new

People bemoan there’s nothing new* in fashion anymore. But there are more designers than ever. Everyone and their mother’s cousin’s babysitter’s great aunt’s pet dog is a “designer” now. There should be more new things to wear than ever.

 

Maybe there’s nothing new in fashion because people don’t wear anything new. When was the last time you bought something really different to wear? Not just tried it on for laughs at the store but bought it and wore it?

 

Designers love to make some weird stuff. You know what they also love? Selling stuff, so they can afford another season, another month’s rent, another meal. So they make stuff that sells. You know what sells? Simple, shapeless knits and jeans for day. Some little black dress for night. A long column with some sort of embellishment for big events.

 

There is a small percentage of people out there who wear the different stuff, the new stuff, the weird stuff, but not enough to encourage designers that it’s worth their investment to make more new stuff. And designers make clothes to be worn. The difference between a dress and a sculpture is a dress is made to be worn.

 

You want new stuff? It’s very simple supply-and-demand. Wear different stuff. That’s the only encouragement designers want or need to make more new stuff, think more deeply about their work, push themselves creatively. Who’s going to put in the effort if you’re just going to wear the shift dress anyway?

 

*I mean good new. Not all new is good. See jeggings, backtacular gluteal cleft shields, and Uggs.