Fashion moves so fast *baby voice*. What used to be a seasonal and fairly slow industry has transformed into an around-the-clock, 24/7, constantly plugged-in venture. Raf Simons just left Dior due in part to this very fact. If John Galliano is to be believed, his famous meltdown was caused by fashion burnout. Jil Sander quit her namesake label three separate times and Ann Demeuelemeester resigned from her label citing a lack of time for a personal life. It's fucking hell. Some think that this pace is killing the creativity that fashion is supposed to be full of. Meanwhile, Karl Lagerfeld needs to be tested for his ability to handle this shit like an alien. You could really go either way on this. Perhaps you think the fast-paced world needs to be matched by fast-paced fashion. Or maybe you think, as your favorite designer does, that fashion needs more breathing room. It's even possible you're here looking to be swayed towards an opinion. Well, WWD assembled an all star lineup of important fashion people to weigh in. We've aggregated their thoughts for your co-opting pleasure below. The overall opinion seems to be a mixture of acceptance of the industry as a constantly changing entity and a dislike of the speed its pace has adopted.
Karl Lagerfeld: "It’s a full-time job, not an occupation between others. Fashion is a sport now: You have to run. I have no ideas how to improve an industry that suits me perfectly. One has to be well organized with good people. But that may be the most difficult."
Ralph Lauren:"I have always believed in that intimacy and personal connection. To see, touch and feel the workmanship and fabrics is so important. I still believe a designer must never lose sight of the real message — the clothes themselves. Having said that, the importance of influencers, new media and the use of innovative technology to expand viewership of a show is clearly a reality. Expanding the number of eyes that can see a collection is definitely good for increasing the designer’s message and helping enhance brand awareness and visibility."
Donatella Versace: "I love the pace of fashion. Fashion is about moving forward, and moving fast. One of the greatest pleasures of my life is how the new generation has connected with Versace. If you complain about the pace of fashion today, you are closing the door on the future of fashion. We should not be talking about limits, but about opportunities."
Jonathan Anderson: "I think the speed at which the fashion industry is going is fundamentally what we expect of fashion today, as ultimately, this is the way the world works. It is about the chase against boredom. We have to adapt to the speed like we have had to adapt to other media. ... So I don’t think it is an issue. You have to be able to manage it."
Rick Owens: "I don’t really see a problem: I tend to look at these things as evolutionary. ... As for myself, I feel stimulated and the volume of stuff I see that I don’t really agree with stimulates me to react, which probably makes me work harder. And busy hands are happy hands."
Alexander Wang: "We were looking at the calendar the other day and were like, what are the hard deadlines? It’s the show. That’s something that we cannot control. We have to have the collection ready, etc. Those are pillar dates we work toward.There are very few exceptions."
Thom Browne: "I agree that the fashion world in general is moving very fast. But for me, it’s always been about doing things my own way. In recent years, I’ve added pre-collections to my business, but I only did so when I was ready."
Umit Benan: "Social media is controlling fashion now. And I don’t like it. The attention to workmanship is disappearing. It’s all about marketing. I absolutely think someone should stop this."
You can read the full range of thoughts over at WWD.
