Connected Existence

CONNECTED EXISTENCE

1 2 DESIGN FOR THE FASHION SYSTEM

CONNECTED EXISTENCE

A fashion study of comfort and quality to empower socialization and femininity in the fast fashion world.

Supervisor: Arturo Dell’Aqua Bellavitis Student: Maria Kovacsova 10525001 Academic year: 2016/2017

3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

4 This project could not be delivered without the help of people, who surrounded me with their support and motivation. The problem of the fast fashion and trends that are present now need a better understanding in sake of finding the right solution. For that, I would like to express my special thanks and gratitude to my supervisor, Arturo Dell’Aqua Bellavitis, who supported me through the entire project. He gave me the right guidelines to stay focused and to deliver a complete thesis. I would also like to thank for being kind and motivational throughout the reviews and meetings which gave me more power to continue. As for the extra hours of consul- tation and guidance, I would like to thank Debora Sinibaldi, who kindly helped me find a way to pick the right design for the dresses.

Secondly, I’m very grateful to my parents and siblings who have always been standing next to me, to my friends and Pietro, who cheered on me during the challenging times. I would like to express my special thanks to the photographer, who helped me finalize the project with wonderful images.

5 ABSTRACT

6 This thesis focuses on the problematics of fast fashion and rapidly changing trends. The fashion industry, which has turned out to be rather more trend-centric than humanistic, is struggling to provide high-quality clothing at an affordable price for the masses. Although mass production has always been challenging design-wise, that should not stop the fashion to be functional and not just decorative. The low quality and the insane focus on our appearance has brought many problems regarding self-image, body diversity, comfort and feminine issues. The goal of this thesis is to investigate this problem and to give a solution for the fast fashion.

The research part is composed of chapters that examine the damages caused by the over-consumerism. It brings up the issues regarding low quality and bad tailoring. The chapter Research on quality, focuses on the bad production and the lack of sustainability while explaining what durable fashion is. At the last sub-chapter varied brands are shown as an example from small to big corporations which have sustainable and eco-friendly approach. The other half of the research is targeting mainly the topic of socialization and the importance of human interaction. The technological tools that are supposed to make us more connected, in fact, separate us from the reality. This part also includes the problem of misunderstand- ing individuality and compares it with collectivism.

To understand socialization better and the role of clothing in it, the end of the research focuses on clothing as means of identification and uniforms in general. These chapters investigate the question of uniforms: what are they and what form they appear in? What in particular is the purpose of school uniforms and what did the Soviet school uniforms look like?

The project development offers a solution on clothing and fast fashion in which the product is a single dress in a form of identical clothing. There are six different proposals as a design study. Starting from the first dress that is the most detailed and old-fashioned to the final two identical dresses that are radically minimalized and modern. The color palette and the styling of the full collection is inspired by the soviet school uniforms. Fabrics that are used in this project are carefully selected, mostly to be comfortable, sustainable and natural to support motion.

7 INTRODUCTION

8 The world has become an over-consumeristic place, where fashion has a bigger role than ever. We buy products on a daily basis regardless of their necessity. To make us purchase more, fashion trends have come to change rapidly creating a huge chaos, where quality and comfort are not primary. It is very hard to find a well fitted dress that lasts longer than a season on the mass market. But where does this trend of consumerism go and what can we do against it?

Even high-end brands seldom provide the quality that should be equal to their price category. This might seem like a disconnected, over-produced fashion place. To go against it, as a first step, we should understand better where does it come from and what damages has it caused already. Does it affect our relationships as well?

To find a solution for such a big problem, that is deeper than just the problem of an outfit, has inspired this work and collection. Its main purpose is to embrace femininity, quality and comfort as well as to support the formation of friendships and human interaction through fashion.

9 TABLE OF CONTENTS

10 ABSTRACT 6 CONCLUSION 104 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 4 A UNIFYING DRESS 107 INTRODUCTION 8 PROJECT DEVELOPMENT 109 TABLE OF CONTENTS 10 6.1. Design study 110 FASHION AND TRENDS 13 THE ELEGANT DRESS 111 1.1. What are trends 14 THE JACKET 119 1.2. History of trends 16 THE WAISTCOAT 127 1.3. Nowadays trends 26 THE TENNIS DRESS 135 INDUSTRY OVERVIEW 39 THE BASE DRESS 143 2.1. Industry overview and Fast fashion 40 THE COLLECTION 141 2.2. Buy-use-throw away theor 44 RADICAL MINIMALISM 153 2.3. Not humanistic fashion / BIBLIOGRAPHY 162 Body diversity in the industry 48 RESEARCH ON QUALITY 53 3.1. Research on quality 54 3.2. The times of quality over quantity 60 3.3. Minimalistic approach to fashion 64 3.4. Brands and their humanistic approach Sustainability in fashion 68 HUMAN AND SOCIETY 75 4.1. Human as a social being 76 4.2. The belonging vs individualism 82 4.3. Clothing as identifiaction 88 STYLING RESEARCH 91 5.1. Uniforms and their function in our society 92 5.2. School uniforms 94 5.3. Soviet school uniforms 100 11 12 FASHION AND TRENDS

13 1.1. WHAT ARE TRENDS?

Trend: A trend is what’s hip or popular at a certain point in time. In fashion, it’s the big wave of a certain style, color combinations, fashion of new (or old) designs.

Fashion has always been around since the beginning of mankind. It doesn’t mean simply a way of dressing. There is much more behind it. It’s a definition of a historical era, a certain political, cultural and social status related to a certain period of time. All these aspects are defining diverse styles of wearing garments, taste, way of thinking, behavior and lifestyle itself. The bigger is the group of people who relate to a certain style, the bigger the trend becomes. This is all clear to most of us, but the more important question is: why are there trends and what is their real, deeper function?

Our society is structured into different kinds of groups of people bigger social circles narrowing down to smaller friendships and family-like relationships. It can be firmly stated, that humans are social beings and total separation is not typical of them. This is a very important life element and the fear of being rejected by a certain group we would like to belong to makes us want to become one of the key-members of the circle. The better we are, the more celebrated we become and the bigger security we have (we might even become the leader of the group). Therefore, fashion has become the most crucial way of expressing one’s socio-cultural status. The way we dress comes first in importance over words, thoughts and ways of behavior. By following someone else’s style, one can easily adapt and relate to them. That’s how trends are formed.

14 Group of girls dressing up similarly and sharing the same trend

15 1.2. HISTORY OF TRENDS

While looking back in history, we can see what kind of trends were related to different political eras. Starting from the end of the 19th century the way of dressing started to change rapidly. As an example, the sheath dress, a close-fitting dress with a defined waist, has taken on several different forms.

In the late 19th century the “princess silhouette” was favored with a fitted waist showing off a corseted figure and accentuated by a heavily ruffled lower back. This era was known for its rich, high standard-like living with overloaded luxury and joy - just as the aristocratic class.

In the 30’s the bias cut was introduced, making fitted styles more attainable. Women of the 30’s (or rather, the ones who led the kind of lifestyle that called for gowns) began to favor the dramatic, long sheaths as an alternative to Greek styles.

In the 1940’s, sheath styles became even more popular. Fabric rationing during wartime called for simpler, more fitted garments. Bigger shoulders, narrow waist and hip lines referred to the “working woman’s style”. Since the war started, the lacking amount of man in the factories made woman to take over the working places. The trend formed according to their social status and gave a much more soldier-like look, breaking the feminine, fragile lines.

16 1930’s 1940’s 1940’s

17 The 1950’s and 60’s were prime years for the sheath, and the versions worn during these two decades are what we tend to envision when we think of this dress. Quintessential 1950’s style came in two styles after the war, since woman returned to the houses and the “house wife” look became popular. The first was Dior’s classic “New Look,” featuring a tailored bodice, nipped in waist and full skirt. The second look was a similar, but much sleeker sheath dress version. Dior created the “Vertical Line,” a more feminine and less boxy sheath than its 1940’s predecessors. The bodice and waist remained fitted, but the skirt also hugged the body from the waist down. It was common for the 50’s sheath to have a scoop or boat neckline, often decorated with little collars or bows. The skirt of the dress was what we refer to today as a “pencil” silhouette. This skirt was fitted, and frequently tapered down to the mid-calf. Some sheaths were so fitted at the bottom that a vent or kick-pleat was added to the back of the skirt so the wearer could walk. These exaggerated versions were referred to as “wiggle” dresses.

In the 60’s designers introduced bold and loud colors into their creations; the skirts became shorter, thus culminating in the mini clothes, and the quintessential girlie look of the 60’s. Designer clothes of a decade earlier which had a slim line and tubular, gave way to flared skirts and tentative beginnings of the A- line dresses. Soon after, skirts and dresses came in varying lengths: midi and maxi. These cuts have remained popular for about fifteen years, until the late 70’s.

1970s Fashion was the era of hot disco scenes and the “freedom of sexuality”. The 70s brought denim and neutral tones into the spotlight alongside pantsuits, corduroy, and leg warmers, while women were crazy about platform heels and maxi dresses. These were the rave! Though platforms were “chunky” and looked somewhat bulky and awkward, every woman had at least a couple of pairs. The seventies heralded in its own style of fabulous clothing as it was the period of individual expression. It was rather about the free-for-all and ‘anything goes’ period than fitting in with a particular trend (what we can experience lately as well). Many women dressed in ways to please themselves (not others), although it doesn’t imply they had no interest in high fashion. Dresses and fashion accessories presented on the runway were more radical design-vise than the styles of previous decades.

18 1950’s 1960’s 1970’s

19 Women of the early 1980s loved soft textiles and neutral colors like beige, brown, tan, and pale orange, but by the later years of the decade bright neon colors became highly popular. In the 80s jeans went from smart, sporty, or a casual ranch weekend wear to a hot fashion trend that became glamorous wardrobe must haves. There was spandex and shoulder-pads, while popular fashion accessories were belts, scarves, and bracelets. Interestingly, when you think of the 80s, you’ll remember hair spray, excessive makeup and bright flashy apparel.

As we come forward we might question what is already history and what is current in fashion. The 90’s are already meant to be the trend that we look back at as something already passed, but then again, where is the exact ending of this era?

If we want to describe the fashion of the 90’s, first we must better investigate what was this era about. Looking back, we can clearly see that this was not just another fashion wave, but it made a mark on our society. It formed the basics of nowadays. It settled our desires and made a huge mark on the beauty industry as well, so much that it is just lately we started to question the unwritten rules of becoming an iconic woman. What does that mean and what exactly happened?

The 1990’s was the beginning of the rejection of fashion. This lead to the popularization of the “Casual chic” look, including t-shirts, jeans, hoodies and trainers, which we still have today. Street wear was in and couture was on its way out. The modern woman was a working one, who needed to dress in a more practical and efficient way. She was also supposedly equal to the man, and at this point women and men dressing in a similar style had become a regular thing (both dressing as men). Fashion had more to do with the expression of personal style than the old fashioned “proper” way to dress like a lady or a gentleman. This effected in a wider range of styles to choose from, and an understanding that fashion was a way to signalize who you are, on a deeper level.

The silhouette was minimalistic, straight, oversized or boxy. You could have a messy and casual grunge look, be punk, hippie or goth, be a clean modern preppy, smart casual, or business casual, be a playful or classy minimalist, have a colorful and oversized hip hop style, or just wear flashy fashion statements. Depending on what group you belonged to, “the choice was yours”.

20 1980’s 1980’s 1990’s

21 All of the 90’s featured many styles never publicly accepted before, and definitely added a new twist to the ideal of beauty with its anti-fashion mix and match clothing, silly hats, platform shoes, as well as the start of the tattoo and piercing trend (you no longer had to be a rocker-type to have one). But, the biggest change of the 90’s was probably the new acceptance of the edgy or quirky look as a fashion style. With the help of iconic anti-heroes in television, film, and the fashion icons embracing this look, being a “misfit” quickly turned into “cool individualism”. This change opened the doors to a more relaxed and playful form of beauty and a new type of woman.

In the beauty department, makeup and hair trends dictated that the skin should appear matte and flawless, eyebrows defined or super thin, noses very narrow and small; “sucked in” cheeks were hot, body glitter and bedazzling was cool while lips were supposed to be full of a deep red lipstick or frosted with a pencil outline. The Rachel haircut became a big hit throughout the entire 90’s meanwhile some other hairstyles were slightly odd, messy, crimped, straight or just plain natural, and both men and women started to cut their hair short.

The 1990’s had two main beauty ideals. On one side, there was the glamazon super model, such as Elle Macpherson, Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell, with their athletic, but curvaceous figures. On the other side, there was Kate Moss who marked the beginning of the ‘waif’ look (a physical presence of youth and extreme thinness; a fashion style featuring this look), and started a revolution not only in modeling but also consumer fashion. Off the runway the ideal could be divided into four accepted looks: 1. The thin, straight figure (Brick and Col- umn), 2. The athletic (Cornet), 3. The chesty but slender (lollipop and goblet), and 4. The slimmer fit version of the classic hourglass (hourglass and vase).

At this time, it was still considered to be a sign of overweight to have a large bottom or thick thighs in the western society, and the pear- shape was a negative word. Larger women were basically never cast as the “hot girls” which sent the message, “only skinny girls are beautiful” (although, plus size modeling was already a profession).

The 90’s was really big on skinny, short skirts, cropped tops, bellybutton piercings, the braless look, and large knockers, therefore the pressure to have perfect boobs, slender long legs, flat tummy and abs ware huge. It didn’t take long to lead young woman into extreme make- overs in order to get the desired and almost unreachable looks. Drastic plastic surgeries and diets started to blossom, since for some it was the “only way” to be cool and to fit in.

22 The Spice Girls 23 Anyone could become a supermodel or an actress

This era brought the rise of big personalities and supermodels. Anyone could become a supermodel or an actress. The magazines were full of stories of superstars starting from nowhere. The poor girl coming from a country side suddenly becoming a catwalk model was something common, without a doubt everyone believed the story. So, the question was not “if I ever could be”, but “how can I make it as fast as possible?”. Music bands and artists such as the Spice Girls and Britney Spears made it even more believable and the stalking of celebrities became an addiction. Magazines were full of paparazzi photos and articles about “who what wore” and how and where to get it. They became a bible to young woman, opening an entirely new market to the mass.

These magazines and advertisements built up an irresistible desire to achieve something unattainable. They created a feeling of insecurity in women so they felt (and still feel to this day) the need to buy more of the products and clothing seen on celebrities in order to satisfy themselves. This trend blossomed through the entire first decade of the2000s .

As the world became more technologically and economically connected, diverse fashion trends got in the reach of the public. The fast fashion brands quickly grew offering runway inspired collections at affordable prices for the masses.

Hip hop was one of the main style inspirations alongside the glamorous sexy girl with very short pink skirts. The huge circle earrings (golden or silver) blossomed with the statement “the bigger the better”. Pants and jeans were worn only around the hips and as Christina Aguilera came to the scene, girls were trying to push it even lower to show more skin. Careless about the cold in the winter the main point was to just look “good”.

The first half of the 2000’s saw a succession of more trends such as: tiny shirts, rocket dog sandals, patterned jeans, puffy pants, ruffled skirts, graphic shirts paired with the famous UGGs. In 2005 the hippie look came in and a year later the ballerina shoes.

The further we got the more trends appeared, changing so fast that the market could not follow and adapt to them. So, what happened then? Did this change in the last few years?

24 Britney Spears Paris Hilton Beyoncé Knowles

25 1.3. NOWADAYS TRENDS

Moving from one decade of trends to another we barely realize that we have already passed 2010. It feels like we wore those baggy low waist pants combined with checkered beret hats just yesterday. Looking back, it seems like appearing in that look was a mistake - on the other hand, we still might have those pieces in our wardrobes.

From the early 2010s we could see some changes in the fashion industry. Designers returned to a fashion trend that was considered embar- rassing just a few years ago. One of their main inspiration was the 80’s comeback. We could see some neon colors on the runways as well as in the fast fashion shops. The term “vintage” became so fashionable that retailers had to fill up their shops with all the old-retro-rugged looking garments. But even in that trend there were some rules about how to wear it the cool way and which vintage pieces are meant to be worn. It was not about everything your grandmother had in her closet.

As the mobile application called Instagram became more and more popular in the late 2012, seemed like bloggers started to take over the fashion industry. Since blogging started to be a beloved hobby for some individuals, fashion blogging became a full-time job to anthers. These women (and later also men) became an inspiration to famous designers with their unique styles. Their attitude towards fashion was different from those fashion editors who wore only the high end, luxury brands.

Lot of these girls were coming from regular families. By uploading nicely composed pictures of their daily outfits, full of vintage garments from second-hand shops and fast fashion brands, they gained attention from the public. Articles such as ‘how to wear’, ’10 rules how to com- bine…’ and ‘my favorite casual look’ became the next big bible. We moved from admiring celebrities to following people “from the mass”. We were fed up with the sparkling, beautiful world of the plastic fashion industry and slowly learned that there is much more out there. Instagrammers became the most popular bloggers, and as their previous generation, they also received clothing from famous brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Alexander Wang, Michael Kors and so on.

26 A style development of a fashion blogger, Vanessa Hong. Her renowned platform, The Haute Pursuit, is known for its minimalistic and elegant style.

27 Fitness was not just about wearing running shoes with skirts, but a change in lifestyle as well.

It was the fitness and wellness that brought a different market to the fashion industry. This was not just about wearing running shoes with skirts, but a change in lifestyle as well. Workout routines, fitness magazines and online articles got more views than ever. The healthy lifestyle and eating habits were increasing again. Now it was not about cutting off calories, but to eat as much fruits, vegetables and organic products as possible. The pictures taken from above of your breakfast or lunch quickly spread through Instagram as a big trend. Everyone had at least a couple of them on their account. Lifestyle bloggers, personal trainers gained fame with their short videos appearing in the latest Adidas or Nike collections.

Yoga girls posing in the strangest yoga poses on the sunset beach, another one on the edge of the hotel terrace all wearing bright colored and patterned yoga wear. This seemed like a new opportunity for the fashion designers. The fitness theme has not been touched for a very long time. The last big health wave was in the mid 80’s. Back then bright and neon, shiny leggings were worn with a body suit over them, commonly accessorized with a belt. Who knew why and what function did the belt have or why the bodysuit over the pants were worn. Probably was not meant to be comfortable in the first place. It seemed like a fashion attitude rather than a functional active wear.

28 Daily meal photographed above on Instagram Yoga pose posted on Instagram

29 In 2014 the sportswear and active wear were really taking over the place. Big brands such as Adidas and Nike started to develop new textiles and materials to make the garments more functional. They gave a new life to running shoes. They were no more the ugly pairs we would hide in the back of our closet. We could say goodbye to non-sense combinations of reflective materials and colors. Some companies ap- proached sportswear with a harmonic attitude to integrate it into our everyday clothing. Others made it rough, harsh and visibly standing out as a symbol of pride.

Collaborations with sports companies and high-end luxury brands were the second big move to get even those customers who were not convinced with the first idea of this trend. Adidas with Stella McCartney launched their new collection, Adidas StellaSport in 2015 and they sold out immediately. High street brand H&M in collaboration with Alexander Wang introduced a new kind of trend on active wear. Neo- prene materials, embossed letterings, oversized puffy jackets with even bigger pockets were driving the youth crazy. People were willing to sleep in front of the shopping malls entrance the night before in order to get the first pieces of the collection. Many were just making editorials for magazines and later re-sold the garments for even higher price.

30 Collection of Stella McCartney in collaboration with Adidas

31 Kanye West Yeezy shoes

32 Kanye West has also made a collaboration with Adidas. His Yeezy Season 1 brand shoes were welcomed very well, but the clothing was much more of a different matter. After the release of the clothing line and consequent unsuccessful selling, Adidas bailed out from the further development of Yeezy. But even a year later the sneakers were sold through websites such as e-bay.com at a higher price. Clearly it was more outstanding than expected.

Maybe this collaboration was not the best investment, but it clearly founded the basics of street wear trend. Alongside with Supreme, the oversized hooded sweatshirts, simple t-shirts with printed texts and sweatpants were introduced as an everyday casual wear. Celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Gigi Hadid and Kendal Jenner were spotted wearing these pieces even at fashion events pairing them with high heels and jewelry.

The nude makeup, thick eyebrows (that were re-introduced by Cara Delevingne, the muse of Karl Lagerfeld) and matt dusky pink lipsticks gained immediate fame. The pink color in many shades, especially the ones closer to nudes, were applied on everything and everywhere. The new era of the millennial pink has begun. Probably this color is the one trend that lasted longer than only one season, considering that we still wear it even nowadays.

33 Clothing became more comfortable and the fashion industry started to be a bit more open towards diversity in beauty. Gosha Rubchinskiy and his gang were recognized as the Eastern post-soviet trend. He opened a totally new kind of “luxury” and brought a new view on clothing. Something that we thought to be poor and “lame” suddenly became cool and refreshing. The teenagers he has been working with were individuals full of dreams and goals in their lives. Exactly the opposite of how we perceived the Russian young generation. Artists, poets, musicians, designers and dreamers were representing love and happiness in an absolutely different way. There were no smiling faces on perfect photoshopped editorials, but the simple, untouched moments of life.

Gosha’s philosophy on the Slavic culture has brought sympathy and some understanding to Eastern countries. The kids among his “gang” are truly in love with their mother land and Moscow. They grew up there, they belong there and instead of escaping the reality, they focus on the good and positive moments.

One of his skater boys’ points out the perception of the communist era in an interview for I-D magazine. He says we should try to explore and focus on the good side of that time. It is a part of our culture, and since the 90’s we see only the bad side of it. Only hunger and restric- tions, but before that it represented a strong community of people believing in each other and keeping together as sisters and brothers.

Although Gosha’s world is not meant to be political, it represents a strong unity and a fair point of view. His 90’s inspired soviet street-skater style became so popular that many of the fashion brands started to implement some elements into their collections. Tracksuit pants, red, blue, white and black colors, caps, hoodies, shirts and bomber jackets took over the catwalks and the fast fashion stores.

34 Gosha Rubchinskiy collection

35 The most important change to point out were the editorials and campaigns in magazines and advertisements. It became very popular, regardless whether it was Gosha’s influence or it appeared (at the same time) as an evolution of the previous trends. It was not only for the pictures which looked like they were shot with an old analogue camera with flash lights, but also the choice of models.

The whole atmosphere of the image communicated something strange and unfamiliar. On the first glance it looked like a very ugly model wearing clothes combined with shoes that do not fit. The background was out of place. In fact, the first impression was very shocking. But still it did not let our mind go. The pictures glued the attention of the viewer to investigate the style more thoroughly. The longer we looked, the more we realized that the model was not ugly. Indeed, she had a unique beauty with the relaxed, careless pose. The shoes somehow worked together with the clothes, giving them freshness and coolness. And the background gave such a particular coloring that made us believe we are a part of it.

Something started to change in the fashion industry and this change was all about individualism. Customizable Nike shoes or later the Gucci jackets with the desired own embroidery were just the beginning. A door into a different world of a new customer. We still cannot know whether it was about fashion starting to be more humane or just trying to explore new ways of expression. Magazines are full of discussions about the gender-fluid and transgender personalities. Is it just another trend or a real empowerment of diversity and individuality? More and more celebrities and models talk about their sexuality claiming they are genderless. But what does that mean? And where does that lead us?

If we look closer to the frequency of the presence of these topics in online discussions and fashion magazines one could easily think that fashion is blooming in the unisex trend. In fact, it returned to the most feminine floral style full of ribbons, ruffles and long dreamy dresses. So where did the genderless ideology go? Was it just another hot topic that lately sold the most? People became careless of celebrities, therefore it was for sure a good way to catch attention. Or is the floral-ruffle trend the new embracement of feminism? It seems like these mixtures of new ideologies and trends create a big chaos. A world full of “individualities” and “personalities”, where the expression of an appearance matters the most.

36 Public School Resort 2018 Stella McCartney Resort 2018

37 38 INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

39 2.1. INDUSTRY OVERVIEW AND FAST FASHION

We can hardly imagine how many pieces fast fashion brands have to produce and sell all over the world. They became the mass leader labels in many countries and people have no other option, than to buy there.

We are all very familiar with the sentence “I have nothing to wear”. We hear this short claim many times from our relatives, best friends and even from ourselves while the closets barely can hold the amount of clothes we have. It is full of garments from nice and valuable pieces to rags and useless t-shirts. One over another, we sometimes forget what we have already. There are hanging dresses worn only once a lifetime and shoes barely touched. Still before each night-out there is the big question: what to wear.

One of the main reasons behind this “problem” might be the rapidly changing trends. As mentioned in the previous chapter, fashion became very chaotic. Trend after trend was appearing and the collections in the stores were renewed almost each month. In the fast fashion brands such as Zara, new lines are introduced every second week. People got so used to that, they became bored of looking at only seasonal collections. But what is the price of this? Is this the right way to grow a new kind of customer?

We assume that affordable and reachable brands, made for the masses, are inspired by the high-end runways and other influential artists’ or designers’ collection. They pick up a theme of a main trend which is meant to be the most selling and appealing for the people, and they come up with a much cheaper version. We can hardly imagine how many pieces they produce and sell all over the world. They became the mass leader brands in many countries and people have no other option than to buy their products.

40 Cheap prices in Fast Fashion stores

41 The first years of H&M, when they were introduced to the market, people went crazy about the nice fabrics and the stylish look of the stores. The clothes seemed to be very simple and rather casual. It was possible to buy very fine denim and knitted sweaters. When Zara has opened the first store, they were something very new among the fast fashion brands. Zara had a very unique and individual style. The garments were just as off the runway, but of course for a cheaper price, but still nicely fitting, minimalistic with interesting details and solutions. Silk, cotton and linen were very easy to find each season among the collections. So, what happened and what went wrong?

Of course, in the first years of establishing a fashion company it is very important to build a good reputation. Brands are very focused on creating a good and strong brand image. The most important is to make people easily understand what they want to communicate. What is the story they want to tell and how do they make us feel? It is not just about the single garment itself, but the atmosphere of the store as well. There was H&M with its casual and comfortable style and Zara with its fashion forward pieces. Two stores meant for the masses, but having a different approach towards fashion. Though when we look at the last two years of these brands we barely see a difference. It seems like they both communicate one message: to follow the latest big trend in order to sell more.

There are other fast fashion brands such as Stradivarius, Bershka and Tally Weijl which are very popular among teenagers on the market. Their sizing and clothing is different accordingly to their target audience. More colors, text prints on almost every t-shirt, all over the store. At first it is very appealing to the eye; but as we look closer, we can see that the dresses do not fit well. The fabric appear to be very cheap, the tailoring is off and the text on the shirts are meaningless. Do these brands want to raise up a generation with no understanding for quality? Do they think young teenagers do not care about what they wear?

Probably it is not in their intention to create a market that buys everything in the store just because it is trendy. Their intention might be to survive in this competitive industry and the only way they can is to sell as much as possible.

42 H&M S/S 2016 campaign Zara 2017 A/W campaign

43 2.2. BUY-USE-THROW AWAY THEORY

There is such a big controversy between the consciousness of our choice of clothing and the real consciousness of our purchase. This current trend of having fashion as a lifestyle should educate us about the ‘buy-use-throw away’ theory better.

We live in the world of capitalism. A capitalistic system works because of the consumers. The bigger the market is, the more the industry earns. We do not question whether we need the clothes. We take the necessity for granted in order to feel better. But are we doing it inten- tionally?

By having the fashion styles and trends changing so rapidly the quality of clothing is not guaranteed to be good enough. Because of the speed and the price, competitive brands are pushed to produce their collection for as low cost as possible. There are only few countries where this is still possible and those are the poor countries. The life standards are low, the cost of the workforce is extremely cheap and the demand for work is very high because of the poverty. The industry takes advantage of low salaries and no required quality of working conditions. In fact, what could a poor person asks for in such World?

Most of us do not even know about the damage capitalism has caused. There are many articles, documentary movies and photographic evidence of the terrible dirt and pollution. Textile factories deflating the chemical colors into the rivers; leather manufacturers letting people to work without a proper protective gear, making them breath the polluted air; women working behind the sewing machines extremely long hours. These are just parts of the reality. And even after being aware of this all, we still go back to the cheapest store to buy that shirt, without feeling guilt.

44 A clothing production insight in Bangladesh

45 There is such a big controversy between the consciousness of our choice of clothing and the real consciousness of our purchase. This current trend of having fashion as a lifestyle should educate us about the ‘buy-use-throw away’ theory better.

The shoes we buy do not last longer than one season. The coats we bought last winter are already torn apart and not “in” enough. The countless white t-shirts are already in the garbage after being used for three times and we do not even question the correctness of that habit anymore. “It costs just five euros in any other store. Do not keep it in your wardrobe!” – this has become the common way of thinking. That little amount of money does not mean anything for us, only for the person behind the production.

Recently there were many campaigns about “who made your clothes”. Sewers showing up a paper stating: “I made your jacket”, “I made your t-shirt” were a very conspicuous advertisement for some sustainable fashion brands, but will this change anything? Probably the problem is much deeper than just the way of production. In fact, there is an over production and over consumerism. The waste is too much and what happens with that amount of clothing is a mystery.

46 Fashion conscious “I made your clothes” campaign

47 2.3. NOT HUMANISTIC FASHION BODY DIVERSITY IN THE INDUSTRY

Clothing is not anymore about supporting our movements and everyday duties.

What the fast fashion has brought us with its turn on low quality is not just aesthetical. It is about sizing, tailoring and the choice of fabrics as well. Clothing is no longer about supporting our motion and everyday duties.

Our lives have changed during the last century. The World became faster. We travel a lot in a day from work to shops and home. Running on appointments, quick lunchbreaks and the use of public transport has become more stressful. We often do not have the luxury of having an option to change clothes and we might end up going for a date in our work outfit. Tight dresses, high heels and the feeling of the necessity to look sexy are just some regulations in our mind. But what can we do if our situation requires keeping these “rules”? In the first decade of the 2000s fashion brands were producing mainly for children’s wear and for woman’s wear. It was very rare to find clothes for teenagers and young adults. The design of the garments were way too serious looking or way too childish, though 60% of the customers were aged from 13 to 19 and from 20 to 25. These were very specific groups of young shoppers who were conscious of what they were wearing.

Fashion brands started to see a potential in this target group and put a bigger focus on them. In fact, from 2010 more than 90% of the collections were made for them, leaving out the adult, more serious working woman outfits. On one hand, adults became more relaxed about their way of dressing and adopted fresher pieces in their wardrobe. On the other hand, fast fashion brands did not care anymore about the age category since they were selling anyway.

The market segment has changed radically. Now we experience the problem of lacking the comfort and fitting. It seems like everything was made for skinny, young school girls. We can find sizes of each garment from XXS to XXL regardless the aesthetics. We often realize that a dress in size S is very pretty, but ugly and shapeless in size XXL. Of course, some lines and shapes do not fit in each size and on each body- type the same way. This is not the problem of the customer, but the designer and the brand itself.

48 Body diversity

49 Some people would wear whatever is trendy regardless their body shape. Probably they do not care or they do not have the knowledge about these facts, meanwhile the term “wear whatever you want” is not always true. The fact that the industry does not offer any solution for this is just making the problem even bigger. So, what can this non-humanistic industry do?

Women have many different shapes and curves. Two persons with the same weight and height does not mean the same size at all. The waist line could be bigger or smaller and the hip lower or higher at the same time. We are all genetically differently gifted and the fact that not everyone has the need or the possibility to do sports might also give us diverse body types. Though there are some main attributes of clothes that categorize the fitting and help to find the “prefect” dress for us.

These attributes mostly refer to the waist line differences. The sand-clock shape is the one and mostly desired body type every woman wants to achieve. Slim waist and nicely curved hips are a dream come true. But what about those plus sized women who feel sexy and con- fident being curvy? Since when did this become less feminine? And why does the industry avoid this kind of body shape?

There are many answers and they mostly initiate from the fact that the production for masses cannot cover all the different needs of people. Though a lot of women can relate to the curvier body type, for the fashion industry it has not been very appealing in the past. It is just the very recent years that plus size models are promoted on the runway and in magazines, but design wise they are not a point of focus. Designers are meant to push the borders and cross the lines. Their biggest challenge is to question the rules of traditions which makes the World taking steps forward. But is looking for better solutions in tailoring a boring subject? Is it something that cannot change clothing radically?

There have been many concepts about dresses that can enlarge or shrink according to the shape of the body, such as ideas about spraying liquid t-shirts directly on the person or personalized 3D printed clothing. Most of these solutions are way too futuristic and the market is not prepared for them. People still want to buy and wear, touch, feel and have the sensation of clothes and for that it is necessary to start to focus on the human body and bring humanity into fashion.

50 Body positivity - beauty is not related to age or body type

51 52 RESEARCH ON QUALITY

53 3.1. RESEARCH ON QUALITY

The best way to judge a fabric, knit or woven, is to touch it. Does it feel thin, brittle, and rough? Or does it feel smooth, soft, and substantial?

Usually there is no way for us to know what is considered to be a quality clothing or quality fabric. It is not just our lack of education, but also the fact that it is sometimes very hard to differentiate materials by a single touch or sight. In this world, there is no guarantee anymore of higher price for higher quality. The label and the name behind it is quite enough for some to be sure the product will last long enough. Pair of jeans torn apart after a few months and shirts after the second wash look like they have been worn for 10 years. This is very familiar to everyone and the problem of not being able to buy long lasting garments is becoming bigger. So how can we be sure we are investing into clothes worth their price?

The first important point is to check the fabric content of the garment. Many people prefer fibers extracted from plants and animals as cotton, wool, linen, or silk, but synthetics make up a growing share of our wardrobes in the form of polyester, acrylic, spandex, rayon, and other manmade fibers spun from plastics and petrochemicals. Technology is improving their texture, luster, and drape, and some of these synthetic fabrics offer qualities such as stretch. They are often blended with natural materials to create fabrics that feel a lot like natural fibers. But these blended fabrics usually do not regenerate with repeated laundering the way natural fibers can. For example, when we dry a cotton-polyester blend garment in the dryer, the two materials can shrink at different rates, slightly changing the shape of the garment.

Even a garment labeled 100% cotton can be low-quality. Fabrics can be made cheaply if they use low-grade fibers (which are typically not very strong) or if there is not a lot of fiber in the cloth. To cut labor costs, manufacturers may cut corners to produce clothing more quickly—resulting in clothing that is poorly made. That is why it is useful to learn how good quality looks and feels.

The best way to judge a fabric, knit or woven, is to touch it. Does it feel thin, brittle, and rough? Or does it feel smooth, soft, and substantial?

54 Cotton plant and fabric

55 That final trait matters because the more fiber there is, the more likely it will last longer. A fabric does not necessarily need to be heavy to be good. If the yarns are tightly packed but thin, the cloth can still be lightweight. What we should look for is density.

However, we cannot always judge a fabric from touch alone. Manufacturers may add chemicals, or something as simple as starch, to make cloth feel heftier and smoother, creating a nice surface on that button-up or t-shirt on the hanger that can disappear as soon as we wash it. (On the other hand, prewashed items, such as jeans, give a good sense of how the item will feel after we put it through the laundry.) A good solution also is holding the fabric up to the light and giving it a close look, especially with an item such as a button-up shirt. Paying attention to the individual yarns is very important as well. The more tightly spun they appear, the better.

For knits, in particular, there is another way to test them: stretching a small part of the fabric in an inconspicuous spot. It should ideally bounce back to its original shape. If it does not in that moment, it will not when we wear it either, meaning it may quickly start to look stretched out and misshapen. Some knits, even very expensive ones, are intended to be gauzy. That quality can be desirable, but just to be aware that some stretching, or even holes, may be inevitable.

Fabric, of course, isn’t the only element that matters. It is important to check the seams holding the garment together. The stitches should be even, closely spaced, and lying flat on the fabric.

For instance, checking the hem on a shirt or the insides of the crotch on a pair of pants can be helpful. If the seams look sloppy, or if there are spots where they appear loose or stitched over multiple times, those are warning signs. Even a stitch that is flat on the surface of the garment but bubbling on the inside may be a cause for concern. A sewing machine uses two threads to create a stitch, and they can pull on the fabric differently if the tension between them is not balanced. If the surface thread is too tight and the thread on the underside too loose, for instance, the stitch may look fine from the outside, but actually it will not be stable.

The fabric of a garment should be cut either straight along the grain, or in the case of a bias cut - on a clear angle - usually 45 degrees, which allows for the fabric to stretch. If it is not cut properly, the garment can pull out of shape with wear.

Dress-shirt collars and cuffs, waistbands on pants, and other parts of other garments should ideally have interfacing, which is a stiff layer of fabric used to create structure that we can feel when handling the garment. Without it, these areas can become misshapen over time.

56 Comforrt and high quality materials

57 Any of these issues on their own are warning signs, but they also generally indicate that the product was made hastily and probably not with quality in mind. On the flipped side of that, if the inside of a garment looks just as clean and finished as the exterior, it typically shows that the item was made with care. High-end brands will even put what is called “binding” on seams, so that there are no exposed fabric edges inside the garment.

Manufacturers decrease labor costs by cutting the sorts of corners on garment construction mentioned earlier to produce more clothes per hour, or they may just not be paying workers much. In those cases, factories may be doing everything so cheaply that they are also ignoring basic standards of safety.

Manufacturers also reduce costs in sneakier ways, such as by using cheap thread that can break under even small pressure. For a company making millions of shirts or pairs of pants, the savings can be substantial, and even an educated consumer would not be able to tell by looking at the thread. But under a bit of strain the thread can easily snap.

All in all, this is just a hint of how we can easier recognize whether the clothes we intend to buy are worth the price or not. Though sometimes we buy simple t-shirts in the spirit of quick use and do not expect it to last more than few months. Although we should be more aware of investing into good, long-lasting products.

58 Linen collection

59 3.2. THE TIMES OF QUALITY OVER QUANTITY

When we look at the clothes from our parents or grandparents the jeans are still wearable and comfortable, the dresses are like new and the pullovers look untouched.

When we talk about quality clothing, we often think of luxurious pieces; garments that are handmade and the fabrics are produced in- house. The yarns come from a professional manufacturer who is very passionate and precise when it comes to work. It is a dreamy fancy world, unreachable for most of the people. But when we look at the clothes from our parents or grandparents, the jeans are still wearable and comfortable, the dresses are like new and the pullovers look untouched. The only sign of the time passed are the color combinations and patterns we do not see nowadays in stores.

If we look at the times before the extreme consumerism we are suffering from nowadays, we find ourselves in a very specific era and culture. The communism, which was blooming in many eastern European countries, is not that of a beloved topic. Especially in countries which were under this political regime, it is not something that is talked about. Even though politically it was way too tough, unfair and inappro- priate, but it streaked something good into the industries and economy.

Fashion was one of the most significant industries in the eastern European countries. The textile production was blooming all over the USSR. There were areas specialized only on shoe production and leather goods, while some other regions were focusing on different types of clothing. The fashion of this part of Europe was very different from the West, because of the regulations these countries had. We must point out that the industry itself was very strong and the production and selling was very high, but the reason behind this success was the fact that there was no other choice. Only few big brands were producing (but at least quality) garments, which were meant to last long for sure, although style-wise were not that diverse.

A typical woman from the Soviet Union was dressed very modestly and traditionally. Cotton white shirt paired with dark colored mid-knee long skirt. The cotton stockings ended up rolled on the ankles and knees. The scarves over the head were probably the most colorful elements of the outfits, but there were many who did not wear any of those. Overall these women must have seemed very careless about their beauty and appearance. Though there are many current trends that are inspired by this particular unisex style, back then it was not cherished, since it was a sign of poverty. 60 Soviet woman street style in 1981

61 From the 1960s, people were able to get the gasp of the latest trends from foreign magazines and of course actresses and actors were sig- nificantly influencing the desire for a particular dress or jacket. But the stores were offering only regulated and very simple pieces. Clothes were meant to be worn, therefore had to be functional and comfortable. Even after more generations the pieces were still useable without a doubt.

The fashion was very plain compared to the French and Italian way of dressing. Only simple colors and very limited material combinations were available. Though the synthetic fabrics became very popular, there were very high-quality cotton, silk and linen productions. Wool coats were sold in grey, dark grey, black, dark blue and brown colors. The trend was much more traditional rather than fashion forward. In fact, it was said that Eastern Europe had no fashion, just functional clothing and mass production.

At those times the import of garments from foreign countries was very limited. Not everyone could afford to have one of those colorful, nicely patterned skirts that were seen in fashion magazines. Women in that time started to sew their own dresses. It was considered to be normal to have at least one sewing machine in each family, which was not kept only for repairing garments. Magazines with sewing patterns were sold out immediately and probably turned over the whole city. Some girls became very professional in sewing and opened their own little home-tailoring. Of course, only secretly, but it was very common in each small town or village.

The other problem was to get a different kind of fabric than what they could buy in the stores. Others had problems to get the yarns for knitting in diverse colors. They had to have the right connections to get what they wanted. It was not easy for women, but they became very much aware of what an excellent quality textile was or where to get nice lace for their home-made lingerie. They learned to hand stitch and traditional embroidery. Home-made was the haute couture of the East.

We can say that fashion design was not present as in France or in Italy by that time, but the way people learned to work together to prepare their desired pieces was amazing. This had awaken a special kind of creativity in each woman. A feeling of desire and to work hard to get what they really wanted. We barely have this in the present. We obtain everything just by clicking on the item. Whether it arrives or not, we sometimes even forget about it.

62 The mixture of traditional and fashionable clothing in the Soviet countries

63 3.3. A MINIMALISTIC APPROACH TO FASHION

It is not in the intention of politics anymore to create such regulations upon others personal life such as the choice of clothes they want to buy or the freedom of access to information. No one can really say anymore who what should wear and how much pair of the same t-shirt they should obtain. But people could have already learnt the lesson from the damage capitalism created in our mind. It is never enough. People want more and better. As much as possible, while the only “regulation” is given only by ourselves. But who is saying no, if nobody really has to.

The last few years an emerging movement called ‘minimalism’ or the ‘minimalistic wardrobe’ started to spread among the millennials. The concept is about having only the necessary pieces in the closet. It is not just about clothing, but a different approach towards the life we live. This goes against the over-consumerism, the capitalism and the low-quality products as well.

Millennials are becoming more and more educated about their purchases. The usage of technology and the connectivity allows them to think twice about a desired product. They can double-check whether the price category is fair enough on the websites they are intending to buy from. There are many sites focusing only on the quality of products, of course, mostly focusing on goods we use during the day. This way of thinking has started to take over also in the fashion world. We get many suggestions on different websites to compare quality and price. In this way, the young generation is becoming more thoughtful about clothing itself.

According to Forbes in the article Millennials go Minimal (2016 article), 59% of millennials compared to “baby boomers” would spend on experience rather than material goods. They favor products which are environmentally friendly, sustainable and ethical. They are more into the style of life, meaning that they care about how they live, what they consume and where it ends up. Garbage separation has become a non-questionable rule. Reusing older products and second-hand shopping became rather trendy than a way of thinking. Indeed, mobile applications such as Depop enables users to upload pictures of their vintage or worn clothes and sell or exchange them.

64 Minimal wardrobe 65 In the first half of the 20th century an average woman had approximately only 36 pieces in her wardrobe. Today it has increased over 120 for and average consumer. From that more than a half are just clothes which have never been worn, or used only for one occasion. Ac- cording to a new startup called Cladwell, 80% of our wardrobe is full of useless items (Millennials Go Minimal: The Lifestyle Trend That Is by Deborah Weinswig, 2016 article). This startup helps people to minimalize their closet, which they call ‘the capsule wardrobe’. To understand better what people need, they choose clothes that can be matched in most of the color combinations, while style-wise and quality-wise are worth to keep. Their service consists of two parts: a closet clean out and the selection of the capsule wardrobe.

So what is this minimalist trend exactly? It influences all our consumer decisions from the clothes we wear to the products we buy. Every decision is considered for its usefulness, necessity, and functionality, and - of course - its impact on the environment. Whether we consider ourselves a Minimalist or we are just considering simplifying our life, either way, focusing on function over fashion can help to change more than just the wardrobe.

Some say that keeping and owning many things is heavy for the soul. It makes us feel like we are bonded to the place. We can barely move around or travel away from home because we are stuffed inside our house full of useless objects. In fact, it makes the travelling harder. Be- fore packing it takes time and a lot of effort for some to select out what to put in just a 20kg luggage. Dresses we barely touched during the year suddenly become a bondage screaming at us: ‘take me with you! You will need me!’. It is usually at the end of the holidays we realize we wore only 10% of our belongings. A simple t-shirt, one dress for a dinner, some skirts and a pair of pants.

On one hand, it takes a lot of energy and time to focus on the selection and cleaning up procedure, but on the other, some people claim they cannot afford to buy quality clothing. These consumers end up buying many cheaper and of course low-quality garments in fast fashion stores. But if we count the money spent on 10 useless shirts and one or two finer pieces, we end up at the same amount.

The minimalist concept of living has just started and is still in the beginning of its evolution. Whether it is just another new trend of 2017 or it will extend for a longer time, it is a question of the future. For sure it can bring a big change not just in the economy, but in the quality of our life style as well.

66 Combination of clothes with the Minimal Wardrobe 67 3.4. BRANDS AND THEIR HUMANISTIC APPROACH SUSTAINABILITY IN FASHION

One way how the fashion industry is trying to approach the pollution and the problem of over-consumerism is with sustainability. This kind of approach has spread all over the businesses from little brands to bigger corporations. Some do follow this path and respect the environment from the beginning of their establishment, but most of the fashion companies are still careless.

Sustainable fashion, or also called eco fashion, is a part of a growing design philosophy and trend of sustainability, which follow a path to create a system where the human impact on earth is minimized and social responsibility is maximized. It is an alternative trend against fast fashion.

Sustainability has been already on the scene since the 1980s and 1990s, when two brands Patagonia and Esprit were founded. The owners have taken responsibility and action after witnessing the pollution and damage the industry has caused over the decades. The two brands were focusing on the fibers they were using in their businesses in order to make a better-quality product. Esprit were focusing on cotton yarns while Patagonia on four fibers: cotton, wool, nylon and polyester.

The work of these two companies has inspired the whole fashion industry to take a turn towards a different way of production. Esprit in 1992 introduced a collection that was made of natural cotton, recycled wool, naturally processed wool, “low-impact” dyes, focusing on water energy and toxicity. Naturally colored cotton and non-electroplated hard wears were a massive surprise for the industry. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, the movement of sustainable fashion broadened to include many other brands. Though the primary focus has remained on improving the impacts of products through fiber and fabric processing and material provenance, Patagonia and Esprit were early to note the fundamental cause of unsustainability: exponential growth and consumption.

68 Patagonia

69 Slow fashion is the movement focusing on producing garments that last longer than a season or a year. The approach towards consumption is to create a historical and emotional bond between the customer and the product itself and that way they become more valuable. Of course, the clothes have to be long lasting in order to keep up this special bond, so the focus on quality is the priority.

Another very important mark and trend is to make the companies more transparent. They need to create a new kind of customer relationship in order to make them understand their approach towards the industry. Better communication and open doors to their production and design process create a feeling of being a part of their company. A desire to belong to such a community of people and to support the philosophy attracts the customer to purchase at their stores from their collection.

This is also achievable by the so called emphatic design. For creating clothing that is appealing and desirable for the customers we must fully understand their needs, feelings and lifestyle. There are many brands focusing only on one kind of a market, narrowing down and focusing their designs to please a specific type of person. It can be a focus on working women in big cities, young graduated and free-spirited 20-year-olds or even a wider range of age category of people who share the same life philosophy. To achieve a perfect emphatic design, it needs a deeper research on society and emotions. It is not just about the single garment or the collection, but the atmosphere of the store, the communication of the brand with the customer and the experience they get from it.

Large mass market and established fashion houses might not do a great job at eco-conscious production, no matter what they tell us. They are running archaic and eco-destructive production systems and business models. Their sustainable policies are often just about damage control, with a lot of PR sparkle, but very little substance. Meanwhile, smaller independent brands with sustainable production models built into their DNA are widely available. And unlike more established brands, they do not have to undo their global production systems, or con- vince investors that money must be spent to re-make the system which made them wealthy.

Unfortunately, little sustainable brands do not have the marketing budgets, so it is very hard for them to get known and to attract more customers. People want to look good and tend to stick to the more known mass-produced corporations. It is more of a complicated cultural addiction.

70 EDUN is a highly sustainable fashion brand with a strong brand identity

71 Big corporations have already launched many capsule collections in order to make a step towards the sustainable trend, but these moves are often just so called “green marketing” strategies. This is more than enough for an uneducated consumer, and their implementation of the eco-friendly philosophy often ends there. To truly become a part of this movement they should go through their entire business plan and change it, which requires a lot of effort, time and money that many of them are not willing to give away.

These big corporations should follow the steps of smaller brands who implemented and established their designs on the sustainability. They do not follow the crazy fast changing trends, but invest in smarter solutions. These labels are obtaining long-lasting collections or ev- ergreen designs produced in high-quality and smaller production. They are also using recycled fibers and waterless or chemical-free dyeing processes and less synthetic materials. Even more because when thrown away, plastic does not decompose, it sits in our soil and floats in our oceans.

Young brands established in the recent years are based on this connection. Creéme is a new startup brand from Slovakia focusing on working woman and man as a primer target group. Their idea was to design a lingerie that is not visible through the working dress code. White shirts are often a bit transparent and to find the perfect bra or t-shirt that does not “scream” beneath is quite a challenge. Instead of coloring the fabrics, they decided to use the finest cotton in its natural color: cream and light beige. The cream color is the most invisible under a white shirt and to produce lingerie without additional chemicals is the healthiest way. This concept is not just about aesthetics, but a focus on eco-friendly and sustainable production as well. Their further steps after gaining enough support from the public to launch their first production, is to start to grow cotton in Slovakia. This would create and open more job opportunities, as well as support the local manufacturing.

Local production and manufacturing is the other factor in the eco-friendly fashion. To get the clothes directly where they have been made is a big advantage and thought to be luxurious already.

Unfortunately, the business model of the recent fashion is based on more selling and changing the trends as fast as possible for constantly less investment. These repetitive steps are the core of some fashion labels, but they are already self-destructive. Soon enough the problem will erupt like a volcano and there will be no way back. If there is any possibility to change, we should do it now. Whether this approach will awaken consumers and the industry, is hard to say. But the more we inform people, the bigger the community can be.

72 Creéme is a sustainable startup brand producing quality cotton lingerie

73 74 HUMAN AND SOCIETY

75 4.1. HUMAN AS A SOCIAL BEING

“Man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human. Society is something that precedes the individual. Anyone who either cannot lead the common life or is so self-sufficient as not to need to, and therefore does not partake of society, is either a beast or a god. ” by Aristotle

A human being is a social animal dependent on trust. We trust someone if we share the same values and beliefs. We seek for communities and the feeling of belonging. Our satisfaction in society comes from being accepted for what we are and how we think by people that matters to us. It is an enthusiastic feeling that is driving us forward. This is one of the main reasons why we love the social media so much and why we want to be connected with each other all the time.

We are not perfect machines and certainly we are not able to do everything by ourselves. Especially in this society which is based on the interaction between two people (or more). We rely on the fact that we are surrounded by others who can help us. Those we trust the most, let us experiment and act openly.

Every single decision we make is a way of communication. It is a statement or reflection of what we believe in. Those who believe in the same as we do and share the same values, are more likely to form a bond. We naturally surround ourselves with people or products that reflect who we are.

Each person in this world has its role in this society. It is like an organism all working together and being connected. A single movement or a word can affect one and another causing a chain reaction. Though we might think it is just ones’ business, the truth, is we send out negative and positive energies as well, which can radically change the mood of others. Being positive and empathic towards each other is not always our natural form of behavior. The stronger we are bonded and form a group of people, the more we might behave negatively towards those out of our circle. That might happen unconsciously. It appears like we have everybody around us that can support our well-functioning and well-being. When our situation changes, for example we change a workplace or we find ourselves in a completely new life environment, we immediately seek for new connections.

76 Human connection

77 Firstly, we investigate our position. After understanding where we are and who we are in that environment, we start to interact in order to understand who shares the same values with us. Only a few and right sentences are enough to immediately awaken sympathy and we become friends or good colleagues (especially in work). Though it might seem very simple and in fact, this explanation is simplified, human connections are extremely complex.

Children learn certain forms of behavior from their parents. They are raised up in the tight circle called family which provides them the most trusted (or meant to be trustful) environment. Within this group of people, they have the chance for the first human to human interaction and in that way to bond relationship with them. However, family relationships are often very complicated. More and more families are living separate lives, which for some is good, but some might be harmful. The traditional family image that consists of a mother, father and children has changed in many ways in the last century. It seems like people often stay together not because they want to, but because of the traditions. What and how a family should work is another matter of topic, but surely affects the social behavior of the individuals, since they learn the basics of human contacts from them.

Extending our social circle by gaining new friends start also at a very early age. Toddlers already communicate with body language, but it is not absolutely clear how much they are aware of their interactions. In any case, it comes naturally, and while growing up we already form our circle of belonging. Interaction and communication makes us who we are. By exchanging thoughts and experiences we learn from each other. The importance of this connection is not necessary towards others, but for us, to form and build up our values and personalities.

Many studies were investigating whether a human being really needs the socialization by itself. There are some theories claiming that the necessity of meeting new people is generated by an outer stimulus, meaning that our culture makes us to be social. All the advertisements, topics we are talking about, problems and solutions are all related to our relationships. Naturally when we are alone somewhere, we start to feel the need to share our experiences after a while. We seek for a person to talk to.

Whether these theories are true or not, we did not become social beings by accident, for sure. Nature formed us who we are and the structure we built up was probably unconscious. So, if one acts instinctively, is it preposterous? Or are we just way too conscious and try to find a scientific answer to everything?

78 Friendship and similarities

79 The famous movie, Cast Away, directed by Robert Zemeckis, deals with the topic of social needs. It is the directors’ interpretation of a situation where a FedEx executive suffers a crash landing on a deserted island. Clearly, he is the only survival and there is no way back for him. Chuck Noland (plied by actor Tom Hanks) stays alone struggling to stay mentally and physically stabile for years in isolation. In a brief time, he starts to talk to himself, and later creates an imaginary friend from a ball which remained from the crash. After four years of solitary life, he finds his way back to the civilization by escaping from the island.

The movie is for sure full of typical Hollywood elements in order to favor the audience. In fact, there is more action than in reality would be and the fact that he returns to the big city life without a mark on his mentality and behavior is just an imaginary situation. What would happen in the real life, whether he could interact the same way as before, is a question of psychology. Would he need the connection again, after learning how to live alone? Probably yes, because he was raised up in a community before. But surely would make a change on his view on life and later socialization.

There are several movies and books reinterpreting the desperate isolation of a human being, but all come to the same conclusion, that we need interaction and communication. If we have no other option than just ourselves, we create an imaginary person we can talk to. Surely each one of us, when we were children, had our own toy we were talking to, an imaginary friend who listened and was always there for us. And what could be more honest and intuitive than a mind of a child.

80 From Cast Away, Chuck Noland is talking to his friend, a ball.

81 4.2. THE BELONGING VS INDIVIDUALISM

Intolerance, isolation and arrogance are not the basics on which our society was formed whether we talk about collectivism or individualism.

In order to understand what is better for our society, we have to clarify what exactly collectivism and individualism mean. The two do not differentiate primarily in behavior, but in attitudes and principles (although individualism vs. collectivism does affect the length and frequency of communication; according to Wheeler, Reis and Bond, “Collectivism individualism in everyday social life,” 1989, collectivists have longer and fewer interactions with fewer people, while individualists have shorter but more interactions with more people).

Collectivists identify themselves within a group. They think of a context of the communication, rather than the content. They are more self-effacing and the group where they belong to is above everything. Individuals follow their own goals, do not care about the context much, but what they want to communicate. They believe that their actions are self-driven, not from an external stimulus, and are less self-effacing.

Collectivists are more likely to turn situations into collectivist issues. For example, they buy something in order to make a better living for everyone. They do something in order to satisfy the group they belong to, rather than their needs. An individualist thinks the opposite way. They act in their own favor mostly. They buy goods because they need it and they want it, not because of others. They have more personal constructs and are more likely to find meaning through such elements. Collectivism is correlated with sensitivity to rejection and greater desire for uniformity.

Though the sociological differences come mainly from moral issues. Individualists look at morality in order to serve their values and the values of people they care about, and take responsibility for their actions. They are the only indicators of their behavior. Collectivists consider their morality to serve their collective, and that can cause to put the responsibility rather on the group than on themselves. They not only follow the steps and rules of the group, but they identify themselves as part of the it and analyze everything in their life in terms of that. While having a conversation or any kind of communication, a collectivist looks at the content of the message. Who says it and how and whether it is acceptable according to the rules of the community.

82 Fals individuality 83 A collectivist’s friendship is far more above everything and is more of a conditional matter. We can see such friendships among young teenagers who form their “gang”. The meaning to belong to such an “elite” circle matters more than their individuality and personal will. They build up a kind of a cult around the group and if one starts to fall out of, they start to lose authority and friends as well. If the member is out, they have no more friends and they let them know. But this kind of friendships are not really serving their values. In a collectivist mindset, trust is not present because people care more about belonging and authority, as well as the benefits and fear of authority. Individualism and collectivism is based on the moral attitude and one’s own values or inter-subjective values.

The western culture and society is more likely heading to the full individualistic approach and behavior. Advertisements all around us and the access to the social media creates an illusion of self-control and self-awareness. If we just take the case of Facebook or Instagram, we can already see some problems generated by the system. These sites work on the basics of statistics. They memorize what we are looking at, what we like or what we look for. From that memory, they easily generate a system that reproduces similar news, topics or pictures that are relevant to our previous interests. We immediately believe that our social media or page is personalized and that we are more connected to our friends, family and we have a control over everything. In fact, the reality could be the total opposite.

It is a kind of a “bubble”, created in our culture in order to make us believe each decision we make is generated by us. There are no other stimuli, just our pure mind. The reality is that good marketing and PR works hard behind that advertisement in order to get us. “Oh, I might need this, true! I should replace my phone for a better one!” We face these challenges every day, every moment we step out of our beds. And then we live with the conscious mind believing we are fully individualistic. Of course, it is in the sense of the moral values and the fact that we act for our-selves, but the actions we make are not fully self-driven. The illusion is meant to be.

We’ve become a full consumer society, but if we look closely at our own experience and the larger world, we can see how this belief in growth, expansion, mobility and technology has reached its limits. Relationally, despite the fact that we can text and use Instagram 24/7, we’re more isolated. We barely live the life and in the moment. We rather focus on the text messages. It seems like we live our relationships in full distance and the ones that are reachable at the moment are not interesting anymore. But somehow people start to awaken from that extreme fast world. We seek more for slower economy, better qualities and experiences together. It’s an awakening of our early cultural instincts to care for the common good, to acknowledge that we belong to each other. That we need each other to fulfill what we really care about.

84 Grouping up and rejection

85 As it comes to thinking about home, we imagine a trustful place where we belong. The feeling of belonging comes from a point where we are surrounded by people who accept our failure and ourselves as we are, and we do not need to be “fixed”. We are not judged, or criticized because for a mistake. To achieve such conditions, we need to reclaim our humanity and place more value on the power of relationships. We need to find time for unplanned conversations and spontaneous experiences. These are always available for us and we should embrace these moments of life.

An individualistic culture is not necessary bad for the society or for the community itself. In fact, might be better than the strict collectivist approach. An individually thinking human being can decide for their own good or for those who are important to them. Such a person should be empathic and should grow a certain connection with others. Being an individual does not mean we should isolate ourselves from others. Being considerably open and ready to interact gives us more experience and forms our personalities.

People quite often might misunderstand what individualism means and where its values lie. Surely, for people from western societies it is hard to imagine why would anyone decide on something just for the sake of the collective, even if it is disadvantageous for the individual itself. We do not understand why someone sacrifices so much and how can a group’s bondage be more valuable than their own life. Which approach is better, we cannot decide and it depends on our own choices.

Educating people about social behavior could help to understand our socio-cultural values. Unfortunately, there is not much attention on these kind of topics in schools and in adulthood either, so people often create their own interpretation from the latest cultural trends. Individuality is nowadays one of the biggest leading ideologies that might slowly take over the Asian culture as well. The market is full of messages to embrace people, as mentioned before, to act individually. Millennials quite often misunderstand that term, and instead of de- veloping their personalities by communication and forming friendships and relationships, they tend to isolate themselves into arrogance. Arrogance seems like a stronger, stand-alone approach, which might seem very appealing to some. The truth is, it is just a poor form of self-destructive behavior.

This world definitely needs more understanding within. Not just as a recent trend, but as a whole approach to communication. We need to look at things not just from our own perspective, but to be aware of what our actions cause to others. Intolerance, isolation and arrogance are not the basics by which our society was formed, whether we talk about collectivism or individualism.

86 Belonging and separation

87 4.3. CLOTHING AS IDENTIFICATION

Some say we should not judge each other by our appearance and on the controversy, we do want to communicate ourselves through clothing. So, what is the meaning of this obsessed self-expression?

Fashion has been used as a social classification in Europe since the 13th century. Therefore, a person’s status could be visually categorized. Because dresses were recognized as expressive and potent means of social distinction, they were often exploited in class warfare to gain leverage. A dress was capable to signify one’s culture, property, moral standards, economic standards and social power. It became a pow- erful tool to differentiate and segregate.

In the Middle Ages, a very strict dress code was present in order to monitor and maintain social hierarchy and order. Peoples dressing was standardized and regulated to the smallest detail. The type of the dress, the lengths and width, the types of particular materials used, the colors and decorative elements, the layers of materials in a garment were linked to specific classes. Later in the second half of the 19th century these laws were removed from the statute book, for the sake of lower classes.

The sartorial differentiation of classes is not related only to Europe. For example, in China, a yellow robe was used only by the emperor, since it was the symbol of the center and earth. In Africa among the Hausa community, members of the ruling aristocracy wore large tur- bans and layers of several gowns made of expensive imported cloth to increase their body size and thus set them apart from the rest of the society. In Japan, the way the kimono was worn, the color and the weaving of it, the size and stiffness of the obi were all linked to the rank and gentility.

In the 20th century this kind of classification was not present anymore as a written rule, however there were still categorizations. Anyone could wear anything as long as they could afford it (this perseveres up to this day). Though there were uniforms for soldiers and majors that could be worn only by them, clothing as identification has still remained in some ways.

88 Different clothing between the richer and poorer

89 Many of us use dresses for declaring the status symbol. Those who are wealthier buy luxurious clothing, those who are on a tighter budget shop in fast fashion shops mainly. Although the wealth factor does not differentiate the clothing that much anymore. There are people who can afford quality clothing, but do not care and there are people who cannot afford and still get to them some way. Clothing is more about self-expression rather than some class identification. Probably this comes from the habit of the past and it is something we cannot get rid of.

Some say we should not judge each other by our appearance and on the , we do want to communicate ourselves through clothing. So, what is the meaning of this obsessed self-expression?

There are many trends around we can relate ourselves to. We like some new pieces and hate the other. For some, dressing means staying trendy and being fully admired by people, for others it is a statement of lifestyle or philosophy. In any case, we can still see how much it means. Through the social media (and especially Instagram) communicating one’s style became an important matter. Thousands of people follow each other in order to get inspiration for the summer or winter. They present a unique style, which became desired by others so much, everyone tries to show something new and unseen. Something that refers to the “one of a kind” trend philosophy. But is there such as a stand-alone style? Is there such uniqueness?

If we look closer at the fact we are always inspired by something we have already seen, we can hardly confirm the truth of the individual appearance. Though many try to aggressively push through strange combinations, the question is: does it matter at all? It seems like this world went crazy for the self-expression. Everyone wants to be an artist and desperately reaching for some crazy solution, just to get attention. They put so much effort in their silly pictures they consequently absolutely forget one thing: human connections and life itself. Where will they end up in 20 years is a big question. But not everyone will be remembered, that is for sure. Only those remain, who bring a socio-cultural change, but that needs a deeper philosophical mindset and awareness.

90 STYLING RESEARCH

91 5.1. UNIFORMS AND THEIR FUNCTION IN OUR SOCIETY Uniforms are standardized clothes for those who belong to an organization or collective and are their active members. Modern uniforms are currently used in armed forces, military associations such as police, emergency services, security guards, in some workplaces, some schools and among prison inmates. There are many countries or other organizations which use other types of dressing rules or so called “dress codes”, but in general clothing is much more of a free will than it was in the past.

Workers sometimes are required to wear a type of dress code or uniform during their working ours. In the modern civilization, there are several jobs which naturally and by good means must differentiate themselves from regular people. For example: health care services, vet- erinary workers, police officers, instructors in summer camps, life guards, public transit employees, truck drivers and airline employees, bar and restaurant or hotel workers. This is very important for people to understand who is in charge of which function, since these workers help in emergency situations. In some work places the clothing is given by the employers. Usually in factories or in hospitals the dressing can be very strict due to the hygienic requirements and personal safety. Uniforms were made to help and serve during the job. Functionality and comfort are primary, when it comes to their design. Some uniforms must be made out of special materials such as water resistant, windproof, fireproof and ultra-hygienic fabrics. This dressing is made for workers and must protect them from infections and other injuries as well as the customer or the patient they work with. From an employee’s perspective, once allowing them to order uniforms, they might feel like they have been accepted as a responsible and valuable employee

But there are also different reasons for homogeneous clothing. Branding or brand identity for some corporations are very important. To make people understand and to grow the employees’ group spirit, dressing can be very helpful. For instance, airlines use uniformization as a nobility. Their clothing is made to be ethically and morally right as well as elegant. But there are other forms of dress codes as well. A single color can already represent belonging to somewhere or something. For example, the unwritten uniform of the working woman and man are the ironed shirts with knee-length skirts or pants. But uniforms do not relate only to jobs and other official organizations. People who share the same philosophy or lifestyle tend to dress the same way quite often. To state that they keep together and they belong to a certain group of people is a matter of their pride. As mentioned in the previous chapter, clothing is much more expressional in terms of communication. On one hand, homogeneous dressing can restrain individual style and self-expression. On the other hand, it unifies and gathers people for a deeper meaning and makes them focus on more important subjects. 92 Air line stewardess uniforms Nurse uniforms in the 70’s

93 5.2. SCHOOL UNIFORMS

School uniforms were introduced in order to make an equality among students.

School uniforms are quite a serious topic among the young generation. We all know that teenagers love to express themselves through clothing. They love to exaggerate the way they look. Their main focus is to become the coolest kid among their colleagues. Girls wear as short skirts as possible with such a layer of make up on their face, they are barely recognizable. Boys on the other hand wear other provoc- ative clothing in order to gain attention. This is just an example of teenagers, but there are younger generations as well who tend to differentiate themselves by their dressing.

School uniforms were introduced in order to create equality among students. We must keep in mind that children are not responsible for where they come from. Their family background is not their choice. Some are lucky and are born in a very loving and wealthy family, some belong to a poor one. What clothes they wear (and that is often initiated by their parents) often reflects their family background and wealth. Among kids, those who have everything and are standing out in a “cool” way, often become the leaders of groups. Those who are poor and are out of fashion are very commonly banned from the “elite” circle. A dressing can cause enormous unnecessary damage in such early age. A uniform or uniformization of clothing was made not just to differentiate schools, but to unify and equalize students. This is the purest form of clothing.

There are many countries that favor the uniforms. England is one of those. They are one of the first countries using a particular dressing in education. In fact, firstly it was used among charity organizations. There is a mentioning from the early 13th century that scholars were required to wear a robe-like outfit called a ‘cappa clausa.’ However, it wasn’t until the 16th century that modern school uniforms made an appearance in recorded history. In this time Christ’s Hospital boarding school mandated uniforms. A blue cloak and yellow stockings were worn, and because of that the school was named “blue cloak” charity school.

94 Detail on school uniforms

95 Later, private and preparatory schools started to use them, which were associated with upper class, but uniforms at these schools were incredibly formal and became problematic. Often and even nowadays many of these uniforms are not comfortable, not functional at all (not seasonally accurate) and very expensive, since it became a huge business. Some years ago, these clothing rules became a bit more relaxed and instead of wearing thick blazers and ties, students clothing simplified to t-shirts and polo shirts paired with pants or skirts. United States started to use school uniforms in the 1900s in parochial and private schools, but it was not present in public schools until 1980s. Firstly Maryland and Washington D.C. schools were implementing these dressing rules, though they were voluntary. Later as they have seen many positive changes in behavior and discipline of the students, other schools started to implement it as well.

In the 1920s’ many school boys were seen wearing short pants and peaked hats just as English school boys did. The main difference was that Australian school kids tended to go to school barefoot, which English pupils could never do. After the WWII, school uniforms became more casual, but much more favorable and many of them still uses dressing rules.

In Africa uniformity of dressing was introduced by pioneering work of missionaries. Their main purpose was to differentiate the kids that belonged to such organizations from those running around the streets. However, after the WWII it became a tool to control and rule children in a totalitarian state. Probably Africa is one of the main continents that uses the most uniforms, although unfortunately often in a negative way.

China has adopted uniform clothing in the 19th century as an inspiration from Europe. In fact, their styling was a combination of the traditional Chinese lines with European simplicity. Though they were criticized mostly because they were showing a very little difference between boys and girls clothing (which would favor the current trend and point of view). Today they are inspired by Korean fashion with girls wearing bow ties, blouses, and plaid skirts while boys wear suits and ties.

96 School uniform in Sri Lanka

97 Japanese culture is obsessed with school uniforms. Many young people are wearing them even after school with some personal touches. Although it was not present there until the 1900s’, it became a symbol of the country to show how upstanding their citizens are. The uniforms are mostly inspired by French and Prussian military clothing. Girls are wearing sailor inspired shirts with skirts and boys wearing was modelled after military uniforms.

There are many other countries that are implementing such clothing attitude in the education system. India, Nigeria, Taiwan or Tibet are having very inspirational and beautiful dressings. Many of them renewed their rules and redesigned the uniforms in order to make them more comfortable, functional and pleasant. But there are a lot of institutions that stick to their traditions. The design of those garments often refer to the style worn 200 or 300 years ago, which obviously cannot be comfortable. Design should push fashion forward and school uniforms should follow the socio-cultural changes as well. Noticeably it is hard to please everyone with a type of homogeneous dressing. However, if we look at the fact that personality comes first in a deeper presence rather than the extreme differentiation by appearance, uniforms can be a solution for gathering children and letting them focus on their skills and self-development.

98 Schoo uniform in Japan

99 5.3. SOVIET SCHOOL UNIFORMS

In Russia and many Slavic countries the education system was not very common among girls in the Imperial era. Wealthy children were educated at home, while the middle-class boys were attending schools. Peasant and working-class children often did not attend school. There was no law out there stating that education should be for everyone regardless their classification and that children should attend educational institutions. Boys often had their heads shaved and the military-looking dressing was very much favored.

There is no precise evidence when did primary schools start to be founded in the Czarist Era (until 1917), but there are some sources stating that the Orthodox Church played a major role in hat. There were some boys wearing their regular clothes to primary schools, but in the secondary schools, military-inspired uniforms were introduced.

The Soviet Union lasted from 1917 to 1992 and during that time education was very important in order to raise children in the way the political situation required it. In the Early Soviet period (1920s-1930s) girls began to attend schools in large numbers. There does not seem to be a standard uniform worn country-wide, but the military uniform remained for boys. Schools in Moscow and Leningrad seemed to have had quite strict uniform standards, while provincial and rural schools were paying less attention to it. This may have reflected in part the parents’ ability to afford a formal uniform. The uniform has varied over time.

100 School uniform in Soviet Russia 101 In the Stalinist Era, from 1940s to 1950s, the dressing of schools became much more homogeneous. Again, the military look was favored consisting of a peaked cap, tunic, wide belts, and red scarf. Young boys often wore short pants with high stockings. Red or dark blue short dresses were worn among girls, depending on the schools. These dresses were accessorized with white collars and high stockings.

The Post-Stalinist era brought many changes to education. The schooling lasted 10 years from age 6 to 16. Girls wore dark blue Edwardian style dresses with a white apron over it, whichwas often decorated with ruffles on the shoulders. In some schools, the ruffles were replaced with beautiful laces, in other the sizes of them were much bigger. Some were made to cover the shoulders, some were just as a delicate element. A white collar, also decorated often with lace on the sides, were worn as well, but these could be detached and washed separately. Also, a red ribbon over their ponytail belonged to the total look of the girls. This type of uniform was much more feminine and remained for a long time. White stockings, often decorated with a dark blue or red stripe on the edge had to be paired with black shiny shoes. The Soviet and Post-Soviet era was significant with its color combinations of dark blue, red, light blue and white.

102 School uniform in Soviet Russia

103 CONCLUSION

104 Through my research I show many different perspectives on fashion and quality that is strongly related to the over-consumerism.

The analysis of fashion trends through the history in comparison with recent trends clearly shows that fashion has speeded up. The fact, that the styling of clothes changes rapidly, enables to the market to produce only seasonal garments. People do not use dresses more than a year; therefore, the durability is not playing an important role. Though there are some favorite pieces among the mess of clothes’, time-by time we have to find another one.

Because of the fast fashion, clothes do not have good fitting. The production for masses has always been challenging, but since the quality is not a priority anymore, it is hard to find garments with good fitting. It is becoming harder for woman who are not teenagers anymore to shop for well-tailored clothing. The meaning of comfort has changed and is more related to the active-wear and hardly to business or elegant design. Fashion is not humanistic, but mostly trend-related regardless the needs of the market.

In the past woman were buying more quality clothing which were also more functional rather than only aesthetical. They had smaller wardrobes and the selection was more concentrated on the needs. Back then, it was a result of lacking in variety of clothes in the stores, now it is becoming a fashion-conscious trend among millennials, called the Minimal wardrobe.

If more people would engage in this movement and philosophy, quality would be preferred over quantity and brands would be forced to design well-tailored, high-quality garments. The real drive behind our purchases and desires to buy clothes are the differentiation and identification of ourselves through clothing. This might have remained from our past, when dressing was to communicate ones’ social class. If we could avoid these tendencies, we could adopt easier quality-clothing and focus on our self-development through socialization and interaction.

This thesis is a proposal of solution for the problem of bad quality and anti-social behavior. The styling inspiration behind the designs is from the soviet school uniforms. Uniforms were made to bring equality among children and help them develop their personalities and form relationships based on communication and interaction.

These dresses are meant to support belonging and empathy between each other as well as feminism. The design shows a different view on femininity through simplicity and elegance, where functionality and comfort are primary.

105 106 UNITY A UNIFYING DRESS

107 108 PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

109 6.1. DESIGN STUDY /LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT DRESS/

As a styling inspiration, I chose the Soviet school uniforms. There are many ways how scholars worn their dresses, but this era has one of the most recognizable design languages. The clothing was very simple, but feminine in combination with dark blue, white and red colors. A very typical soviet school uniform consisted of a dark blue long-sleeved dress with a button up front, accessorized with a detachable white collar and cuffs. These collars and cuffs were in some cases very simple and plain, while in other they were paired with a lace hem. In many schools, a white apron was worn over the dark blue dress.

Also depending on the school or the situation, some aprons were decorated with lace, some with ruffles on the shoulder straps, some were left clean and simple. A significant red scarf was worn over the neck forming a ribbon, but in some places they put it over the girls ponytail.

As a main design element, I used a trapezoid form in the front and the back of the dresses which continues through the waist line in order to create a significant and strong styling element.

110 THE ELEGANT DRESS

111 INSPIRATION AND COLORPALETTE

112 The first design proposal is a dress with elegant styling. The chosen fabric is a dark blue silk chiffon in combination with a white ruffled detachable silk collar. The trapezoid shape on the front and back of the dress continues until the bottom. It is separated with a pleated fabric. A silk dark blue belt is running under it to make the waistline adjustable. The belt could be tightened, let hanged or formed into a ribbon on the front of the garment. Over the trapezoid center along the waist line a dark blue satin bias is used that continues over the edge of the pockets as well. The overall styling is reflecting more the traditional spirit of the Soviet Union, rather than a modern interpretation. The detachable silk collar is inspired by the ruffled aprons worn over the school uniforms. The sleeves are rolled up and decorated with a satin bias

The closing on the neck is on the left side with mushroom shaped little buttons. The neckline is geometric with a little standing collar that has button holes from the inside. To support comfort, I chose a raglan sleeve, that enables a better movement and fitting.

113 DESIGN SKETCHES AND MATERIALS

Navy blue silk chiffon

Cream white silk chiffon

Navy blue silk satin

114 TECHNICAL DRAWINGS ruffled collar

buttons

pockets

pleated fabric

Front Back 115 116 117 118 THE JACKET

119 INSPIRATION AND COLORPALETTE

120 A uniform or homogenous dressing could be connected also to a color and a matching outfit, whether we talk about a dress or pants paired with a shirt. I came up with another solution to design a jacket that is the only garment used as an identical apparel.

As a styling inspiration, I connected the Russian boys school uniform and the typical blue-white striped shirt used in schools or in business wear. My goal was to give the jacket a more feminine look, but with strong elements from the uniforms. To achieve such, the jacket is made of a light blue pique fabric and the stripes are represented by an embroidered white line. The neckline and the closing are decorated with a red hem. This design continues on the end of the sleeves forming a longer strap. The strap could be let hanging or formed in a ribbon, that is an inspiration from the girls red scarves over their collars or ponytails. There are dark blue transparent big pockets, to hide our “secrets”. The whole look is finished with a red wide adjustable belt on the waist line.

The lining is a cotton fabric to make the jacket very soft and elegant. The sizing is oversized, but thanks to the belt, it could fit to diverse body-types.

121 DESIGN SKETCHES AND MATERIALS

Light blue pique Red strap belt

Navy blue chiffon Blue striped cotton lining

122 TECHNICAL DRAWINGS ruffled collar

buttons

pockets

pleated fabric

Front Back 123 124 125 126 THE WAISTCOAT

127 INSPIRATION AND COLORPALETTE

128 The waistcoat is designed for warmer seasons. It is a replacement of the jacket. The styling is also inspired by the boys’ uniform, but in a much more feminine interpretation. The belt is adjustable on the back with a simple buckle. The transparent pockets are inverted and hanging out from the bottom of the vest. The red stitching on the edges of the pockets are representing the white stitching along the light blue fabric on the jacket. The fabric is the same cotton pique, but in dark navy blue.

There are three buttons on the top of the opening that diagonally continues down. That creates a little space between the two sides for a more comfortable movement. The armholes are made to be wider than usual, so the vest could be worn easily over a dress or other garments. I chose a very fine dark blue lining fabric. The whole styling of the waistcoat is coming from the Soviet fashion, but in combination with modern touch.

129 DESIGN SKETCHES AND MATERIALS

Navy blue cotton pique

Navy blue chiffon

Navy blue lining

130 TECHNICAL DRAWINGS

buttons

buckle pockets

red stitching transparent pockets Front Back 131 132 133 134 THE TENNIS DRESS

135 INSPIRATION AND COLORPALETTE

136 Sport activities have always been celebrated during the soviet and communist era. It was not just a students’ duty to attend and participate in different sport events, but there were also organized group sports for adults as well. Spartakiada was one of the biggest national celebra- tion of athletics, where everyone gathered together and the best ones played a dance-like performance.

My styling inspiration was the typical tennis dress. I adjusted the dress in order to use similar trapezoid shapes as on other garments. The neckline and the end of the sleeves are decorated with blue and red hems. The skirt with two dark blue stripes is pleated. I used two types of pique fabrics. The top is similar to a polo-shirt textile. The fabric of the skirt is simpler and more delicate. The length of the bottom is much shorter to create a sporty look.

137 DESIGN SKETCHES AND MATERIALS

White pique 1

White pique 2

Navy blue and red stripes

138 TECHNICAL DRAWINGS hem

hem

pleated skirt

Front Back 139 140 141 142 THE BASE DRESS

143 INSPIRATION AND COLORPALETTE

144 While trying to understand better what kind of design could fit the best the requirements of a uniform, I came to a solution to simplify the dress as much as possible. As a first step, I removed any kind of precise styling elements such as on the tennis dress. This base garment has a detachable white silk collar and little pockets with a button. Also, the opening on the front neck-line has five little buttons, but there is not much more that would “bother” the eye.

The sleeves are rolled up and there is a removable light blue silk belt. It can be hanged or tightened up on the waist-line. The chosen fabric is a polyester satin as it is very light and elegant, but does not shrink or wrinkle.

145 DESIGN SKETCHES AND MATERIALS

Satin polyester

Silk satin

146 TECHNICAL DRAWINGS

hem

Front Back 147 148 149 150 151 152 RADICAL MINIMALISM

153 INSPIRATION AND COLORPALETTE

154 There are many questions around what could fit the best for an identical clothing concept. After going through diverse design proposals, I came to a finalization of the last two garments.

I reduced all the decorative elements, so the dresses fit for any occasion depending on how they are worn. To remove the collar, I chose to give the neckline a significant solution. The two triangular shapes are representing the missing collar. It is an inverted design interpretation. Sleeves are rolled up, just as on the previous dresses and the bottom of the uniform is accessorized with two satin stripes. This decoration and the color palette is the only resemblance to the school uniforms. The waist-line is adjustable with a navy blue satin belt. White and navy blue linen fabrics were chosen for the realization of these two dresses. Linen is a natural textile, that has a very pleasant touch and is highly recommended to be worn in winter and summer times. It has a capability to form to the body and good breathability. The dark blue fabric has a little bit of shine, so it makes the look more elegant, while the white linen fabric is more casual and is meant for the summer times.

This dress is designed to embrace femininity from a unique perspective. Color or shape should not define what is meant for a woman and what is not. This styling is meant to embrace the natural beauty of femininity and to form friendship according to one’s personality rather than appearance.

155 DESIGN SKETCHES AND MATERIALS

Navy blue linen fabric

White linen fabric

Satin silk

156 TECHNICAL DRAWINGS

Front Back 157 158 159 160 161 BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Nicole Vulcan - The Advantages of Uniforms in the Workplace (2017) HBC- Russian School Uniform: Chronology (2015) http://histclo.com/ https://careertrend.com/13360021/the-advantages-of-uniforms-in-the-workplace schun/country/rus/chron/rsu-chron.html OCEAN+MAIN - Minimalism: the Fastest Growing Fashion Trend of JONAS EDER-HANSEN - The Fashion Industry Must Network to 2017 (2017) https://oceanandmain.com/blogs/news/ecofriendly-caftans-minimal- Create Change (2015) Op-Ed https://www.businessoffashion.com/communi- ism-fashiontrends ty/voices/discussions/can-fashion-industry-become-sustainable/the-fashion-industry-must-network-to-create-change Pauline Weston Thomas - 1990’s Fashion History - The Mood of the Katalin Medvedev - Social Class and Clothing (2017) http://fash- Millennium http://www.fashion-era.com/the_1990s.htm#1990’s ion-history.lovetoknow.com/fashion-history-eras/social-class-clothing Pitlane Magazine - Fashion and Individualism (2017) http://www.pit- Kate Abnett - Do Fashion Trends Still Exist (2015) https://www.busi- lanemagazine.com/societyandlifestyleother/fashionandindividualism.html nessoffashion.com/articles/intelligence/fashion-trends-still-exist Tessa Maffucci - The Mass Fashion Ornament (2016)https://medium. com/cunyfashion/themassfashionornamenta50b8c1e46cc 163 BOOK AND PRESS REFERENCES The Fashion Law - The Business of Designer x MassMarket Collaborations (2016) http://www.thefashionlaw.com/home/thebusinessofde- signerxmassmarketcollaborations Dianne Gereluk - Symbolic Clothing in Schools: What Should be Worn and Why (2008) Bloomsbury Academic The Prime Directive - Defining individualism and collectivism (2007) https://francoistremblay.wordpress.com/2007/03/13/defining-individual- Elizabeth L. Cline - Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of ism-and-collectivism-2 Cheap Fashion (2012) Portfolio/Penguin

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Lucy Siegle - To Die For: Is Fashion Wearing Out the World?, Fourth Estate (12 May 2011)

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