Diamond Rings Diamonds are anyone's best friend when they're nestled in Eli Halili's tactile, handwrought gold rings (from top, $16,500 and $45,000).
Pants, $850, by Marni / Shoes, $690, by Church's / Socks, $28, by Falke
Tiffany's New Drip This 18-karat-gold chain from Tiffany & Co.'s brand-new men's collection is a great bracelet—and an even better anklet ($6,800).
Shagadelic Belt What do you wear with a furry belt? Anything you want. That's the point of Martine Rose's delightfully twisted normcore vision ($355).
Trés Chic Carafe Christian Dior knew how to live the good life; that spirit is translated by Karl Lagerfeld disciple Cordelia de Castellane into Dior Maison's new line of glassware ($750).
Montblanc Chronograph Salmon is in season! Montblanc's vintage-inspired pulsograph chronograph is a coppery-dialed stunner ($30,000).
Art Wallet Hedi Slimane is collaborating with a rotating cast of buzzy young artists—like Anneli Henriksson—who bring their playful graphics to Celine's elegant accessories ($540).
Leopard Wallabees Clarks gave Wu-Tang's footwear of choice, the Wallabee, a wild update. And an upgrade: like your priciest hard-bottoms, these are made in Italy ($310).
Jacket, approximately $9,200, and pants, approximately $1,320, by Louis Vuitton 2054 / Rings, his own
Virgil Abloh's 2054 Vision Fashion futurist Virgil Abloh isn't afraid to reboot the codes of Louis Vuitton. Hence his latest project, 2054, which features performance pieces like this trippy 3D-monogram bag made of a water-repellent technical nylon-jersey textile ($3,850).
A version of this story originally appeared in the November 2019 issue with the title "The Anklet… And 9 More Unexpected Fashion Flexes To Make This Month."
Costume designer Ruth E. Carter gave us an inside look at the Seventies style of the new Netflix film ‘Dolemite Is My Name.’
For the new film starring Eddie Murphy that comes to Netflix today, costume designer Ruth E. Carter looked back at her own coming-of-age in the Seventies.
The costume designer known for her work on “Do the Right Thing” and “Black Panther,” (which led to her historic Oscars win as the first black woman to take home the best costume design award), recalls in colorful detail her teenage years growing up as a, in her words, “very daring, kind of fast” kid in Springfield, Mass.
“I had five brothers and two sisters who were all older than me. So right at home, I could see my brothers and sisters playing out the Seventies as young adults,” she says. “My sister had the best high-waist jeans, flared jeans and really cool T-shirts with sayings on it. Her afro was always really perfect, I saw her work at it.”
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Veronica Chou’s family has made its fortune at the forefront of the fast fashion business through investments in companies like Michael Kors and Tommy Hilfiger . But now, the heiress to an estimated $2.1 billion fortune is launching her own company, Everybody & Everyone, to prove that the fashion industry can be both environmentally sustainable and profitable.
There’s no argument about the negative impacts of the fashion industry on the environment.
The textiles industry primarily uses non-renewable resources — on the order of 98 million tons per year. That includes the oil to make synthetic fibers, fertilizers to grow cotton, and toxic chemicals to dye, treat, and produce the textiles used to make clothes. The greenhouse gas footprint from textiles production was roughly 1.2 billion tons of CO2 equivalent in 2015 — more than all international flights and maritime shipments combined (and a lot of those maritime shipments and international flights were hauling clothes).
The litany of catastrophes that can be attributed to the clothing industry extends to pollution as well. About 20% of industrial water pollution globally can be traced to the dyeing and treatment of textiles — and microplastics from polyester, acrylic and nylon are polluting the world’s oceans.
Meanwhile, the rise of fast fashion has encouraged consumers to accelerate waste. Roughly one garbage truck full of clothes is landfilled around the world every second, according to a 2017 report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. That means consumers are throwing away around $400 billion worth of valuable goods every year as low prices and more “seasons” create an illusion of disposability.
As the fashion business has expanded so has the wealth of the Chou family. South Ocean Knitters, the knitwear manufacturer started by Chou’s grandfather was responsible for one of the first foreign investments into mainland China in 1974. It is now one of the largest suppliers of knitwear in the world and together with the Hong Kong manufacturer Li & Fung, is behind the Cobalt Fashion Holding, conglomerate.
And her father, Silas Chou, made millions as an investor in Michael Kors and Tommy Hilfiger. As an executive at Iconix Brand Group China, Veronica Chou played a role in the acceleration of the industry — bringing American brands to Chinese consumers. Chou also served as the cofounder of the Beijing-based private equity fund China Consumer Capital and a director of Karl Lagerfeld Greater China.
For Chou, an understanding of the environmental toll that the family business was taking on the planet began six years ago — a few years before Iconix Brand Group acquired the China subsidiary she had co-founded with her father in a transaction reportedly worth $56 million.
It was around the time that Chou had her children, she says, that she realized the importance of making a brand that was both environmentally sustainable and inclusive.
“It was six years ago I started learning about sustainability and five years ago that I said that I needed to have a sustainable brand,” says Chou.
Since that revelation Chou dove into the world of sustainable manufacturing head-first. Through her family’s investment vehicles she has worked with companies like Modern Meadow, which uses bio-engineering to make leather goods in a lab. Chou has also led investments in Thousand Fell, a soon-to-launch manufacturer of fully recyclable shoes; Dirty Labs, which is developing more sustainable laundry cleaning products; and Carbon Engineering, which is developing a direct air capture technology for carbon dioxide.
Everybody & Everyone applies the lessons that Chou has learned about sustainability to a new fashion brand that she hopes can serve as a model for how to weave sustainability into every facet of the industry.
The new brand, which sells women’s clothes for every size from 00 to 24 and at prices ranging from $18 to $288 (most fall in the $50 to $150 range, given a quick scroll through the company’s new website) partners with companies like Naadam and Ecoalf for sustainable cashmere and recycled fabrics made from plastic.
“For our brand, recycled is a big story for us,” says Chou. “Our t-shirts, our socks, our packaging, our mailers, our labels, our stickers are all made from recycled materials that can be recycled again.”
The company’s attention to its environmental impact also extends to its supply chain. “Most of our fabrics are knit close to where our garments are manufactured. That is definitely reducing our carbon footprint,” says Chou. “I put an emphasis on having factories in America… our denim is manufactured in America and in the future we’re looking at t-shirts and athletics to be manufactured in America.”
Some clothes are also made with fabrics that have recycled silver in them — so that the clothes can be worn multiple times without smelling or the need for a wash.
Digital printing is used in place of screens to prevent tons of water waste, the company said, and several of the company’s fabrics are not dyed at all. instead, the company relies on an upcycling process by separating recycled fibers mechanically by color.
Everybody & Everyone has also partnered with the organization One Tree Planted to plant a tree for each purchase that’s made with the company. In addition, the company has calculated its carbon footprint from all of its pre-launch activities and has bought and retired offsets to balance its emissions, Chou says.
“I started building Everybody & Everyone from the ground-up, first by getting the best team in place then by finding the right vendors, manufacturers and partners who were already making strides in the sustainability space,” Chou said in a statement. “I wanted this brand to be for every woman, so body positivity, inclusivity and sustainability were going to be the backbone of everything we did. We then constructed the brands sustainable & technical pillars, which consist of activation, recycled, dyeing & printing, naturals done better, bio-based fibers and end use to ensure our products would minimize negative impacts. We are sustainable down to the labels sewn into each garment.”
When it comes to eco-fashion, Stella McCartney walks the walk.
Stella McCartney
If it’s important to shop responsibly, fashion brands have made it so much easier. So many labels have adopted eco-friendly and sustainable practices, from the sourcing of materials to production and shipping. Here are some of the top eco-friendly fashion essentials you’ll need in your wardrobe:
Maggie Marilyn I Believe In You strapless Checked Woven Mini Dress
Maggie Marilyn
Did someone say Clueless? Channel your inner Cher with this dress from the super-cool, New Zealand-based brand Maggie Marilyn. Contemporary and oh-so-wearable, this plaid number designed to be formfitting, and as such features a boned, strapless bodice to flatter. What’s more, it has a couple of pockets on the front, and they’re functional ones too, ideal for keeping your lip gloss close.
Stella McCartney has long been synonymous with eco-fashion. An exclusive to Net-a-Porter, these mules are completely timeless but right on trend, too, at the moment with their minimal aesthetic They are made from what the brand describes as “‘alter-nappa,” an innovative leather alternative that is totally solvent-free. Featuring a simple front strap and stiletto heels, the world is your oyster when it comes to outfit pairings. Wear with anything from casual jeans to a mididress.
This statement coat by Stella McCartney is a runway favorite, expertly cut from grey flecked wool, it’ll be a head turner for fall. The silhouette is distinctively oversized and features drop shoulders as well as relaxed sleeves, a double-breasted front and a belted waist giving a timeless appeal.
Everyone needs a simple pair of earrings and these stylish ones from Leigh Miller are locally made in Los Angeles.
It’s also a brand that is a part of Net-a-Porter’s NET SUSTAIN collective, which promotes brands that support sustainability. Handmade from brass, this pair is not only contemporary in style, taking inspiration from natural forms, but they’re also super lightweight.
Baserange Shaw Wrap-Effect Ribbed Organic Cotton-Fleece Top
Baserange
Perfect for fall, stay cozy with this ribbed top from Baserange. It’s a label that makes use of natural fibers including bamboo as well as organic cotton, from which this top is made. It also has statement detailing, which has been designed to be wrapped as you want it. Wear with the matching pants to complete your comfortable athleisure look.
E.L.V. Denim The Twin Boyfriend High-Rise Straight Leg Jeans
E.L.V. Denim
E.L.V. is a thoroughly British brand—or, more precisely, a London label (the initials stand for East London Vintage)— known for designs that use recycled jeans. This light-wash pair is responsibly made (locally produced and reduces waste) from 100% cotton. Exuding a relaxed fit with a high-rise waist to flatter, wear with a blazer to dress up the look or a slouchy sweater for relaxed times.
Look down and you’ll spot pairs of Veja shoes wherever you are, guaranteed. The founding pillars of this French brand are transparency, fair trade and social and environmental responsibility. Consequently this company has skyrocketed in popularity. They are also quite fashionable, too. Made from responsibly sourced leather from the Amazon, each pair features a simple 'V' on the side, as well as on the printed heel tab.
First things first, this bag is super cute. It channels a Jackie Kennedy vibe in shape, and of course there is the brown resin handle which is thoroughly modern while nodding to the ’60s.
Sacra works with artisans to produce their handbags, which are made using vegetable-tanned black leather. Don’t just use this as a top handle bag, it also comes with a strap for when you need to throw it on, stylishly.
Australian resort wear brand, Peony, offers beautiful and classically cut pieces. This one-piece swimsuit is made from 96% recycled polyester and 4% elastane. Fitted with a deep-V neckline and a tie at the waist, this suit is designed to flatter the body. It also features the brand’s specially developed lining help reduce waste. Wear this staple for your winter getaways and well into next year.
"When you go to the store to buy a dress, it is like 1980 all over again, but without any service," ... [+] says Karen Young, The Young Group and Fashion Institute of Technology
Getty
We’ve all seen the headlines: “Low prices aren’t fun anymore – consumers have reached peak happiness with clothing purchases,” on CNBC and “The ‘retail apocalypse’ is an apparel apocalypse,” on Retail Dive.
After looking around the industry and studying the research and analyst reports, I find the conclusion unequivocal. American consumers are over their love affair with fashion. The fashion industry is on the ropes.
Rather than rehash the statistics to support those headlines, I turned to ten experts in the fashion business to gather ideas to help fix American shoppers’ fashion fatigue. Here are their ideas:
Bring back service
“I just gave a talk to an audience of 350 people. I asked for a show of hands for those who had a fabulous brick-and-mortar retail experience in the last six months. Not a single person put up their hand. That is terrifying.
The in-store experience is so bad. Where are the knowledgeable salespeople who put service first? Salespeople today don’t care, and they don’t know the stock that is there. They are on their phones or chatting with other salespeople. I find myself being almost apologetic when I approach a salesperson on the floor, which is really pathetic to say.
Buying online takes all that friction out. What are brick-and-mortar stores doing to give us a better experience? For example, I can customize a dress online, picking the sleeves I want, the color and the length. But I can’t do that in the store.
Every single facet of the consumers’ life is going in the direction of the technology lifestyle. But when you go to the store to buy a dress, it is like 1980 all over again, but without any service.” – Karen Young, The Young Group and Fashion Institute of Technology
Break fashion’s promotional addiction
“The data shows that on a dollar basis, consumer spending on fashion is decreasing. But if you dig deeper into the data, the volume on a unit basis has not significantly changed. For whatever period that you look at, people are still buying the same number of pieces.
But what has happened are sales and promotions have become like an addictive drug for retailers. It’s made consumers expect to buy everything on sale at 30% or 40% off the list price. It’s created a discount mindset in consumers, who apply the money saved to other areas, like experiences or consumer electronics.
Discount signs (Photo by John Keeble/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Just cost-cutting to enable more discounts is not a long-term strategy. Fashion retailers need to change the dynamic. They need to look at the value to the customer and the brand promise, then work backwards toward pricing, product and assortment.” – David Brown, Alvarez & Marsal
Pivot to the next-generations’ values
“Millennials and Gen Z have demonstrated increased interest in collaborative consumption (Rent the Runway, Bag Borrow or Steal), resale goods (Poshmark, The RealReal) and thrifting. Other considerations in purchasing decisions made by these digital natives are sustainability and social responsibility.
The younger shoppers place higher value on the values that brands support. For Millennials and Gen Z, the value goes beyond trading a dollar for products. It needs to include a social contribution. These consumers want to invest in brands that practice sustainability or contribute to the betterment of society.
To create sustainable competitive advantages, fashion brands should implement strategic initiatives that clearly demonstrate corporate social responsibility, create a compelling and differentiated product (like LVMH x Rihanna partnership), and develop second-hand initiatives which would promote reuse.”— Shelley E. Kohan, Fashion Institute of Technology
Get the fit right
“In fashion categories that are doing well, like outerwear and athleisure, brands are doing a better job of fixing the fit model. European retail is doing better getting the fit right compared with North American retailers. We need one standard fit model.
And the fit model needs to allow for how body types are evolving. Some brands are doing body type studies and building clothes that actually fit better based on real human beings, not just using algorithmic scaling.
Variety of patterns hanging in the background.
Getty
Other brands are offering custom made to your measurements. It seems like I get a couple of emails a day from shirt companies that do a nice job with technical fabrics and better fitting shirts. But go to Macy’s or Nordstrom and it’s all standard off the rack.” – David Brown, Alvarez & Marsal
Investment dressing for business success
“We’ve had our fill of fast fashion and stuffing our closets full. Now we want to slim down, curate our closets and give stuff away, and only keep a core wardrobe that represents an investment, rather than more consumption.
We are being more discerning about what new items we are bringing in. It’s been a dramatic trend over the last 20 years. If you are going to spend $50, would you rather buy one high-quality $50 t-shirt or five $10 ones? Quality is more expensive.” – David Brown, Alvarez & Marsal
Better dressing rooms for more sales
“Research has found that if a shopper gets into a dressing room they are almost seven times more likely to buy something than if they just browse the sales floor. And they are also much less likely to return purchases.
Pop-up dressing room with clothes on rails.
Getty
But look at the average store dressing room. I can’t think of a bigger disincentive to try something on, between the lighting, the lack of privacy and if you have to get another size, you have to get dressed again and maybe lose your place. Back when my mother and I shopped, there would be a sales person outside the dressing room door to get you what you needed.
Millennials get around this simply by ordering a dozen outfits online then trying them on in the privacy of their home, maybe even taking pictures so their friends can vote on what to keep.
All the rest, though, gets returned and that costs retailers a lot of money. Why don’t retailers invest that instead into making the dressing room a place where shoppers want to go and hang out with their friends?” – Karen Young, The Young Group and Fashion Institute of Technology
Bring in new blood with new ideas
“Many of the leaders in successful new fashion startups come from other industries. For a long time we have seen leaders and management that grew up in brick-and-mortar and the wholesale/retail environment. But we are seeing a changing of the guard who are disrupting the industry.
Take the dramatic enhancements through new technical fabrication. Years ago you wouldn’t buy a polyester outfit. But now I look in my closet, and I have a tremendous amount of synthetic fabrics that provide amazing comfort, are easy to take care of and are very high quality.
Fashion companies need to look for people that come from tech backgrounds or have evolved in some other consumer industry that have been disrupted alongside fashion. They understand the total consumer dynamics and have experience with new technologies and new solutions.” – David Brown, Alvarez & Marsal
Leadership leads to long-term profitability
“The developed economies have markets saturated with product, especially when it comes to fashion. For some customers clothing is simply a necessity, but many others shop for fashion to express themselves, to enhance their image and to feel more confident. They are looking for superior quality that lasts longer. The challenge comes down to educating the consumer and shifting them towards better made, more expensive items.
That takes leadership. It has to come from bold leaders in the industry. Companies must think long term, from ‘me now’ to ‘us later,’ and shift from a fast-fashion, fast-profitability model to a better-fashion, better-profit one.
Companies have to know where they stand and what they stand for. Leaders know this and they are coming from new companies and new brands. The established ones find it harder to change because they have a ‘we’ve always done it this way’ mentality.” – Andrea Rinker, Next Wave Management
More meaning creates more value
“Brands cannot sacrifice their long-term value for short-term gains and call it growth. This is an illusion of growth that leads to a steady demise and exploitation of future resources to fuel our ever-increasing demands in the now. It’s funny how much we are focused on maximising profit today, yet we don't seem to understand that the most sustainable and optimal way of making this short-term profit is by generating long-term value.
Effectiveness and efficiency are two vastly different concepts. Efficiency is all about minimising costs to deliver the existing value.
Effectiveness is about creating new value by maximising resources. It is the language of creative expansion: it is about imagination, creativity and ingenuity and human capacity to create new value and deliver it in unexpected ways to maximise results.
If you are a value creator, your strategy is opposite to that of the high-street model. It’s not about efficiency, it is about effectiveness. You first have to create value in order to deliver value and get results.” – Martina Olbertova, Meaning.Global
Source right for success
“The conscious consumer wants things fast and wants to be able to buy clothing that is made locally. These consumers care about sustainability and want variety in design.
The forward-thinking companies are adapting using data analytics to not only reduce unwanted inventory levels and minimizing waste in landfills, but also to create new fashion products that accurately meet changing consumer demands. They’re also focusing on local-for-local sourcing and are providing trace-ability, so consumers know where their clothing has been.
In addition, the smartest brands, and retailers should be building a supply-chain portfolio, much like a financial portfolio. If you have your entire supply chain sitting in one country [China] or continent [Asia], you’re exposing yourself to so many risks. So the macroeconomics aside, I think the brands that will survive will hedge their risks and diversify their portfolio and their supply chain.” – Suuchi Ramesh,Suuchi Inc.
Get educated on what the consumers want
“For years retailers have been collecting data about their customers and how they want to engage across multiple channels including mobile, online and in-store. But they’re not using it to educate themselves and their organizations.
And there is a time lag too. They are designing six or seven months ahead of when the customer is going to want the product, but everything in the market could be changed by then. So they end up pushing all this product out hoping something sticks.
That’s because traditional retailers still have a siloed approach. Some of the data lives in the buying organization, some in the e-commerce organization, and more is scattered elsewhere. But these teams must work more fluidly together.
Lots of designers these days are thirsting for information about who their customer is and who they are designing for. But they don’t operate in an organization that gives them access to that right now.
Uniqlo store (Photo by NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
NurPhoto via Getty Images
Retailers need to leverage digital tools and partnerships with suppliers in a different way and in different places. The principle of fast fashion is all about generating tons of the latest trend as quickly as possible and pushing it out hoping the customer will gobble it up. That’s led to disposable clothing, wear it once and toss it out. It is not sustainable for the industry because it is not sustainable to the customer. They are concerned about reducing their impact on the environment.
So customers are looking to buy something that resonates with them, that’s higher quality, and a better value. They don’t want to sift through thousands of different throw-away styles.
We still need the processes for fast fashion, but we should stop developing products unless it is based on specific customer data. The product to market cycle must still be fast and agile, but it must deliver against what the customers want.” – Sonia Lapinsky, AlixPartners
Use customer feedback to change, not just reinforce current practices
“Retailers are constantly sending surveys out and doing absolutely nothing to incorporate feedback or change anything.
Capturing consumer feedback is essential in order to make tangible change and provide consumers with what they really want - a memorable experience that ignites positive emotion. To create these personalized experiences, retailers need to effectively use the customer feedback they collect to intelligently inform strategies moving forward.
Brands must use these insights to capitalize on the unique things customers like about their brand and quickly solve the things they don’t.
Better experiences lead to happier customers, more brand loyalty and increased revenue.”– Eric Smuda, InMoment
Create community to make fashion shopping an experience
“Consumers today are looking for the accumulation of experiences; not the accumulation of things. Fashion is an expression, and often an aspirational expression. If you can make your customers feel special through online and in-person opportunities, you have taken your brand from just a transaction to an interaction.
Take a look at Lululemon. They will not only outfit you, they host yoga classes and more in store for their customers. It may seem insignificant but Lululemon also does not have ‘store associates;’ Lululemon has ‘educators’ in-store. There is belief from the store level to the c-level in the whole brand experience.
Another great example is how Ulta and Sephora have created online communities for people looking to answer specific questions or learn new techniques when it comes to beauty and skincare. These brands have created a truly authentic and omni-channel interaction with their customers by listening to needs and understanding what was lacking: community.
Their customers wanted to find ways to ask others, ‘What works for you? Because maybe it will work for me too.’ The genius of the community is that once the product is recommended by an unbiased person with the same need, the consumer is already in the right place to quickly make the purchase.
Fashion brands can do this as well. Why are your customers coming to you? What are they dressing for? Are they wishing someone could just pull the outfit together for them? Ask your customers why they shop with you, and what would make it better. Revisit customer personas and focus on what motivates your customers. Create and test events online and in-store, making them exclusive with a reward for those who show up.” – Holly Glowaty, Flourish
Rent rather than sell
“The development and expansion of the fashion ‘rental’ membership programs accessible through websites and apps is quite brilliant in the age of ‘everyone is an Instagram model.’ Today you can’t be seen in the same outfit twice!
Depending on your taste level and budget, you can now pay a monthly fee to receive a new outfit to rent, not to own and pay as little for the privilege as $49 for Gwynnie Bee, $88 for Nuuly or $159 for Rent The Runway Unlimited.
Retailers are getting into it too, like Infinite Style by Ann Taylor and American Eagle Style Drop. For $149 Bloomingdale’s ‘My List’ rental program includes up to ten items, free shipping, free returns, free dry-cleaning and the ability to create your own online closet. Return it after you’ve worn it, or keep it and get charged.
There’s something exciting about seeing a box at your front door, especially if it’s new trends coming to you every month. The sustainability aspect appeals to the younger customer, while being able to wear and return the latest trends from emerging designers.” – Geri Corrigan, NaveaStyle
Fashion needs a complete makeover
“The whole fashion consumer sensibility has changed. But when I look at the fashion industry supply chain, from the mills to the retailers, it’s not changed much because, I’m sorry to say, this is still a business run by ‘old white men.’ There is so much money and time invested in the current model. They seem to be praying that everything is going to come back like it was. But it’s not.
It’s happening in every category. Look at Casper, it’s not just selling mattresses but a lifestyle. You can go into a store and take a nap in their sleep pods. Or Warby Parker with its try five, keep one pair experience. And when you go into a Warby Parker store, you can have your eyes tested, try on glasses, put them on your social media platform and have people vote. You want to hang out there because it feels cool.
Pick a category, any category like food, pets, beauty, wellness. The way she or he shops today is completely different from two years ago or five years ago. The expectations of the brand relationship is so dramatically different. How can anybody be sitting on the sidelines doing the same thing they’ve always done.
There are so many brands that are completely disrupting and breaking the mold of what the consumer relationship model can be. Fashion’s got to do it too.” – Karen Young, The Young Group and Fashion Institute of Technology
SAO PAULO, Brazil — Sam Porto and his mirror have never gotten along. When the transgender man was growing up in Brazil, the sight of his developing breasts disgusted him.
But in a crowded makeup room backstage at Sao Paulo Fashion Week, the reflection staring back at him finally fit in. Male models with painted lips and nails strutted alongside women in boxy, loose clothing. Gender was out; fluidity was in.
“I came here to break barriers,” said Porto, a 25-year-old from Brasilia, one of a dozen transgender models who made their debuts this month at Sao Paulo Fashion Week. The pink scars from his breast removal surgery crossed his chest like war paint. “We exist. There are others like me and we are searching for a path in fashion.”
Porto on the catwalk for the Cavalera brand during Sao Paulo Fashion Week. The graffiti on his abdomen reads “Trans respect.”
In 2016, Brazil launched the world’s most famous transgender model, Valentina Sampaio. She became the first transgender model hired by Victoria’s Secret, and the first featured on a cover of Vogue.
Sampaio followed the path blazed by Leandra Medeiros Cerezo, known as Lea T, the Brazilian transgender model who was the face of French luxury fashion brand Givenchy in the early 2010s.
But as Brazil’s transgender models have attained success abroad, life for the trans community back home has grown worse.
An astounding 41 percent of documented killings of transgender people worldwide take place in Brazil, according to the country’s National Association of Transvestites and Transsexuals. At least 163 trans people were killed last year. Life expectancy for transgender people here is 35, half the national average.
Violence against the LGBT community rose last year as fringe politician Jair Bolsonaro campaigned for president. The father of five said he would rather a son die in an accident than be gay. It did not stop Brazilians from electing him.
The pronouncement drew outcry and ridicule, but the fashion community saw it as a challenge. At Rock Management, a modeling agency in Sao Paulo, the election sparked an all-hands meeting.
“We said, either we accept this political situation and show only white men,” said 25-year-old Clara Vieira, a booking agent at Rock. “Or we say, ‘No, honey, we are going to show trans, blacks, plus-size models.’
“Keeping our head down was not an option.”
Pétala Lopes
For The Washington Post
Ariella Moura, 21, a transgender model from Belo Horizonte.
Pétala Lopes
For The Washington Post
Kiara Felippe, 24, a transgender model from Sao Paulo.
The agency tried to expand its “freestyle” department, focused on alternative looks: Models with tattoos, dyed hair and curvy bodies. But founder Clovis Pessoa, 46, quickly saw there were limits to what the fashion world would accept.
“You still need to have a perfect body, long legs and a short torso,” he said. “There is a standard shape that fashion requires.”
Porto, at six feet tall with an angular jaw and narrow frame, fit the bill. One year past his gender transformation surgery, he was eager to break into fashion — and not as a man, but as a transgender model. In his portfolio, he included a photo of himself topless to show his scars.
Pessoa took Porto in. The two would pace the agency’s small office for hours as Pessoa offered guidance: Keep your head up and your chin back. Porto sometimes hunched as he walked, Pessoa said, as if he still had to carry breasts in front of him.
“Imagine you are a puppet and there is a line pulling you up,” he advised. “I want you to gain height and presence.”
After a month of catwalk practice, Porto was ready for casting. In a whitewashed room thick with cologne and anxiety, six male models sat on a leather couch, looking nearly identical in tight pants, gold rings and piercings, waiting to be seen.
Pétala Lopes
For The Washington Post
Porto rehearses for the catwalk.
Alexandre Queiroz is casting director of the Brazilian fashion label Ellus. When he saw Porto, he was sold.
“He is beautiful,” Queiroz said. But it was more than his looks. Gone were the days, Queiroz said, when consumers demanded perfection. The modern audience wanted a model with personality — someone who was fighting for something.
“There was a time when brands were scared that the final consumer wouldn’t understand,” he said. “But we live in a country where homophobia kills. We can’t be scared. Back in the day, it could have bothered me. But now it is a fight.”
Porto got that gig, and eight others — the most shows for any model this season. Brands wanted him because he was trans, not despite it. He was rarely the only trans model in a show.
At the end of one appearance, Sao Paulo Fashion Week founder Paulo Borges pulled him aside. “My god, you’re gorgeous,” Borges told him. “I want to see more of you.”
For some — particularly black or androgynous trans models — the climb has been more difficult.
Pétala Lopes
For The Washington Post
Maria Clara de Melo, 24, a transgender model from Santa Catarina.
Maria Clara de Melo, 24, a transgender model from southern Brazil, said she decided to sit out Sao Paulo Fashion Week this year because the discrimination she has suffered in previous seasons left her depressed and exhausted. Makeup artists routinely referred to her as “him.” As she was undergoing her transition, she struggled to get gigs.
“People say that the fashion industry is so accepting, but it isn’t quite like that,” de Melo said. She decided to try her luck abroad in Paris or Milan. “To be a successful Brazilian trans model, you have to have a career outside the country first. Then people here will value you.”
Whatever strides the fashion industry has made toward embracing transgender people, some say it took too long. Neon Cunha is a transgender producer for designer Isaac Silva. The brand included three black transgender models in its debut show this year.
Pétala Lopes
For The Washington Post
Transgender model Lua Costa, 21, on the catwalk for the Isaac Silva brand at Sao Paulo Fashion Week.
“I see there is a concern this season about bringing in new faces, new voices, to make fashion that has a sociopolitical thought process,” Cunha said. “But nobody asks, where has this vacuum been for 21 years? How long does it take to have a designer like Isaac?”
This year, inclusivity was the explicit theme of several shows. Cavalera, a Brazilian brand known for its urban street style, chose Porto to close the runway.
Other male models wore colorful eyeliner and lipstick, but Porto’s face was blank, save for three black tears under one eye — symbolic of the country’s trans murder rate.
As he reached the end of the runway, he slowly unzipped his vest and knelt before the flashing cameras. Under his scars, a clear message was scrawled in black across his abdomen: “Trans respect.”
It's easy to see why contemporary designers seek to evoke traditional Mexican handcrafts and folk art through their collections.
Brightly-colored embroidery and intricate beading reflect skills passed down for generations, while the patterns themselves carry meaning far beyond modern print design.
At the recent Mexico Fashion Week in Mexico City, designers emphasized the collaborative nature of their relationship with local artisans, showing embroidered gowns and garments featuring historic emblems and motifs.
These were clothes created with modern techniques, but infused with centuries-old tradition. Designer Lydia Lavín, for example, worked with artisans from the Huichol community, an indigenous group from Mexico's Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range, to create gowns adorned with embroidery and beadwork.
Lydia Lavín worked with Huichol artisans to create beaded and embroidered garments. Credit: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Mexico City
The brand, which launched in 2004, has cultivated partnerships with more than 3,000 artisans from 14 indigenous communities across Mexico.
"Being able to understand the way of thinking of the artists and all the rituals, the importance of preserving techniques and showing the world what they can do is the most important thing," Lavín said.
Sandra Weil's collection included traditional methods from Oaxaca, a Mexican state well-known for its textile traditions, hand embroidery and woven materials made on backstrap looms. Embroidered pieces included depictions of the bird of paradise, a flower native to Mexico.
Not only did she seek inspiration from Mexico, but worked with artisans with roots in Venezuela, Columbia, Argentina and Peru. "I think we take a very contemporary view on the embroidery's traditional heritage," Weil said.
Weil works with a team of about 16 people each season, including several local artisans. "It's very fulfilling to give back to the economy and the local people that work with us," she said.
Last month, she showed her collection in Paris for the first time. "I think we have so many things to give to the rest of the world that have not yet been seen in the high-end world of fashion," she said. "I'm very honored to be one of the people sharing these beautiful techniques."
"In Mexico, indigenous artisans have a long history of collaborating not only with fashion designers but with creators in general," said Tanya Melendez-Escalante, the senior curator of education and public programs at the Fashion Institute of Technology's New York museum.
Lavín has worked with 3,000 artisans from 14 Indigenous communities across Mexico since launching her brand in 2004. Credit: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Mexico City
According to Melendez-Escalante, at the beginning of the 20th century, after the Mexican Revolution, the country's government created public projects to blend pop culture and fine arts. "One good example is the work of the Mexican muralists, who portrayed indigenous Mexico in many of their works," she said.
"Fashion designers also participated in this impetus ... there were designers such as Ramón Valdiosera who worked with artisans and many designers were avid textile collectors."
Known as the "Mexican Rose," Valdiosera was not only a fashion designer but a cartoonist, author and artist whose work reveled in traditional Mexican art.
Fashion house Pineda Covalin continued this sense of celebration with their show at Fashion Week Mexico, which centered on Mexican emblems and designs. "The main objective has been to promote the Mexican richness and the Mexican culture, not only in Mexico, but around the world," co-founder Ricardo Covalin said.
"It was 1996 when we created the brand. In the global situation of the world, Mexico just signed a free trade agreement with North America. Mexicans wanted everything from outside and they forgot about our roots, our heritage. And so we started our brand to be proud of who we are as Mexicans."
The label's spring 2020 collection incorporated Aztec and Mayan prints, with a recurring skull motif as a reference to Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). The show's conclusion, meanwhile, drew on the Aztec ritual Fuego Nuevo (New Fire Ceremony).
Audiences were directed to light candles, while all the artisans and designers who worked on the collection walked the runway to take a bow. "It was important for all of them to come out, and then light the new fire," Covalin said. "In the ancient ritual, you burn the old things and then you start a small fire, and you share it with all the people."
The conclusion to the Pineda Covalin show drew on the Aztec ritual Fuego Nuevo. Credit: Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Mexico City
The fashion industry's incorporation of indigenous Mexican design has sparked controversy in the past: Take, for instance, Carolina Herrera's Resort 2020 collection, which drew on embroidery from Hidalgo's Tenango de Doria community as well as shawls associated with Saltillo in the state of Coahuila.
Mexico's Culture Ministry sent a letter to Herrera and creative director Wes Gordon, asking them to "publicly explain on what basis (the brand) decided to make use of these cultural elements, whose origins are documented, and how this benefits the communities."
Gordon reportedly responded that the collection "pays tribute to the richness of Mexican culture." Others say it was a clear case of cultural appropriation that was unnecessary given the historical willingness of Mexican artisans to share their expertise.
Melendez-Escalante stressed that designers who do collaborate with indigenous artisans should respect their creative input. "Their creativity is part of the collection and they are remunerated as equal players," she said.
But some collaborations can be exploitative, Melendez-Escalante said, with designers using artisans "as labor to produce embroidery or other techniques for their collection." Not all indigenous artisans are properly compensated, she added. "Many artisans have to balance life in the fields with producing their work, so fair pay is of primary importance to them."
In Melendez-Escalante's opinion, most Mexican designers don't seek to exploit the artisans they work with."Traditional crafts are part of Mexico's artistic and cultural heritage," she said. "I think designers are constantly looking to honor our past and present, and these collaborations are mostly about pride in who we are."
Over the past 50 years, our attitude towards using fur in fashion has changed monumentally. Where it was once deemed the ultimate luxury high-fashion material to be seen wearing, it is now broadly frowned upon. Magazines avoid featuring it, retailers refuse to sell it, more designers than ever have stopped using it in their collections and now, even whole cities and states have banned the sale and manufacture of fur.
This change in attitude was the result of years of animal-rights activists making noise in the industry, protesting fashion weeks and targeting designer stores, coupled with a deeper understanding of the practices involved and shift in cultural perception. Brands eventually listened and it has resulted in an almost blanket ban on the use of fur in high fashion, with Gucci, Versace, Burberry, Armani, Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, Vivienne Westwood and many, many more publicly pledging never to use it.
Marilyn Monroe wearing her fur coat
Frank Worth, Courtesy of Capital ArtGetty Images
Now, we are entering a new age in fashion as a result of the climate crisis, which brings into question best practices for designers in terms of creating collections using only the most sustainable materials and techniques available – with the spotlight inevitably turning to faux fur. Is the replica version really better for the planet than real fur? Should we should be shunning faux fur in favour of fur products that already exist?
It is, of course, an extremely complicated question, one which has both powerful moral and scientific arguments behind it. We asked the designers of the Copenhagen-based label Saks Potts, which uses real fur; the faux-fur designer Emma Brewin; and vintage specialists Vestiaire Collective to give us their takes on how best to navigate the topic of fur in a new age.
Is the use of real fur always immoral?
The entire reason that attitudes to fur changed so dramatically in recent years had moral grounding. Anti-fur activists argue that killing animals for fashion is unethical and, particularly when there is an alternative, completely unnecessary. Peta, in its argument against the wearing of any type of animal product, makes a strong case about why it should never be an option.
“Animals are not ours to wear, walk on or carry our possessions in,” the charity explains on its website. “Before animal skins reach store shelves, animals live a life of misery, pain, boredom and fear, and many are skinned alive. On fur farms, animals such as foxes, minks and chinchillas spend their entire lives confined to tiny, filthy wire cages.”
It is difficult to argue against the case that animals should never be killed for fashion, especially when done in such horrific circumstances. However, many designers who do choose to use real fur in their collections argue that there are ethical ways of doing so, and that, ultimately, it is the more planet-friendly option.
Saks Potts, a brand that is worn by many well-known influencers and celebrities, still uses real fur in its collections. Despite the negative stigma around this, the designers feel passionately that they have found the most sustainable method for creating their fur products.
“Natural fur is one of the most sustainable materials available,” the designer Cathrine Saks tells us. “We believe that the future needs sustainable solutions, and using natural fur instead of fake fur is one of the answers to the challenges the fashion trade is facing.”
Casper Sejersen
She makes a persuasive point; real fur is a natural material that decomposes into the earth without harming the environment after use, rather than plastic fibres from synthetic products (including some faux fur), which can end up polluting our water.
The brand also argues that its use of fur is not as cruel as it might seem on the surface. Saks Potts only sources from Kopenhagen Fur, a fur auction house that stocks pieces with Welfur accreditations, in which there are many strict regulations in place to ensure a high quality of life for the animals.
“The programme is designed to provide an objective and reliable animal welfare assessment,” the designer Barbara Potts explains. “It also ensures transparency for customers and enables an overall animal welfare improvement.”
And, although killing for fashion seems cruel, Potts makes an interesting case for the use of fur compared with other animal-product industries that many happily consume on a daily basis.
“We regard fur as being on par with chicken, milk, leather, wool or any other animal products people use every day,” she says. “When animals are treated with the highest degree of respect – which they absolutely always should be – we do not oppose the legal use of any such materials or products.”
What about real fur that already exists?
While you might be of the view that the use of real fur is completely unacceptable, it's possible that the argument is different when concerning real-fur products that are already in existence. Wearing any kind of real fur can be deemed to be promoting the killing of animals, or glamorising the fur industry, but with the future of our planet at stake, is it acceptable to throw out clothing or refrain from wearing something you already own, have inherited or bought second-hand, just because it’s made of fur?
According to the charity WRAP (The Waste and Resources Action Programme), the average lifetime for a garment is estimated at 2.2 years in the UK. Expanding the life of clothing by a time as small as nine months can significantly reduce its environmental impact. Real fur is durable and can last for decades. So, particularly when considering vintage fur items that have already been produced, the wearing of real fur can be justified from an environmental standpoint. Using what already exists does not harm any animals and will avoid damaging the planet further through the production of a new piece of clothing, as you are supporting circular fashion.
VenturelliGetty Images
Sophie Hersan, the co-founder and fashion director of the designer second-hand retailer Vestiaire Collective, explains how giving items a new life is vital and that, although they do have a preference for faux, the site does sell real fur in some cases.
“We are naturally in favour of faux fur, from Gucci to Stella McCartney,” she told us. “Nonetheless, we allow a second life to existing items, which include vintage fur.”
Is faux fur bad for the environment?
Faux furs are typically made from synthetic polymeric fibres, such as acrylic, modacrylic and polyester, which are all essentially forms of plastic. These chemicals are derived from coal, air, water, petroleum and limestone, which are incredibly harmful to our environment. According to a study from the Ocean Conservancy, plastic has been found inside the bodies of more than 60 per cent of sea birds and 100 per cent of sea turtles, which is contributing to a rise in extinction rates of various species.
In addition to this, when some of these faux-fur garments end up in landfill, just like petroleum-based plastic bags, they can take up to 1,000 years to decompose. In comparison, real fur can biodegrade naturally within six months to a year.
On paper, faux fur is more damaging to our environment than the use of real fur. However, not all faux fur is created equally. Many high-fashion brands that use replica fur argue that the high-quality materials they use do not have this same negative impact on our planet. But, ultimately, when faux-fur trends trickle down into fast-fashion brands, this becomes harmful to our environment.
Courtesy of Emma Brewin
The buzzy faux-fur designer Emma Brewin, the woman who creates those well-loved fluffy hats, recognises this, explaining how this relates to her own work.
“I know that a lot of other brands are starting to do the bucket hats [that I am known for] and I think it’s such a shame because regardless of the processes we are using, some fast-fashion brands are always going to find a cheaper alternative, which is worse for the environment,” she explained.
“I wish I could have more of a voice for that, but it’s difficult to control what goes on and what other brands are doing. It would be incredible if there were better measures in place to stop that.”
Ultimately though, Brewin is of the opinion that real fur has no place in our wardrobes these days, even if faux fur has its environmental drawbacks.
“There’s no need to take an animal's life for fashion,” she told us. “I get that back in the day it was necessary for survival, but now we really don’t need it. There are so many different statistics and facts about it that can all be so biased depending on who is trying to fight which corner, but I am also aware that faux fur isn’t the best material for the environment.”
It must also be noted that high-quality faux-fur products are going to have a greater longevity in your wardrobe – as with any well-made item that you love and keep for years – and are therefore, far less harmful than a piece of clothing that is going to be discarded after one season. Taking this into consideration, if you're opting for faux fur, make sure that you are buying it from a designer using high-end materials and transparent processes – and make sure that is is something you will wear for years to come.
Courtesy of Emma Brewin
How do I decide?
It’s not as straightforward as deciding whether you're on team faux or team real (or, indeed, opt out of both entirely). Aside from whether it’s ethical to wear vintage furs, or the argument that cheaply made faux fur is causing sustainability issues of its own, there are many things to consider when buying a fur product, fake or otherwise.
While faux fur appears to be the more ethical choice, in that animals aren’t harmed for its creation, faux fur is widely believed to be much more harmful to the environment than its natural counterpart.
Whichever way you look at it, and whatever you decide, just make sure to do your research, which will equip you to make informed choices. As with any purchase you make, don’t simply be swayed by trends, aesthetics or influencers; find out who you’re giving your money to, what their process are and then decide if it's something you want to support. Everyone can benefit from making more mindful shopping choices.
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