WHAT TO DO WHEN TWO FASHION POWER-HOUSES TELL US TO BUY LESS. NOW, HONESTLY?! IS THIS FOR REAL?!

 

Das Label Vetements erregt mit seiner neuen Schaufenstergestaltung bei Saks Fifth Avenue in New York gerade richtig Aufsehen. Wir haben unseren Gastautor Julian Daynov von Saks gebeten einige Worte darüber zu schreiben. 

Da Julians Sprache besonders expressiv ist, versuchen wir es nicht mal den Text ins Deutsche zu übersetzen und posten ihn für Euch in seiner Originalversion. 

Viel Spaß beim Lesen. 

WHAT TO DO WHEN TWO FASHION POWER-HOUSES TELL US TO BUY LESS. NOW, HONESTLY?! IS THIS FOR REAL?!

How much clothes do you own? How much of all these pieces you got there hanging in your dressing corner you end up wearing often, with the same joy you used to right after you got them; how many of all these pieces have sadly been hanging in there for seasons without being honored a single spin out on town?

Well, we are blessed to be living in "times of plenty", but none of us should remain blind for all those other ones living in need. 

Of course the basic needs for food, housing or proper medical service are by far more existential than those for cool clothes, but hey, as fashion-obsessed people we all are, we can pay our dues and make other people happy with things out of our wardrobes, which don't make us happy any more. 

This is what an extremely cool campaign of the currently most discussed brand Vetements and US luxury department store Saks Fifth Avenue calls for...

It took the brand about 3 years to take over the portfolios of every major retail spot on the planet, to conquer the wardrobe of every fashionista, intrigue every single branch of press - be it fashion, daily business or finance related - and to give a whole new tone of the apparel industry, raising questions about the relevance of fashion, seasonality and consumption et large. 

Rebellious against the set rules of the fairly not any longer modern apparel industry, creative director Demna Gvasalia and his brother Guram, along a team of uber ambitious and charmingly-quirky brains, have quickly earned the full range of emotions across the fashion community -  excitement, lack of understanding, iffiness, respect, idolization, hate - they got it all. 

Not just the industry, but the whole world now actually has Vetements on its radars, granting one thing in particular: discussion and reflection about the set cycles, the outdated rules and habits of fashion.

Just recently, the "fighters against the establishment" partnered up with someone from the actual "establishment", launching a campaign as controversial and unexpected as the DNA of Gvasalia's brand itself is. Vetements joined forces with one of the world's most high-profiled retailers Saks Fifth Avenue on proclaiming sustainability and thoughtfulness in purchasing decisions. As both, Vetements and Saks, because of the nature of the business, earn revenues through animating consumption and impulse purchases, the comments and reactions to the campaign were similar as the ones after the first ads of Marlboro proclaiming non-smoking, but essential in here was just the food of thought the whole action gave to retailers, brands, consumers and the supporting industries about garment garbage. 

Tapping upon a shady side of business and the possibly best kept secret of the fashion world, Vetements and Saks aimed to underline the imminence of re-using garments, not letting them rot in warehouses or anyones closet and animate customers, employees and passers-by towards donating old clothes and extending their life-cycle.

The discussion around how each and everyone of us can contribute to limiting our common issue with garbage is nearly as old as the fashion industry itself. Re-working clothes, giving garments a new life or optimally - donating them to people in need are just a couple of options Vetements and Saks suggest us to get familiar with and encourage us to find the solution we will be most happy with.

After filling up the windows of Saks' flagship store right on Fifth Avenue in New York with old garments employees and the store itself donated, all collected pieces will be given to RewearAble - a US New York local initiative for recycling clothes. Pretty awesome initiative, don't you think?

You may like or dislike the fashion Vetements does, you may understand or not at all be getting what they do, but you can not blind out how well and naturally they always accomplish to be different not just for the sake of it and simply never follow trends - they create them; in fashion, in advertising and now also hopefully in society. 

Bilder: Vetements SS18 Kollektion

Sue and I basically never wonder what do do with old stuff and donate it either via Utopia - a German organization, collecting old garments and distributing them to people in need - or to charity establishments in town, or even to second-hand-stores. When it comes to you, i believe a good solution for your full closet is just a call or a google-search away. Be it the orphanage a couple of blocks away or the old folks home in the neighboring district, there are so many people in need you could make happy with your clothes and if the campaign of Vetements and Saks moved just one of you to donate stuff you haven't worn in months, then it was already success enough. 

For the record, if you go on and take the action, it would be two of us: i already run my wardrobe clearance and gave two huge bags to friends or to charity. I suggest you do the same. It is really relieving and makes your wardrobe look so much better, even with less stuff in it - less really is more sometimes :)

Über den Autor:

Julian Daynov ist ein wahres Fashion Victim, ein Serien-Netzwerker, eine ganze Welt für sich. 

Er arbeitet als Trend Scout, Einkaufs-Consultant und Kommunikationsstratege für Marken aus den Bereichen Fashion, Art und Lifestyle und reist ununterbrochen um die Welt auf der Suche nach spannenden neuen Brands für die Sortimente seiner Retail-Kunden. Zur Zeit arbeitet er für den US Kaufhaus-Giganten Saks Fifth Avenue und der Einführung seines Premium Off-Price Ablegers Saks Off 5th in Deutschland.

Als guter Freund und treuer Fan von So-Sue schreibt er hin und wieder als Gast-Autor für uns und kommentiert alles rund um die coolen Dinge des Lebens. 

Die blau verwaschene Vintage oversized Jeansjacke a lá Vetements wird auf der Straße alle Blicke auf sich ziehen.

 

 

 


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  • Kommentar

    <p>Lustiger Typ echt... Paar Tippfehler, aber hey, richtig coole Aktion.</p>

  • Kommentar

    <p>So well done, Julian. I had no idea that Saks was supporting the project as well, thought it was just rented space for the installation. There is some hope for the industry after all with supporters like you and your company. Respect.</p>

  • Kommentar

    <p>Ich finde diese Kampagne von Saks großartig. Aber was hat sie auf der Seite einer Frau zu suchen, die vor nicht einmal einem Monat hier in ihrem Blog schrieb, sie würde die Sachen, die sie nicht mehr trägt, online teuer auf rebelle.de verkaufen, um sich von dem Geld neue Sachen kaufen. Hier steht dann plötzlich, dass sie ihre Sachen spendet. Nicht gerade glaubwürdig, liebe Sue.</p>

  • Kommentar

    <p>Sorry - irgendwie überkommt mich immer ein leichter Würgereiz, wenn Brands (esp. aus dem Hochpreissegment), verlinkte Blogger (hier ist nicht (nur) Sue gemeint) u.a..von Nachhaltigkeit und Konsumverzicht sprechen, deren Sinnen und Trachten natürlicherweise gerade der Umsatz ist. Klar kann in der Theorie jeder von uns selber entscheiden, was und wieviel er/sie kauft....aber seitens der Mode-Industrie wird ein konsumorientiertes Verhalten doch ehrlicherweise eher befördert als verhindert. Ganz glaubwürdig finde ich deshalb eine solchen &quot;Kampagne&quot; nicht.<br/>LG - susa</p>