Before talking about fashion, we must dispel the false myths of this sector, those that Andrea Batilla, designer and textile researcher, former director of the IED, of Milan, author of the book entitled "Instant - Moda" (Gribaudo) calls the 10 gigantic fake fashion news.
The first is fun: What will go next season? A classic trick question. Batilla explains that "it makes no sense to talk about fashion and trends of the next season, as when the designer in the seventies and eighties spoke and was diktat for millions of people who followed the suggestions of the creatives and the trends reported in the magazines. According to the author since the nineties "pockets of resistance have formed to the dominant trends, so" today it no longer makes sense to talk about trends, because on the market there is everything and the opposite of everything and the final consumer is used to changing aesthetic horizon at the speed of light, not respecting someone's diktat but developing the ability to build their own personality, a personal taste, not easily crushed by passing fashions ".
The second fake: "I don't understand today's fashion" . And in fact: "If you do not understand today's fashion, it is likely that you have exceeded 40, perhaps even 50 and the fact that you do not understand it is not only normal but it is also a good and right thing. Taste changes are born in the younger layers of the population and are addressed to them ".
The third preconception concerns the excessive costs of designer clothes . Batilla claims that we dress for thousands of reasons that have nothing to do with survival, but with desire. "If a designer manages to intercept a profound social need and perhaps has the genius to build a uniform that serves to face a problem with more simplicity, it is right that this product, built through research, quality and narrative skills, has a higher price. than the average ".
Another preconception: the models are all anorexics. "No. The models are 14 to 16 years old, on average. So - the author writes - they are not anorexic but simply very young. You too were so prepubertal". The problems are other: "the work of the models is stressful, seasonal and poorly paid".
Fake number 5, "the clothes of the parades are immutable". "In general, the fashion shows are a show in which everything is applied to the maximum of creativity with the maximum available financial means. This is because in ten minutes a strong and clear message has to do that has to do with the brand identity and this message must reach not only the audience of the room but everything that follows the event on the web and on social networks, in the world. This is why what we see in the fashion shows is extreme ".
Fake n.6, the phrase "I don't care about fashion. I just like to be comfortable" is to be dispelled. "Unfortunately, even it is not the same as making a choice - explains Batilla - The claims of this type derive from a heritage that underestimates or wants to impoverish the social impact of fashion, thus promoting its commercial value".
At n.7 we find "Some people should not wear miniskirts". "In this historical moment there is no phrase more politically incorrect than this. The obsession with the perfect body and eternal youth are fortunately losing the social value they had until recently. Also thanks to fashion, the concept of inclusion is becoming universal".
Fake no. 8 is "Elegance is innate" : being elegant means knowing perfectly the system of rules that governs the notions of good taste and social acceptability and therefore has a direct link with the education we receive or that we build ".
At n.9: " If you work in fashion every night go to a crazy party". So I have been working in fashion for thirty years and I can say I have been to some crazy party but I can say that a carefree and fun social life is certainly not the first thing that comes to my mind thinking about my job ".
10 stereotype of stereotypes: fashion is a stupid thing , "only if the person who makes it or who speaks about it is stupid".