Donna Karan will overturn fashion
Daily News | Emily O'Brien | March 15, 2010
We remember when reporting Donna Karan’s thoughts on the fashion system a while ago that a few of you seemed a little stewed by her words, so this morning, as we caught wind of more, we couldn’t resist sharing the love , or lack, thereof. Not that we’re stirrers, or anything.
Donna Karan, as we know, wants to see a change in fashion; she wants to get rid of the pre-collections, she wants to shop for the season we’re in , heck, she wants a fashion revolution. And to make said changes, she’s developed a strategy , and a stutter, it would seem.
“You eat all of the food, more, more, more, more and more, she said, likening a fashion overload to a chinese buffet or similar. “It’s an abundance of nausea. It’s too, too much until pop! It’s going to pop. All of this stuff, stuff, stuff, stuff; it’s going to obliterate each other. The whole thing has to be rethought, completely.
But any shimmer of hope we had as we enter spring is misplaced, because it would appear to Donna that we are, in fact, doomed.
“Resort screwed up spring. And then pre-fall screwed up spring. Everything screwed spring up, the Cut reports Donna saying. “Spring got sort of caged out. I’m saying to reinvent spring again, reinvent fall again, reinvent the season we’re designing for.
Really reassuring. We have to admit that it actually makes sense, though; being able to buy a bikini, say, in late August without being met by mohair would be quite something, non?
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Absolutely 100% could not agree more with DK. The machine is running itself right now- rattling away on a system no one seems to condone or understand. Designers are tired and bewildered by it- commerce affected- ‘buyers’ & ’stylists’ are so busy trying to justify their existence that they have whipped the garment industry into a livid beast. It cannot be sustained and it will all fall in a heap..exhausted and panting. And you lot..the Press, just sit back hold tight and ooh and ah as it unfolds.
Change must come. Out with the old guard. Our industry is out of control- without a driver and already showing sure sounds of malformation.
Scrap the pre-seasonal ranges, the resort – as Hedi said: “how many clothes does one person need?”. The truth is not that many. Which further begs the question: how many clothes can one person afford? The answer, from even an above average consumer, is not reassuring. There are so little specifics anymore- so little craft in the detail- so many ranges and so few styles. All the same blocks twisted and manipulated for difference’ sake. Mutated variations of colour and form until a line loses its identity. Its ’self’. Its worth. Shows, the public theatre of our industry are becoming solely dependent on agile styling rather than the conceptual design and honoured aesthetic they were created to exhibit. What we end up with is a muted beige ‘trendy’ knot. It is starting to show- season after season of ..well ..blah.
Retail timeframes are a complete waster. Honestly, what man or woman will walk into Barneys in January with a sub zero blizzard blowing out and buy their new Spring wardrobe, take it home and box it for 3 or more months until it is actually warm enough to get it out and wear. It rarely happens- the system, as is, works for few: Designers are squeezed to turn around their wholesale bulk collections within ludicrous time frames ie SS delivery in some places pre Christmas- ( getting nailed with late penalties etc from the “big” stores..sausage factories for a days tardiness). That stock is then put on shelf with only a few trans seasonal pieces selling sparsely until spring actually comes when the range goes on sale and the actual ‘mass’ consumer (who knows this system and has been waiting for discount) makes their purchases. Its madness- it makes no sense and benefits no one. No, not even the customer because the point is that the product is becoming effected.
Its sad. I admire DK for having the courage to say something. Change must come- its just a matter of whether we all sit back and laugh at her ‘whimsical rants’ or actually stop and see the substance in what she is saying. There is serious substance in her content.. but the solution..? there lies the frustration, I just cannot foresee anyone with the power to bring the change actually willing to apply the brakes.
Help us all.. (especially my mortgage!)