Commercialism and the War on Craft

Fashion is the most commercial it has ever been. The industrialization and commercialization of fashion that has taken place in the last century and a half has chipped away at the universal craftsmanship that used to be involved with what was then an art, and now an industry. It could be further suggested that this loss of craft was heightened by the invention of social media and in turn, social media marketing. 

All of which has pushed fashion to function at an irregularly fast pace. Making the classic saying associated with fashion - what’s in today is out tomorrow - a bit too real. As brands struggle to remain relevant and cool they find themselves needing to rebrand. This can present itself in one of two ways: 

1. The brand has adopted a new mission or production process, but has attempted to maintain the same general aesthetic.

Or 

2. The brand is attempting to keep its original mission while going a completely different direction with its designs.

With option one I think there is one clear example, Abercrombie and Fitch. The clothing still looks like the expected A&F style with of course some minor trend influences, but what has really changed is their sizing and marketing approach. Gone are the days of unrealistically thin women and intimidatingly buff men plastered all over the walls of A&F and Hollister stores alike (it should be noted that Abercrombie owns Hollister). They have instead decided to market to a real customer, the chilled out, but still eye catching young woman and man. With option two I think again of the Yeezy-Gap collab. Of J.Crew taking a streetwear turn. Of Givenchy taking on Alexander McQueen as their creative director in 1992. Save for McQueen, the success of all three of these rebrands won’t be truly grasped for quite a few years. 

In the meantime, the consumer should wonder if a brand whose initial mission is no longer relevant deserves to profit after their rebranding. The same can be asked for a complete change in aesthetic and customer. Ask yourself, are they rebranding out of passion for the craft, or purely for greater profit? If the latter, where does it lead fashion as craft?