Am I the drama?

I am so frustrated at the moment.

Creatively.

Mentally.

Physically.

If I create it contributes to a problem. Think about the problem, I am literally contributing to the physical changes of our planet.

I find myself asking, “Am I the drama?”

Covid-19 has changed a lot for me. A lot of time was granted to think as we did our best to stop the spread of a virus. During that time, I did a lot of soul searching and found myself wanting to know what the point of continuing in the fashion industry is?

Will I ever know? My balls are hairy, not crystal, so I suppose if I continue, it will just help feed the ever-growing problem that is, the fashion industries contribution to global warming. Regardless of who you are, this affects you too. Rich or poor, we are all fucked.

FYI. I’m not going to apologise for my innuendos or use of words because I have done that for too long. I have wanted to speak out about this but always been scared too. Not anymore. My brand, my story.

If I want to see the change. I must be the change.

The fashion industry if one of the biggest contributors towards global warming and it preaches on a daily basis the importance of sustainability. The rise in sustainable brands is eye watering. Or is it just the fact that a buzz word, sustainable, is been used for the sake of pleasing our audiences or customers?

How sustainable can the industry actually be?

Let me dive into a small part of the industry that undoubtedly contributes towards the problem of global warming.

Starting from the beginning. The designer sets out and creates a new collection. Whatever their process is, the story of the collection is told in 2D then created into 3D items, called samples. Each piece made in that collection is a sample. That sample cost money to make. The fabrication is produced, bought and shipped. Just this process alone is a contributing factor to global warming.

Collection complete and samples made you now need to make people aware that it exists. This is expensive and some brands, really talented brands, don’t have the luxury of this because of funds. Most brands will be working with social media, a free outlet, to make people aware of their shiny new things! Social media alone is a huge contributor to mental health problems and again, global warming. Just the running alone of these giant companies has an affect on our planet.  A lot of brands work with PR agencies which will basically be in control of making the major publications, one’s people view as a go to for seasonal trends, aware of your new collection.

Look books are sent out containing all the shiny new things and stylist keep them on file until a story is put together, a famous person is selected to model the shiny new things, and these samples, the shiny new things, are sent to the major publications. This process is usually very last minute and I have to admit, incredibly frustrating and at times embarrassing. You would think that a major shoot would be planned months in advance, but no. Its all very last minute which then means money smaller brands don’t have need to scramble together in order to get their work seen or to the destination of the shoot.

If you’re a brand in a major city where the post room for these major publications is, you’re lucky, but not totally lucky. If you live out of these cities you have to rely on the postal system or even long-distance travel. You can already see how these small events are contributing to global warming? All for a possible opportunity. That false hope that you are jinxed into believing, “Your time will come!” Its all bullshit.

So, you spend time packing up these samples. Carefully and with an organised manner and pride. I mean I kiss all my hats goodbye. One for luck and the other because I can’t guarantee I will see that hat again. Packaging. You can already smell the recycling machines working, can’t you? That’s if your brands packaging is recyclable. A lot of brands packaging isn’t. Samples packed, you either post them, if you have the most valuable thing ever, time. Or you pile into your car or run for a train to get them to the destination in time to be selected and possibly used in the shoot. Everything is a possibility and very rarely works out the way we want it to.

Postal service, car or train. They all contribute to the issue of global warming. You arrive at the destination having scrapped everything you had planned that day and deliver your samples. False smiles at strangers, the ones “in charge”, and as you leave, you hope. Hope that all this effort will contribute towards your brands story but most importantly sales. We all want sales, these days, once in a blue moon. Please don’t believe everything you read or see on social media. It’s the biggest con story. The samples are taken into a room often referred to as a closet and laid out. I make hats and I can guarantee there will be a decent amount laid out for the stylist to choose from. Some are instantly left there. Not chosen. The efforts pointless. Your carbon footprint goes up just on the effort you made to get the samples there in time.

A couple of days or even a week passes and all of a sudden, the samples are returned. A knock at your studio or home. I dread this as its time to see what state the samples have been returned in or even, if they are all there. Number one tip. If they arrive later in the day, don’t open the box until the next day. Depending on what’s inside the box will only result in some form of disappointment which affects your mental health. It has helped me deal with the many setbacks. Also, later on in the day you can’t do anything about it, so sleep easily.  

You open the box and unpack the samples. Counting the stock back in. Low and behold, an intern who doesn’t care how the samples are packed, because packing samples isn’t what they want to do at a publication where they want to be a writer, has packed them. The care and attention, just aren’t there. Sometimes you will get a good one but most times its shocking how people think that its okay to treat a sample the way they do. It’s a sample. It’s someone’s lively hood. It is stock. Surely it deserves the respect? If your brand isn’t well known then care and attention, what’s that? However, take a high-end brand and boy oh boy, I’ve witnessed this. I’ve been this person. We fall over it as if it’s the most stunning thing we have ever seen, even if we think its ugly. If you are a brand that’s well known then the sample is treated with the utmost respect. Not always I might add. I make an accessory that is between 80%-90% biodegradable. Imagine the waste on actual clothing samples??? I can’t even begin to imagine.  

You know what’s coming, don’t you? Samples are damaged. Some can be repaired but some cannot be repaired. Guess what happens to samples that can’t be repaired? Yip, you guessed it. They are dumped. Another sample is made up to replace the one dumped. Guess what happens to samples that can be repaired? Yip, you guessed it. More work and energy are used to fix the sample. This contributes again to that one, or many samples carbon footprint. This could be avoided if said packer took the time and gave the sample the respect it deserves. I’m not asking for a red carpet; I am just asking that you treat the work I created with my two hands with respect. Just like you do the high end brands.

Then comes the part where you have a little moan. Guess what. You can’t moan. If they say, “jump” you say, “how high?” If you moan you are seen as a problem. That stylist simply won’t use you again because you’ve highlighted a fault that’s not yours. You are told to keep calm and carry on. What’s the good in that? Especially when it comes to the health of our planet? Surely highlighting an issue should be praised as a consideration for not only our home but also future generations? I mean are these publications who capitalise on free samples, that contribute towards shiny new images, that preach about the importance of sustainability, really that deluded? Yes! They are.

Do we start charging for samples to be used in shoots that very rarely result in sales? Forget it. Your work will never be seen in those publications. What measures do we take to avoid being the drama? Do we stop creating all together? Lately it’s the first time I have questioned whether creativity is something that is detrimental to the existence of the planet. This question scares me as I am 100% a creator. My hands naturally have that ability. My imagination is running all the time.

There is another part to the iceberg that I am yet to tell you. You find out that your samples weren’t even used in the shoot and all that time and energy has been wasted. What the actual fuck?

This whole shoot is the finest example of humanities greed and ego.

Now think to yourself. This happens all over the world. Everyday and its one small process of the fashion industry.

Brands need to reduce their size of their collections. Their samples. Big brands, well known brands, need to lead by example. Designers need to put their egos aside and wake up to the fact that we are the fucking drama!!! If we, as an industry, as creatives, want to be taken seriously as a sector, then we need to change our behaviours towards objects that people see as seasonal trends. Find ways where our creativity can be sustainable for the future of our planet and generations to come. We need to start seeing the value in the gift of our creativity and stop letting people think it’s okay to treat our work in this manner.

Imagine if the publications did a shoot where all the samples called in were arranged in a manner, so they were included in the shoot, then that one celeb or model is placed in the middle of all this stuff. Would they finally see how much one shoot is contributing to the problem that is global warming? The answer, I can’t say, but I do believe it will be an eye opener.    

Stop buying into the hype.

Rant over.

Eye rolling to be continued.