2/4/23

I'm at the point where I think I just need to shut the fuck up. I'm actually finding myself annoying myself more than anyone else at this point, and it all narrows down to something I think we've all been avoiding for some while now; I am incredibly fucking annoying. 

I look at where I am in my life and I can't help but feel a little disappointed. But something I've been thinking a lot about is why? I do love my roommates, I get to live with two of my best friends every day, have family dinner with them, and laugh and cry with them, and for that, I do feel incredibly fortunate. I do well in school, and as much as I complain about it, I get okay grades, at least not bad enough to contribute to my self-loathing. I dont live with my relatives anymore, I moved across the country to avoid it, and for years that's all I wanted. Space to come into my own and find myself. But do you understand how sucky it feels to find yourself and realize you kind of suck? Me neither I'm perfect, but not everyone is so lucky. What I think is actually lacking is real human experiences; human connection. Social interactions are at an all-time low, my social anxiety seems to get worse every time I open my mouth. And I dont know how to fix it. Reminding myself to take time to grow on my own is one thing, actually figuring out how to do it is another. What frustrates me so much about why I'm feeling this way is I know I've figured it out before, I know it's possible. I think teenagers spend so much time fantasizing about the future and how much better things can get, that when they do get better, it becomes harder to pinpoint where to go from there, and what else is there to work on. And that's where I'm at now. I do realize this blog is not meant to be therapy, and my whining and moaning about how annoying I am are probably not helping my case. But one must understand, this is my collective. A thinking piece in which I intend to put my life so that at least it's there. The world can know who I am regardless of if they want to, the option is there. This blog is my best friend, and with it, all of my stories. Be thankful, if nothing else, that you get to be a part of what is essentially the modern-day Anne Frank's diary. I'm Jewish I'm allowed to say that. At least I'm no longer breaking down everything I've experienced within the past week in extensive detail anymore. 

A new leaf is needed, and a new leaf is hard to come by. I think spending so much time considering how to change halts real change, just as actively looking for something often results in not finding it until you stop looking. But if you know I need to change, and I know I need to change, what else is there to think about? This is what a lot of fashion brands are also struggling with (yes that was my transition from talking about myself to talking about fashion). I mentioned part of the issue last week, Target's expansion, etc. however, and this is the fun part of being in fashion classes, more information has come my way. 

On the business side, as mentioned, greenwashing restrictions are intended to become significantly more strict, disallowing as many brands to continue unsustainable methods of manufacturing and production without repercussion. One of the brands I most recently read about shifting their agenda is Shein. In 2021, Shein appointed Adam Whinston as the executive of sustainability. Obviously, this faced mixed reviews at the time, as Shein's reputation as the worst of the worst fast fashion brands holds skepticism for how seriously they actually intend to take their new sustainability plan. However, Whinston, previous sustainability exec for Disney, went on the record to state that, while as the executive of sustainability, his control over the entirety of the company is lacking, he intends to hold Shein to their sustainability promises. My skepticism is two-fold; for starters, Whinston is a businessman at heart, a businessman who worked for Disney. At the end of the day, he will know better than most how to talk about a company in a way that eludes the actual issue at hand, I don't 100% trust that he can't manipulate an audience to agree that Shein is moving in the right direction, regardless of the direction they actually move in. The other issue I have remains with all fast fashion plans for sustainability and is not solely exclusive to Shein, fast fashion is fast fashion. I think at the end of the day it doesn't matter how good of a sustainability plan you have, the real issue with fast fashion is not something a brand can fix no matter how hard they try. Fast fashion is so bad for the environment, yes for their manufacturing practices, but also because of how fast it truly is. Shein releases new garments almost every day, multiple every week, and hundreds or thousands in a month. Zara releases whole new ensembles weekly. H&M has I believe around 40 "seasons" a year. Because of this constant churning out of new clothing, consumption of these brands has to match the speed of production for them to remain successful. So with every weekly collection Zara releases, that collection is also purchased and distributed at the same rate. But Zara isn't the only place these customers shop at, so while one customer might buy from a new collection once a month, they're also buying new garments from 5 other stores, resulting in a whole new wardrobe 12 times a year. But nobody has that much room for all of the clothing they're constantly buying, so match the number of clothes they buy without about half of the stuff they bought a year ago getting thrown out in a constant cycle of consumption and pollution; this is the issue. Shein and Zara and Forever21 and Nordstrom can create as many sustainability business plans as they want, but as long as they continue production of the garments at the rate they currently -and have consistently been for decades- are, very little will actually be accomplished. 

The other side of the fashion industry's scramble for change comes in the more artistic department. While the business side struggles to redeem the years of straight-up lying about the quality of their brand, the design side struggles to produce collections that aren't boring. As previously mentioned in my blog, a lot of brands are currently dealing with accusations of theft of designs, or simply a lack of originality. On one hand, overexposure to the industry has created a tense environment in which everyone is attempting to be the first at something. On the other, it's becoming increasingly apparent that many designers are putting far too much pressure on the next collection to be hyped up on a TikTok slide show. The best example for me to give to summarize what the industry is going through is comparing it to the music industry. "Did I just make the song of the Summer?" has completely destroyed natural talent within the industry, and famous people's constant toe-dipping into music-making has made an environment in which the most god-awful, uninspired, senseless music can become a chart-topper in days. In this way, the music and fashion industry are very similar, and I'd go even further to say art in general. Truly nothing is original anymore, and in a society in which becoming famous seems far more achievable than gaining success in your way, everyone feels like they may as well try, resulting in everything artistic sucking all of the time. 

I really do hate to be that guy, and I apologize for the vibe I am about to put forth into the world, but I implore people to begin looking into more underground artists. It's a similar thought process to supporting a local restaurant rather than getting Taco Bell; they don't need the support, it's terrible for you, and you'd have much better options if you took the time to look.  Just as musicians somehow always manage to start sucking the second they get on the radio, the same can be said for a lot of designers. It's hard, and becoming harder, to stand on your own in a crowd convinced they have the right way to do it. And while I still love Billie Eilish, Dolce and Gabbana, and Starbucks, there's been a shift in how they are perceived, and as the audience, it's up to us to correct it. The way I see it, these now huge artists are best to be looked to as the standard, the "Schiaparelli made a collection look like this so this is what we can expect for future trends", and not "this is peak art". If you look at brands like Barragan, NIHL, and Gypsy Sport, you can see a consistent message being sent. These smaller brands have the freedom to stay true to their artistic muses and can avoid being swept up in the controversy of the constant let-downs a lot of designers have begun receiving. That's why I do love Dolce and Gabbana and Vivienne Westwood so much, regardless of how much exposure they've received. They are two amazing examples of sticking to their audience, a concept lost on many designers, rather than switching up to match specific trends or current styles. 

Oh my god, I'm done. Listen to All in the Family by Korn. Watch The Last of Us. Eat ass. Goodnight. 

~Christian Reid Mironovic