It is curious that, when asked about fashion in the 60s, 70s or 80s, ChatGPT responds with data related to style. Silhouettes, materials, colors. If the question has to do with fashion in the last 20 years, on the other hand, the answer revolves around the so-called fast fashion, social networks, sustainability and ethics, diversity and technology. Only minimalism and streetwear slip among the styles to highlight. The unavoidable conclusion is that in recent decades no trend has been more relevant than the previous extremes, and that if they have ended up becoming problems it is because the industry that supports the fashion system has been arriving late to each advance that has occurred in the society.
Fashion (R)evolution: La Gran Oportunidad de la Moda (LID), the latest book by journalist Charo Izquierdo, reviews the past, present and possible futures of the industry, especially the Spanish one. “Giving a talk about fashion and the media, I realized that I had gone through stages that seemed fundamental to me,” says Izquierdo, commenting on the anecdotes and experiences of his professional career that dot the central story of the evolution of brands, magazines, and clients from the 19th century as far as the eye can see.
Before being editorial advisor of El Español, this key figure in the industry in our country was general director of Prensa Ibérica magazines, director of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Madrid and director of Yo Dona. “Tackling the future was complicated, but deep down the most difficult thing is the present. The concept of surfing that I use in the section that revolves around now is correct in the sense that it is the only thing that can be done today”. Here, we surf some key points from the book.
Is the manager sometimes the stone in the road that does not allow the fashion industry to move at the pace of things?
Many times. In the case of the Telva website, which at first was called estarguapa.com; It took six years and a group change -from Recoletos to Unidad Editorial- for it to be called Telva. Six years of opportunity.
How do you tell an executive that he has to get used to the idea that his company is going to have fewer benefits?
It is very difficult, but also somewhat obvious. Maybe in five years you can recover, but not without making an investment that is already late. The difficult thing is to find formulas to earn more or less the same: events, books, corporate magazines… Earning the same doing the same is impossible. Doing the usual you do nothing.
Why is it so difficult for an industry that feeds on novelty to adapt to change?
It strikes me that there are faster sectors than the media or fashion, when it should be the opposite. In general, it is difficult to leave the comfort zone. On the other hand, the media have taken young people very little into account when making decisions. Internet, social networks… there is a lot of resistance to change and Spain is a particularly suspicious country in this regard. For example: when I talk about the metaverse in class, some students wince. It’s like when they made me ugly because I tweeted from the parades.
Is SEO the friend or foe of the media?
Sometimes one, sometimes the other. The problem is that they live under his dictatorship and have lost their unique points of view, although I think there will be a moment of clarification where the quantitative can be balanced with the qualitative. You have to reach the audience, but also make a prestigious product.
Marketing manuals say that it is the client and not the firm who decides what gets. When we are in the position of consumers, are we aware of our power?
No. If we were, our way of consuming would change. To consume it all. I think we need good information and communication. There is always talk of greenwashing brands, but consumers can also be accused of doing it. The statistics on how we want to buy or how we are willing to buy regarding sustainability do not correspond to the consumption figures. In this sense, regulatory measures and that obsession that Europe has with regulating are fundamental, although many people find it bothering.
The question of price is important, buying sustainable is more expensive.
We are in a time where there is a lot of confusing information and many alternatives. Some are more expensive, but if we keep saying “it’s more expensive” instead of betting on those higher priced products, those goods will never become cheaper.
In the book he points out that the new path is marked by craftsmanship as well as technology.
Much of the advances in sustainability move and occur thanks to technology. I mention Jeanologia, the company based in Valencia that was born to make the treatment of denim more sustainable, for example. Crafts, on the other hand, are a point of differentiation that we have in Spain. We should value it.
How can the recovery of traditional professions be encouraged and what new jobs can be created with new technologies?
Education is essential. All of this should be discussed in fashion and communication master’s degrees. You can live from crafts, and technology -from engineering to artificial intelligence- is opening up new lines of work with a lot of development for the future.
He also makes a clear defense of Amancio Ortega and the Inditex group.
To begin with, it is very unfair that every time fast fashion is mentioned, Inditex is mentioned. It is not the devil. It was born with a very clear criterion, which is that people do not have to spend a lot of money to dress well. He created a brutal distribution system. At some point they grew too big, probably. This growth must be looked at in depth because relocation -which not only affected companies in the textile sector or only Inditex- has also promoted the development of certain places in the East. They have had problems with providers, but they have also worked and are working to solve them. Regarding sustainability, they are making a huge effort. Then there is the system, which is draconian. That of buying one garment a week is crazy, but it cannot be blamed only on the Inditex group.
Luxury is also running faster and faster.
The system has to change and it is doing so very slowly. The fashion value chain is very long and it is difficult to attend to each point. All part of a change of mentality. We use very few times (they say about 15) the clothes we have. That is why regulation is important, as I said before. Fashion has a problem that is fast fashion, which has ended up affecting all its levels regardless of price, but we know that circularity is the antidote.
Are our designers missing some aspect of the market or are we consumers the ones who should take them more into account?
The responsibility is shared by more parties. There are businessmen who have opened production centers in Morocco, the government has not supported the industry. While our workshops were disappearing here, in Portugal they maintained theirs. The responsibility lies with the state, until there is a national fashion council, our industry will not prosper. It has existed in France since 1868, in the United Kingdom since 1983. The British Fashion Council is the example to follow. A transversal body in which the Ministry of Culture, Foreign Affairs, Education participate… and that involves the smallest workshops, the largest groups and designers. In general, this Council has been lacking, there is a lack of industry support for designers and these designers need to adapt to the new industrial model and economic and sustainable development.
Do you think that the formation of such a body is viable in the current political context?
I would give my time. If it were in my power, I would give anything for that to happen. The Fashion Observatory has been created, but something more important is needed.
Wouldn’t people be shocked if public funds were allocated to such a project?
It is not the same to say “a Council is going to be created so that designers can live better” than to say “we have the most important textile industry and we are going to improve it”. In those councils all the members pay to be, because it is an issue for the entire sector and for the benefit of the entire sector.
