The State of Affairs

I think a worthwhile topic to end on would be the general state of the fashion industry. There's some good things and some bad things. Let's begin. 

Fashion is an area that requires constant innovation to achieve both monetary and creative success. The luxury brands that are commonplace today became what they are now due to a culture of endless innovation, many of which were brought on by up and coming designers. This has been the norm for decades. YSL would not exist if Saint Laurent hadn't proved himself working at Dior. 


Gucci would be bankrupt if it weren't for the talents of Tom Ford, who then continued his innovation at his own label. 



With the introduction of the internet and widespread globalization, designers around the world with similar talents are privy to a variety of positions that they wouldn't have access to earlier. Certain fashion houses have understood this and are recruiting more actively than earlier. Louis Vuitton, for example, began an internship scheme in 2021 to hire around 25,000 new employees, aiming to fill the gaps left by the pandemic and prepare for the coming years. 




In spite of all these areas, the industry is rife with issues. Many in the industry face abuse in their workplace, being forced to work long hours and subjected to unreasonable deadlines. These problems only increase the further down the ladder you go. Many of the companies who largely sell cheap clothing outsource their labour to third world countries where their workers work in horrifically unsafe factories, sometimes working 12 to 14 hours a day. 



The fashion industry is also responsible for nearly 10% of total greenhouse gas emissions, which is only made worse by fast fashion companies that discard a majority of their products once they stop being purchased. 




In recent times, there has been external and internal support for sustainability, with many brands making it a key component of their products. Many companies have also signed agreements to slowly reduce their carbon footprint and have adopted policies to increase diversity and promote inclusion in an attempt to reduce harassment. Overall, I think the fashion industry will change greatly in the future and it would be a perfect opportunity to disrupt norms and stand out. 

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