The Founder Volume 5 Issue 4

The Founder | Thursday 4 November 2010
27
Features
Is the Hype About
Fashion Over Before it
has Even Begun?
Josh Minopoli
In the world of fashion, it could be
said that things are done differently.
If we were to consider the account
of one Vogue intern who recalled
having to send a plate of turkey
sausages to Hermès via blacked-out
limo, all in the name of fashion,
then we could say things are
definitely done differently. These
particular ‘things’ could include
matters that concern being practical
and conventional. It simply would
not be fashion otherwise. For example;
is it at all practical to import
a 265 ton iceberg as a feature for
a fashion show? It absolutely is if
you’re Karl Lagerfeld, as he proved
when he did exactly that for one
of his Chanel runways in Paris.
Furthermore, is fashion in itself
conventional? Fashion certainly has
a tendency towards artistic eccentricity
and even pretentiousness,
which may cause some to view the
industry as inaccessible and make
it impossible to describe it with a
word like ‘conventional’.
However, among the almost
frivolous endeavours and the
glamorous aura of fashion (not forgetting
the sausages and icebergs, of course) there
is one so-called unconventionality that
requires more thought: the previewing
of collections six months before they are
actually released for sale. After reading an
article by Belinda White in The Daily Telegraph,
I was prompted to ask: “is fashion
too ahead of itself for its own good, so
much so that today’s fashion becomes yesterday’s
news in the blink of an eye?” The
article discussed the illustrious designer,
Tom Ford, and his attempt to keep his
collection current and out of the grasp of
the internet.
Ford has taken steps to ensure that
his new Spring/Summer womenswear
collection is not exploited in any way by
the press, barring celebrities and photographers
alike from his private launch at
New York Fashion Week last September.
This meant that only a lucky few could
cast their eyes on what is likely to be a
masterpiece.
Part of his reasoning for taking such
drastic measures and rejecting the vast
majority of the fashion pack did seem
to make sense. “You see the clothes –
within an hour or so they’re online, the
world sees them,” went his argument.
“It’s everywhere – all over the streets in
three months and by the time you get it
to the store, what’s the point?” And the
painful truth is that Mr Ford does have
a point, and a rather sharp one at that. Is
it wise to parade a cherished collection
six months before it is even due to enter
the boutiques? Its eventual release for
sale risks being labelled an anti-climax if
everyone has already seen the clothes. In
Ford’s case, however, his collection will
only be published online in December,
before appearing in fashion magazines in
January – perhaps a clever way of keeping
his brand fresh. By not permitting any
sort of visual publicity until he dictates
otherwise, Ford is stating his desire for
fashion collections to remain under
wraps until later in the season. Why even
bother going to the runway shows, people
might end up asking, when you can view
collections online within hours?
Of course, the highly publicised and
photographed runway show is a system
which has worked for years and
continues to generate Louis Vuitton
trunks-full of interest, and is one which,
atmospherically, cannot be contended
with. I simply cannot remain so cynical
about something I love so much. A more
positive way of looking at the situation is
to compare the long wait for collections
to enter shops to the build-up to Christmas:
you know it’s coming; you know
what you want months in
advance, and when it finally
arrives it is all the more
special having waited. If
we start attributing staleness
to something that is
so unique and brilliant
then everything becomes
so boring and ‘has been’.
Culling visual publicity and
refraining from using the
internet might well be a
way of keeping a collection
unspoiled and preserving consumers’
eagerness at the same
time. But when everyone else
is happily inviting the press
in, Ford’s attitude seems to
border on being snobbish in an
industry that cannot cater for
any more snobbishness. When
everyone else starts following
Ford’s idea, however, it will be
another story.
Pay attention – your results don’t lie!
Ailson De Moraes
Have you ever asked yourself
why you decided to do a degree? I
bet you have! If you haven’t, I am
sure you parents have done it for
you! Anyway, if you are reading
this article it means that you are
now here, at Royal Holloway, and
therefore that you have decided to
get a degree (or maybe you are still
thinking!)
“Man is a goal-seeking animal,”
wrote Aristotle. “His life only has
meaning if he is reaching out and
striving for his goals.”
The fact that you are studying
for a degree means that you, like
Aristotle, are striving to achieve
the goals in your life. Life is much
more interesting when those goals
have been reached. It has to be said
that finishing a degree feels great
(and I have finished a few), but I
can assure you that the very best
thing is the journey to achieve it; or
at least, that piece of paper called a
degree diploma (which, by the way,
it is a very plain A4 piece of paper).
When I completed my first degree
and was awarded the diploma, I
thought to myself: I have worked so
hard to get this piece of paper – but
now what? Well, that piece of paper
opened the doors to my professional
career and to a better salary,
among other things. But it takes
courage to continue this journey
and, at times, many of us stop and
think seriously about dropping out
and starting another journey elsewhere.
However, whether you do
drop out or continue your degree,
you will have to decide for yourself,
and I am not here to decide for you,
simply because it is your responsibility
to face the challenges in front
of you.
Some time ago, I heard an interesting
story about a man who, after
many years of poverty and hardship,
decided to walk into a church.
The man fell to his knees, looked at
the altar and said, ‘God, I’ve done
my best to be a good man, I’ve
worked hard, but I have nothing to
show for my life. If only I could win
the lottery! Please help me.’
A few weeks later, having had
no luck, the man went back to
the church and went down on his
knees once again. ‘Please God,’ he
implored, ‘I’m begging you. Help
me win the lottery, just once – lift
me from this wretched life of poverty
so that I can experience what
wealth can give a man.’ Nothing
happened.
But he was a stubborn man, and
a determined one. Finally, he went
back to the church, dropped to his
knees, looked upwards, and with
tears in his eyes, he said: ‘Please
God, I’m begging you! Just once.
Reward this humble, holy man who
has done his best to serve you well!
All I ask of you is that you please,
please, please let me win the lottery.’
Finishing his prayer, the man sat
and looked at the altar, when suddenly,
there was a rumbling in the
sky. A beam of light shone down
into the church and a deep, Godlike
voice said: ‘Okay, I will, but do
me a favour – go and buy a lottery
ticket first!’
If you fail to set yourself
a well-defined goal, you will more
than likely end up wandering
around with no luck at all. If you
fail to read and prepare for your
assignments, essays, presentations,
reports and exams, you are failing
to take real responsibility for your
life as a student. Your results will
reflect this!
It is easier to wander
around and get lost if your goals
lack clarity, and it is definitely very
easy to get lost here at university,
and later to cry about not having
taken things more seriously. I am
not telling to you to stop enjoying
your life as a student – on the
contrary, I am inviting you to enjoy
your student life fully while you are
here. But by organising yourself,
you will be able to take full responsibility
for your life.
As Goethe said, “what you
get by achieving your goals is not as
important as what you become by
achieving your goals.” Remember
you can only achieve good results
if you ‘buy the ticket’. Define your
goals and fight for them!