamour as a sartorial expression of liberation,” she said.

The whole world has been upended by the outbreak and fashion has proven to be reactive to

global crises in the past. As the Western world entered the postwar era in the Twenties —

dominated by economic prosperity and a distinctive cultural edge — fashion embraced short

and loose dresses and a generation of young women across the Atlantic, especially in the U.S.

and the U.K., epitomized the free-spirited attitude of the “Roaring Decade.” Similarly, after

World War II, Christian Dior ignited Paris with his extravagant, full-skirted New Look

aiming to offer postwar women a dream of the good old days, in sharp contrast with the

utilitarian attires and austerity that had dominated wartime.

Lilly Berelovich, president and chief creative officer of trend forecasting firm Fashion

Snoops, which operates offices in New York and Europe, expects that in the aftermath of the

COVID-19 outbreak, fashion will embrace an “’emotional maximalism,’ which is different

from the peacocking genre of maximalism we have seen in the past, focusing instead around

fabrics that feel good on the skin, color that evokes happiness and silhouettes and

exaggerated details that allow us to escape from reality,” she offered.

Although Golbin believes fashion has become “very fragmented” in the past 10 years with

the dictatorship of a given theme yielding to mixing and matching different aesthetics, she

contends the emotional factor will be key moving forward.

“It is a very emotional period and so emotion is still very much at the core of the designers’

definition of fashion. Even more than just art or any other creative field, fashion allows for a

real reflection of the emotion of a given moment…you can have a mix and match of both

ends of the spectrum as long as it really is about something that is very personal,” she said,

stressing the importance of consistency between the message and the final product. “You

have to walk the talk and talk the walk.”

ccording to experts, the pandemic will also shift consumers’ spending habits and desires, both

elements that designers will take into consideration. “In times of crises fashion doesn’t have

the same exact meaning. As we’ve seen with the outbreak, fashion has been also a lead for

social support,” said futurist, designer and educator Geraldine Wharry, referencing the

industry’s contribution to provide personal protective equipment.

“There won’t be one dominant aesthetic response to the coronavirus as people will have

different reactions to it. Consumers will be far more cautious in their spending, but this does
not in all cases mean that they’ll be cautious in their styling,” underscored Francesca Muston,

vice president of fashion content at trend forecasting firm WGSN.

“This pandemic has also hit the economy.…Economic conditions such as these, in the past,

have tended to foster a minimalist aesthetic in fashion as designers look to create clothes that

are versatile, functional and have a lot of mileage. Minimalist fashions tend to prioritize

function; they appear simple and can register style without an ‘in-your-face’ extravagance,”

noted Marra-Alvarez. She added that the pandemic could either speed up or prolong the

typical fashion cycle, ping-ponging between the maximalist and minimalist aesthetics — both

themes she explored in the 2019 exhibit “Minimalism/Maximalism” she curated for The

Museum at FIT.

For instance, the early Nineties were defined by a minimal approach as exemplified by

Miuccia Prada’s seminal collections for the family brand, somewhat subverting the excess of

the previous decade. After the 2008 subprime financial debacle, it was suddenly uncool to

look overtly rich and low-rise denim pants, logoed gear and flamboyant designs that had

dominated the fashion scene in the early Aughts started to give way to more restrained and

minimal fashion, one good example being Phoebe Philo, who joined Céline in 2008 and

began to cement an understated aesthetic for the French fashion house.

“After the last recession, we saw a reduction in overt displays of spending and luxury, what

we called stealth wealth, and that is likely to be even more pronounced this time around,”

contended Muston.

“Creativity and upbeat maximalist looks can still exist in these circumstances. That said,

there will also be a strong continuation of minimalism as consumers look to build versatility

and longevity into their wardrobes with greater consideration and justification behind each
purchase,” she commented. The spring 2020 runway shows already hinted at a potential

return of minimalism in fashion.

Marra-Alvarez pointed especially to quality and sustainability as common traits to expect

from designers’ upcoming collections, as a response to customers’ needs. “Maybe people will

buy fewer, but better made and more interesting clothes — hopefully, a return to quality over

quantity. I think it could really challenge designers’ creativity in a good way and help shift

focus to more sustainable practices,” she said.

Berelovich echoed that sentiment as she believes “there will be a call for ‘less but better’ at

retail.”

“Like we saw post-WWII, customers will desire items of quality that they’ll want to keep in

their wardrobes and build upon. It’s a needed departure from disposable fashion as we shift

towards more sustainable consumerism. The focus on the maker and their techniques and

craft will emphasize the best reasons to buy into slightly higher ticket items in the seasons

ahead,” she said, acknowledging wardrobe builders will steal the spotlight. For example,

Berelovich underscored that slinky satin dresses, which were popular after the Great

Depression, could also dominate post-coronavirus fashion, catering to grunge and

minimalism, as well as to a dressed-up attitude.

In the post-recession landscape, in the mid-2010s, the normcore trend, which pivoted on

no-branded, uncool and uncomplicated designs, started to gain popularity, drawing younger

consumers. Experts do not believe in its resurgence after the crisis but predicted a strong

focus on ath-leisure and loungewear styles, or as Berelovich put it, toward “essentialism,”

such as “design rooted and defined by hidden functionality and protective details.”
“Certainly, our expectations around comfort have shifted up yet another notch, but

aesthetically there is still a lot to be excited about beyond swea“Minimalist garments may

permit accessories to take center stage,” countered Marra-Alvarez. “Accessories can be an

economical way of playing with fashion, and we are already seeing fashion being expressed

in the protective masks people are wearing,” she offered. The subject will be spotlighted with

the “Head to Toe” exhibit she co-curated together with assistant curator of costume at The

Museum at FIT Elizabeth Way, which will look at the role accessories played in women’s

wardrobes across 200 years. “We have seen that in times of crisis, such as WWII and the

Great Depression in the U.S., when clothes became more pragmatic, accessories were a way

of enlivening one’s look and became a fun outlet for the period’s anxieties,” said

Marra-Alvarez.

As the output of designers’ creativity, fashion will feel the havoc generated by COVID-19,

that might trigger new ideas: Working from home, designers have been looking perhaps to

different sources of inspiration and approaching the design process differently.

“On an optimistic note, there is an opportunity for designers to step back and rethink their

approach. This can be a fantastic time for creative ingenuity and innovation,” commented

Muston.

“It’s a moment to slow down and quiet down, which is allowing us to feel our creative power

again,” echoed Berelovich.

The trend forecaster questioned how fashion’s frenetic pace had somehow choked creative

energy. “The time we spent on actually conceiving ideas or being inspired kept shrinking and

timelines got shorter and shorter. We are now slowing down enough to feel, which I could

sense that for many creative minds is a wake up [call] like we have not seen in a long time.”
Golbin described this shift as a return to intimacy. “These collections will be very personal.

Each designer in their own way had the time or has been forced to look inward and not

outward, really stating what for them is their vision.”

A more intimate search for inspiration will also be triggered by less opportunities to travel,

attend trade shows and conferences, according to the Fashion Snoops’ president, but at the

same time, Wharry noted, “the creative output is generally a hybrid encompassing ideas from

the whole design team and the lack of exchange could provide different results.”

tpants and hoodies,” commented Muston.Inspiration aside, fashion’s entire business model is

put into question and experts observed that this could also ignite a different creative

approach. Berelevich pointed to a sustainable silver lining and an increased adoption of

technology.

“I think that in general what COVID-19 has done, it has accelerated trends that were already

there,” Golbin explained. “The emergency is an incredible opportunity for designers to step

away from that reel of non-stop one collection after the other,” she said, noting how the

industry has barely changed since couturier Paul Poiret first expressed concerns about the

industry pace.

“It’s a period of transition for everyone, but there will be seeds sown now that will play

forward,” said Marra-Alvarez. She contended that a heightened necessity to adapt and react

fast to changes, as well as a reevaluation of priorities could play a role in shaping the

upcoming collections.
“What was important before the pandemic may not be so important when we re-emerge from

quarantine. I think designers will be thinking about what is necessary and relevant, and what

is superfluous,” she offered.

This includes the spectacle of the fashion shows, which have been part of the creative process

itself.

“A lot of the designers have a process in which the presentations of the collection is very

much tied to the collection itself,” Golbin offered, citing John Galliano’s work for Maison

Margiela as one such example. “It is about personality and how will that personality come

across so that they can give their message, and have it accessed by the people that follow

them in a very large spectrum.”

According to Wharry the digitization of the fashion shows could also inform the creative

output.

“In these difficult and confusing moments, fashion has always brought a light and given a

reason to trust the future. Fashion has always accompanied moments of great triumph but

moments also of great suffering and it has been able to bring reassurance but also giving a

way to express our personal identity,” Golbin said.

“Disruption brings construction,” she added.

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