Fashion is Bold and Daring, and this reflects a noughties generation

 In the 21st century the style trends of the fashion industry dominate the world more than they ever did, and control not only the way people dress but also trends in home ware design, makeup fashion and people’s overall attitudes. In the 60s flower power did not only mean flares and tunics, it summed up the whole attitude of a generation, and this is even more prominent today.

Nowadays, fashion is bold and daring, and this reflects a noughties generation that is not afraid to say what they think, or wear what they want. Fashion is not just a means of clothing your body, it is the essence of your personality and beliefs, and designers are well aware of the power they hold. Designers’ predictions and designs for the coming season are more hotly anticipated than any other revelation in the world.

Trends in fashion unify women and men around the world, yet they still allow people the ability to portray their own individual style at the same time. A period of time portrayed in a picture can be identified immediately just by the style of clothes the people are wearing, and this sums up just how powerful and all-encompassing fashion is. Fashion can change from one second to the next, but what never changes is the hold it has over society, and the role it plays in the modern world. Fashion is so important that whole magazines are dedicated to it, TV programs dedicate hours of transmission time to the subject, and people discus it between their friends continually.

To keep up with the latest fashions, people subscribe to fashion magazines, keep a keen eye on what has appeared in shops and what has been there for a long time, and go to fashion shows to see what the designers are putting on the catwalk this season, and therefore what will make it in to the shops. For the extremely wealthy, they might have their own personal relationship with a designer who will keep them well ahead of the current trends, therefore, many people wanting to know what the new fashion lines are going to be will watch what celebrities are wearing. Being ahead of fashion is for many, the ultimate achievement, although being too ahead of the fashion is just as bad as being behind it! If you are too far ahead people will think what you are wearing is not in fashion, because it isn’t, yet.

Designers continue to market the importance they know people put on fashion, and people continue to hang on to designers’ every move in the fashion world, therefore as long as this carries on fashion will continue to maintain its dominant position in society for a very long time to come. It influences not only what we wear, but everything we do, say, and even think. This is why fashion does indeed rule the world.

Fashion Designers of America

 When gender pay gap reporting became mandatory in 2017 for large UK companies it was heralded as a giant leap forward for equality. But in 2023, men are still being paid more in 79.5 percent of companies, compared to 77.2 percent in 2017, according to an analysis by the Financial Times. The gap is also widening, with men earning an hourly wage that is 12.2 percent more than women, versus 11.9 percent in 2017.

Included in the list of companies are some of the UK’s biggest retailers, who are lagging to equalise their businesses. Out of the UK’s top 50 retailers Next is the fashion company with the largest pay gap at 8.1 percent. Marks & Spencer and Primark reported had a gap of 6.5 percent and 1.1 percent.

Thus far, it appears transparency to report gender pay has not done enough to curb it. Raconteur, a digital news outlet, says the task of putting more women into the best-paid leadership positions clearly remains a challenge.

Transparency is not enough to curb the pay gap

“Organisations think and say they’re doing the right thing to advance gender equality in the workplace — but when it comes to taking action on the gender pay gap, evidence suggests they are failing to deliver,” Ann Francke, chief executive at Chartered Management Institute, told the FT.

A report published by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) in 2020, showed the gender pay gap in the fashion industry was approximately 20 percent, which was higher than the national average. This meant that women in fashion earn about 80 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts.

In April 2022 ASOS was named as one of the companies with the highest gender pay gaps in Britain, according to the Times, with a median gap of 44.8 percent compared to 41 percent in 2021. In 2022 this went up to 45.5 percent. ASOS, which employs over 3,000 employees, said its gender pay gap is driven by the larger proportion of men than women in higher paying senior roles, particularly in its Technology team, where salaries tend to be higher than in other parts of the business.

ASOS said more women are employed in Commercial and Customer Care teams, where salaries are lower. These three sectors make up 67 percent of its total workforce.

As a reflection on the fashion sector as a whole, fashion's pay gap "partly reflects a larger percentage of women working in roles such as customer care, which are mostly entry-level" compared to more men in technology and leadership roles.

The gender pay gap in the EU stands at 12.7 percent in 2021 and has only changed minimally over the last decade. It means that women earn 13 percent on average less per hour than men.

world for collaboration was Staffonly

 Another to look towards the outside world for collaboration was Staffonly, which partnered with American footwear brand Ugg for its ‘Orbit Voyagers’ show. For the show, Ugg supplied styles from its Foamo Slide and Tasman series, further bolstering the otherworldly feel the brand wanted to portray. The concept for the shoes was co-created with industrial designer Ah Bin, who developed a concept that utilised 3D printing technology to produce silhouettes that took on gravity-defying forms. Like the shoes, the rest of the collection also drew inspiration from worlds beyond, particularly referencing the planet Saturn, as seen in the prominent use of looped details and ringed prints.

Meanwhile, other brands were simply returning to their home country after stepping away from Shanghai in the years prior. Milan Fashion Week attendee Shuting Qiu had taken to living in Europe for several months before coming back to the city to present her autumn/winter 2023 line, with the goal of opening up a new vision for designers. Her time in the Western continent was mirrored in her inspiration for the collection, with references to Czech abstract painter Frantisek Kupka, whose work appeared in the use of floral patterns and prints. Sustainability and tech were also present in the line, with 60 percent of fabrics made of more sustainable and environmentally friendly materials – as noted in a release – and artificial intelligence (AI) incorporated into the creation of bodysuits.

Shuting Qiu AW23, Shanghai Fashion Week. Image: Dia Communications,Tube Showroom