Discussions about the fashion industry thread

[steveoffice]

All racial slurs get a timeout at least, and a ban for repeat or habitual offenders. That's not a new rule. It's probably our oldest rule. Some people like to argue that such and such a term is not a slur, but if it's generally considered a slur in the US, it is. I watched Ricky Gervais's "After Life", a British miniseries, and it was even considered a slur there, albeit a more mild one than some others, thus the ability to joke about it, but I take that as evidence that it's widely considered a slur in the English speaking world.

speaking of which, was medwed banned?

edit: wtf medwed

 

[clee1982]

I was going to say this is inspired by developments in some SE Asian cities. Omotesando Hills is probably the one that comes to mind that feels most comparable (luxury shopping, Michelin-star dining, next to everyday shopping).

or Skyview in Flushing, a much much lessor version (condo on top/super market/parking/shopping all below, not anywhere near high end shopping though)...

 

[Hussars]

Changing topics.

The biggest problem in fashion is overproduction. Brands take guesses on what people are going to buy and this is extremely inefficient. The supply never meets the demand in a perfect way.
The most powerful way to tackle this problem is to move from a system of ready-to-wear to a system of made-to-order.
Many people here, just buy MTM and even Bespoke. Which is a more natural way of consuming clothes.

I believe that in the near future, with the development of 3d printers, we will only have 2 options: buy any MTO garment made by a machine (printer or robot) or order a garment from a master craftsman who enjoys his work.
What do you think I'm crazy or someday this will be a reality?

 

[clee1982]

if production is fast enough sure, but otherwise think probably not, talking about almost no inventory

 

[cb200]

I can't see the average person, right now, choosing MTO if there's a more convenient, quicker, and likely less expensive option available.

 

[gettoasty]

@Hussars Consumers must be informed first. Do you think in the current retail space companies are doing a good job of communicating their services and capabilities? I think this only works for niche markets. What about corporations' bottom line and shareholder interests? In other words, by introducing only two options you prescribed, will this hurt companies' profitability?

From a corporation's perspective, I believe by having clothes ready-to-wear, it helps entice shoppers and creates a habit or cycle of buying, increasing company's profit margin. That is to say shoppers will buy when there was no intention to begin with but because of such business models like fast fashion created multiple opportunities for a sale to occur. Adding, the current environment has developed into weekly new offerings rather than the former three season cycle. There is no fiduciary responsibility to consumers by corporations in this industry. In turn it does not make a lot of sense financially to basically create a barrier between shoppers and goods.

Rather, I believe there is a level of care that businesses in this space should strive towards when looking at the environmental impact left behind due to their value chain. One effort that corporations in the apparel and clothing industry can do to inform consumers is directing and developing an end-of-life model for used goods. I believe Uniqlo has such a program as an example.

In part I think the internet community has also helped curb consumption of clothing, whether because of the capsule wardrobe, playing with the idea of simplicity and minimalism, as well as communities like Styleforum or even stores with an online presence that users actually leave reviews. I believe the opportunity is still great as more consumers have access online to read shopper comments. Circling back to my first question, to a degree stores that offer shopper reviews are in turn providing at least an avenue to keep consumers informed but perhaps not taking a more direct approach, which may or may not carry more weight.

However, given how fashion and formal dress has changed so dramatically since the early 20th century, following WWII, people nowadays also care less and in turn perhaps warranting little care by said corporations to make much effort on reducing consumption.

 

[penanceroyaltea]

Omotesando is awesome but the mall itself is kinda lame!

Edit: and definitely no comparison to SG. The malls here are only good for one thing - air conditioning

I was going to say this is inspired by developments in some SE Asian cities. Omotesando Hills is probably the one that comes to mind that feels most comparable (luxury shopping, Michelin-star dining, next to everyday shopping).

 

[Todd Shelton]

I believe that in the near future, with the development of 3d printers, we will only have 2 options: buy any MTO garment made by a machine (printer or robot) or order a garment from a master craftsman who enjoys his work.
What do you think I'm crazy or someday this will be a reality?

You're 100% right, overproduction is the biggest problem in the apparel industry. It's caused by too much competition and the unbelievably low-cost of making clothing in under-developed countries.

Supply is way exceeding demand and that causes prices to drop - and ultimately makes the whole industry imbalanced or unhealthy. A ton of people worldwide want to be in the clothing business, everyone thinks they can compete, and many want to dominate ("the next billion dollar brand"). And they're all manufacturing a lot of stuff.

I don't know what the answer is, but I don't think anything changes in the near future. The speed of change is probably dependent on how fast environmental problems escalate. I do think it's positive that people are paying attention to the problem for the first time.

 

[gdl203]

Omotesando is awesome but the mall itself is kinda lame!

Edit: and definitely no comparison to SG. The malls here are only good for one thing - air conditioning

Sorry I meant Roppongi Hills ! (the mall with Grand Hyatt, Atelier RObuchon, United Arrows, etc...). It sounds that Hudson Yards is trying to create an enclosed neighborhood just like Roppongi Hills

 

[FlyingMonkey]

Sorry I meant Roppongi Hills ! (the mall with Grand Hyatt, Atelier RObuchon, United Arrows, etc...). It sounds that Hudson Yards is trying to create an enclosed neighborhood just like Roppongi Hills

It's pretty much the same model. But ironically Mori, the developer, got the idea from American urban developments - he was particularly fond of the Rockefeller Centre. I interviewed Mori a couple of years before he died as part of some research on Roppongi Hills. He was an utter megalomaniac who wanted to transform Tokyo into something completely different: basically a sterile, secured, surveilled space for the wealthy (and aspirationally wealthy). This is Hudson Yards too...

 

[cb200]

Instagram pushes further into acting as a retail platform. So, many questions. What are the fees and how will these appear in customer streams vs posts without a commission of fees attached? Who gets the customer data? Is this going to be just for the big boys or a wide spread Ebay and Etsy "killer"?

https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/19/instagram-checkout/

*ETA

From a write up in the NYT, a bit of a hint, "Our primary business remains advertising, and we believe this will be an important driver of that business."

Looks like the digital rent is going up.

 

[Todd Shelton]

I need to get an understanding of the wholesale business; what's happening with smaller, boutique, high-end stores.

I have no wholesale accounts. I've been DTC exclusively for a long time. But I have some ideas/thoughts that I'd like to talk through with someone who knows wholesale.

Would anyone here with experience be willing to talk with me? Thanks

 

[dieworkwear]

Emilia Petrarca on the Hudson Yards mall (I've been really into her writing lately, as well as other writers at The Cut).

https://www.thecut.com/2019/03/hudson-yards-shopping-mall.html

Also the NYT

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/03/14/arts/design/hudson-yards-nyc.html

"It is, at heart, a supersized suburban-style office park, with a shopping mall and a quasi-gated condo community targeted at the 0.1 percent."

 

[smittycl]

Emilia Petrarca on the Hudson Yards mall (I've been really into her writing lately, as well as other writers at The Cut).

https://www.thecut.com/2019/03/hudson-yards-shopping-mall.html

Also the NYT

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/03/14/arts/design/hudson-yards-nyc.html

"It is, at heart, a supersized suburban-style office park, with a shopping mall and a quasi-gated condo community targeted at the 0.1 percent."

I hit NYC 1-2 times a year but don't feel much of a pull to this place. It is at the top of the High Line so I guess it wouldn't be a bad start to a day of walking down to the Whitney and points south. Anyway, greatly prefer midtown with Barneys, Paul Stuart, Carmina, BG, etc.

 

[bry2000]

Hudson Yards is in the middle of nowhere. I will probably check out Neiman at some point and there is an independent Dallas based store that opened a shop in Hudson Yards that I am interested in seeing. Otherwise, no interest.

I am not sure how different HY will be from Brookfield Place, the shopping and commercial development in lower Manhattan. Brookfield features luxury shops like Bottega and Gucci along with JCrew et al. I don’t think a lot of the shops there do all that well and the Saks Women’s Store recently closed. Would not be surprised if the Saks Men’s Store there were to follow.