Fashion

Reinventing the new, from the old

Valerie McPhail
MSMU Class of 2015

(4/2020) It started with emails from Target and Macy's: newsletters, reassuring their customers that business remained open and that they were employing careful attention to sanitary conditions. And then doors started to close. In New York City, restaurants, cafes and yoga studios sent communication regarding the pause on contact business and moved digitally. Relief from food delivery services, Instagram, and online retail shopping became a means to sustain business as the US navigates best practices to manage the catching coronavirus.

Fashion's response has been a colorful spectrum. For some, business as usual: advertising "must-have" items on Instagram and others abiding by regulations to cancel group events such as the Met Gala in May. The reality is, the glamour has dissolved, the veil lifted, and fashion, though not toilet paper and hand soap essential, needs to be considered in these trying times. In late March, designer and Chairman of the CFDA, Tom Ford urged inclusion in the government's Stimulus Package. Women's Wear Daily quoted Ford, "I would suspect and hope that this is the chief focus of any fashion organization now: taking care of their [people],"

Ford said. "Inclusion of the fashion industry in the $1.6 trillion stimulus package expected to be released imminently is critical and of the utmost importance for us all." The need comes from a fear of no return. The closure of non-essential business has affected production, supply-chain and retailers. Ford highlights a swopping number of four million-plus of people employed by America's fashion industry. This statistic excludes retail employees, key players to the fashion economy. Figures suggest that America appreciates fashion, an enterprise more essential to our economy than initially considered.

A letter from the Entireworld's Scott Sternberg included raw "WTF" exclamation, is acknowledging a sentiment we could relate to. Worry, confusion and fear is a reality, but as Sternberg concludes in his letter, a small business of ten teammates are working towards a solution to support and comfort an entire world in this crisis. The potential for fashion to expand its accessibility has always been a ruminating thought in the back of my mind. Though revenue is a factor we cannot ignore, brands have an opportunity to reach their customers without pedaling for money.

In this time, customers do not want to feel like they are wasting their money on frivolous goods, nor do they want to feel hounded by businesses. What people want and need is comfort. Fashion has always been the second layer of skin, a personal sense of expression for its customers. Yes, while steep online discounts and site-wide sales can support a luxury industry's need for financial support, after all is said, the Entireworld turned to its product – approachable, everyday fashion, the heart of its business to connect with its community. Offered discounts on its sweatsuits, a tangible sense of comfort in unsettling times.

My interest in fashion has always been personal. After moving to the city, I became loyal to a curiosity for the newly launched, on the rise, up-in-coming brands that are now projected to take a hit. And yet, if one small business could find a solution and share its support through an email, corporations should follow suit. Other companies shared business changes to inform the WFH policy. Cynthia Rowley posted a video on her company's Instagram account to show how they are committing to designing and producing masks from the label's bonded neoprene fabric. Perhaps this is not the humanitarian effort the industry considered in its 2020 vision, but a variety of engagement counts, showing up matters. To ride off fashion as a non-essential because it is a luxury is a detriment. The solution involves a far more creative endeavor, where fashion can play a part.

At the start of the decade, fashion was optimistic about change. Perhaps sustainability is more than just recycling made fabric and faux leather to appease the worry and protest for a new world of fashion hopeful that the industry can come out of this period stronger than ever. Fashion is more than a lucrative business, like all artistic and creative forces on this Earth, it energizes the human heart. At this time, how does one remain resourceful and transform the "old into new?"

Marie Kondo and Social Distancing

Instagram stories and the news say it's a tactic to containing the spread of the virus. It's time to be selfish, which in turn is being sacrificial. Social distancing, though an oxymoron, has become a federal and medical plead – a solution to saving the world. Clarity is the top of mind question as we prepare to stay home and support health and safety initiatives. Though the news reports are vague, one can bring clarity in the home through focusing on one's central environment.

Last year, Netflix released "Tidying Up with Marie Kondo," a mini-series on organizing one's home, from expert and author of "The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up." Her leading question in the project of cleaning and organizing is, "does it spark joy?" Fashion is filled with sentiment. Nostalgia for eras: the gold chain accessory of the 1990s, the 1960s mini skirt and vintage finds is the language of style. Take this time to examine the items in your wardrobe. Tricks and tips from Kondo, and leading the process with a sense of joy will bring perspective in this time when it is needed most.

Recycling Fashion

Recycling is something fashion has always engaged with at its core. Trends resurface every few seasons, and vintage denim and used designer fashion resell at high ticket prices. It’s the treasure of fashion, and beloved by all generations of fashion fanatics. In recent terms, the vocabulary for recycling fashion is transitioning in the world of fabrics and sourcing. Brands such as Everlane produced outerwear made of recycled bottles as a part of their ReNew Collection and athletic label. Girlfriend Collective fabricates leggings from fishing nets that were once polluting our oceans. These brands have reinvented garment production while pursuing efforts to care for our environment. In quarantine, the concept of recycling fashion involves wearing and enjoying the clothes you own in your closet. Resist the urge to shop online for the sake of spending money. Cabin fever is real, and for New Yorkers, there is a sense of anxiety and angst in detachment from the accessibility. Instead, support local businesses, show love to your favorite vintage store. These communities are banding together, spreading awareness, and sharing discounts via Instagram stories and conducting transactions through e-gift cards. Making a donation pile from your wardrobe and vintage shopping when necessary are healthy practices.

Living out of a suitcase

My reality is that I miss New York. What was intended for a week-long trip to Miami visiting and celebrating with family has become an extended stay, still in the comfort of my family, to remain here until this season passes. Undoubtedly does Miami feels like a second home; it's been the case since my family took yearly summer visits in my teenage years. Yet, there is a discomfort to living out of a suitcase indefinitely. Luckily, I am attached to my clothing, and my older sister has been overwhelmingly generous with sharing her clothes and resources. The simple life has been a long term goal of mine, and here, now I am forced to be grateful for the clothes I packed on my trip and consider what I absolutely need in this stay. The lingering question: what are my essentials?

Creating the old into the new means appreciating the fashion you've invested in. In this season, we have the time and opportunity to reflect, examine and organize our worlds, which could materialize in cleaning out our closets and rediscovering the value in items once coveted and treasured. Fashion is the outward expression of our personality, our feelings, and, ultimately, our lives. As brands and customers connect on this level, we can gather as a community to find comfort through fashion during this season of time.