Just like in an onion, there are many layers to the final outcome of anything fashion themed, be that a show, a photoshoot or a piece of clothing. At the very center of it lies a core. It is the core values that help shape the outer layers and that shine through in the final result. For me at the very core of anything fashion has always been sustainability. I’ve explored and studied it through learning how to make patterns and sew clothes, sourcing fabrics from dead stock factories of luxury brands that have the resources of making the best materials in a way that celebrates sustainability and craftsmanship, the true savoir-faire. On a more official level I’ve studied sustainability in university, the core basics of it, but more diversively I’ve been able to apply it to all aspects of fashion.
More recently I’ve been diving deeper into how sustainability shines through the more diverse concept of fashion creativity, the photoshoots, shows and presenting the brands and items to the public. There is a special language of fashion, sustainability and communication that together form the holy trinity when in great balance and harmony, if performed correctly. At the end of the day it is as much an experience as it is a product.
Last year during the September-October PFW I found myself drawn towards the show venues, the creative minds filtering in and out behind the scenes, each playing a part in something so magnificent was hypnotising to witness. In my head I imagined a mountain, at the base of it was the brainstorming map, the non-negotiable core values and aims of the show, sustainability goals and creative direction. The middle part of the mountain was a beehive of thousands of peoples work, ideas and effort all in one big big pile that when reached the mountain top birthed a show so incredible it was touching to even imagine. Like with many famous mountains, only the peak is what is known to people, the most admired part even, but I think it is the journey to the mountain top that is so fascinating and beautiful, equally important without which there would be no mountain top to admire in the end.
After hanging around and watching the show preparation brewing slowly and the energy building in the air, I had been talking to people around me. I spoke to many a photographer as they had seen me with my film camera, an unusual choice for street photographers who needed their photos available right away for fashion magazines and pr publications. My aim on the other hand was to capture the essence of the moment, the energy in the air and even if I wasn’t able to film it all I most definitely will always remember the feeling of it. Apart from photographers I spoke to interns of major magazine directors such as Vogue Philippines, a guy named Sebastian was waiting outside for his boss to come do interviews after the show. When she showed up answering thousands of questions about the collection, the celebrities present and who had opened and closed the show, it had me wondering if it truly was just the mountain top that was visible to people, and if looked closely, they too would see the majestic mountain as a whole…
One of the shows I was most excited to read about afterwards was the Stella McCartney show. When I was about 10 years old, my parents gifted me a Stella McCartney x Adidas sweatshirt that was part of the new sustainability initiative. I remember the day vividly as it was extremely rare for me to even want anything new from the stores, I had always been a keen thrifter, and still am to this day, making an occasional exception for truly sustainable pieces that I cherish for the rest of my days.
On the day of the show, early in the morning I was on my way to study at the library when to my total shock I noticed Avenue de Saxe full of buzz and security. I felt myself gasp when I saw a glimpse of a sign that read “Stella’s sustainable market” and I knew straight away that the show would be right there. Long story short I hung around the place until the show was about to begin, I was spotted by a group of photographers and videographers from London due to my film camera again. As we chatted about their morning they told me how they had been running from show to another with no time for breakfast. I quickly ran over to my apartment, grabbed some snacks and ran back out again past my apartment building guardien who till this day laughs at my happy squeals as I sprinted past her. When the show began I obviously had to stay behind the gate but followed the show through the gaps of the photographers, the pulsation of the music, the energy in the air, it was all so emotional, I felt as if the passion and dedication was really shining through and I couldn’t believe I was able to witness some of the magic. About midway through the show I was approached by one of the workers for the show who told me she had heard me talk passionately about the sustainability aspect of the show, as a sustainability student, and she gifted me with a pass that granted me access to the show. I was able to enter after the show had finished, while the invitees were congratulating the designer and her team, I managed to snap a couple of pictures and circled the exhibition of the sustainability market long after everyone had left. It was a magical experience that I am sure is just a tenth of what the possibility could be in the future.
After the show I was charged with so much passion and a feeling of belonging, having had my eyes opened to how sustainability, creativity and fashion can be merged, it is truly the holy trinity for me, the representation of what I want to do with my life, both professionally and personally and I strongly believe it is my calling.
After the fashion week buzz had passed, I returned to spending my days in the library, daydreaming about the strong feeling of belonging I had felt, the pull and the sheer eye-opening realization of sustainability, creativity and fashion being combined in such a magical way, a natural symbiosis that hadn’t even seemed possible to me before. I had previously only watched Loic Prigent (whom I saw in person during PFW) and his YouTube videos of fashion shows, most of which I could probably recite with my eyes closed, but there is only much that could be translated through the screen. It was the deeply moving YSL show broadcasting and Vogue World show that nearly moved me to tears with the storytelling between the music, the set design and the clothes all coexisting and creating a story much like Beethovens and Mozarts music that even without lyrics tell such a profound story. That is the feeling I fell in love with and want to keep chasing.
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