Artistry, Rentals and Purpose

First off, thanks to everyone who reached out in reaction to my last letter about collaborating on a Sustainability Charter for NYFW. Honestly when I sent that letter on Labor Day weekend I figured no one would read it - I hoped you were all at the beach - and I was surprised at how many people messaged me. I am getting back to everyone, I promise! I hope you were still at the beach.

Three things today. It’s Wednesday the 13th and I’ve finished going to all the runway shows and presentations I had planned to attend over the past week, today NYFW ends and the caravan moves on to London. There’s a brilliant article by Cathy Horyn in The Cut discussing the death of risk and artistry in fashion, as luxury brands who once treasured the creative points of view of their young and contemporary directors move toward the concept of “luxury”. The quote she gathered from Demna of Balenciaga puts it much better than I can, so I’ll quote him here:

The Cut’s comment section is always a dumpster fire of hot takes and weird weight loss bot testimonials, but one thing I noticed in the reactions to this article on Instagram is how many people blew off Horyn’s analysis with some version of “What does this have to do with a warming planet?”. While I appreciate the sentiment, I think the message is misguided. This disregard for artistry over volume has everything to do with a warming planet.

The continuous dumbing down of an industry that is meant to focus on craft and aspiration at it’s pinnacle into one that is instead hyper-fixated on volume and speed will be the downfall of fashion. We should care deeply about what a $395 billion company like LVMH does, because… well, I’ll include this evergreen clip here for the benefit of Eva Chen:

We should care about what the people with the most power are doing because very soon, we will either feel the effects or be doing it too.

Could it be that the most subversive artistry these days is making something that is meant to feel rare and special? Not made exclusively to demonstrate your ability to purchase a logo or a trend, but instead invoke a feeling?

Last week I went to lunch with climate journalist Sophia Li to be introduced to the clothing rental app By Rotation. Before I go on, I just want to say that I am cursed with a psychotically deep connection to my clothing. I try to give away and share things freely, but at the same time, I know exactly where the YSL vest that a friend bought from me for a few bucks 11 years ago is living now (Beacon, NY), same goes for a vintage Balmain dress I gave to a friend around that same time (Bristol, VT). This is rent-free space in my head that could be prioritized to meditation or to-do lists, and it’s not because I am regretful or have gift remorse, it’s really just because I love everything I have ever owned so much and so deeply that I could never forget it.

Thusly, I have never felt too compelled by rental schemes like Rent the Runway, for two main reasons: 1) I have to… give it back? I chose a thing and I have to give it back? and 2) The more commercial option, Rent the Runway, orders wholesale directly from brands the same way that stores do, so I have questions about how subversive their business model is from any other large volume store that is just consuming seemingly endless amounts of clothes and pushing the idea of new new new.

However, By Rotation takes a Vestiaire approach - all of the product on the app is owned by a person (multiple people) and rented by that person, BR is just the logistics and facilitator of the rental. Which means that if you have a wedding or other special event and you don’t have / don’t fit / can’t buy a new investment “event” item, you can rent it from someone who’s not using theirs.

That’s the optimistic view. The pessimistic view is that this allows people who are obsessed with acquiring new clothes to post on their social media feeds just another carbon-sucking lifeline to pump fuel into the fire of their obsession. The optimistic view of that pessimistic view is…. maybe they’re not buying fast fashion instead? My head is spinning.

Here’s what I ended up wearing: a patchwork denim-print hammered silk dress (ok, head still spinning) from Acne, which I enjoyed thoroughly and then sent it back to it’s owner the next day (the owner lives in L.A. and I will likely think about how this dress is in LA anytime I remember that I wore it. There must be a name for me somewhere in the DSM):

One last thing. My friend Wing, who designs the jewelry collection WWAKE, starts her annual sale today, which I highly recommend checking out. Two things I like about WWAKE:

1. A portion of the proceeds from this sale go to one of my favorite local organizations, WIN NYC. WIN is the largest provider of shelter and supportive housing for NYC’s homeless families, especially women and children. Last year there were about 30,000 homeless children in NYC, and we have experienced an unprecedented surge in homelessness in the year since. When she started this sale nine years ago, Wing was able to donate a little over one thousand dollars. Last year she donated 30 thousand. I am so impressed with her dedication to giving back through one of the roughest business landscapes in recent memories and at a time when a lot of other companies have left their 2020-era promises by the roadside.

2. Wing has built a beautiful, luxurious, thoughtful, playful fine jewelry brand, and she did it while ALSO focused on materials, labor, human rights, and long term impact of her business choices. There is SO MUCH WRONG with what the jewelry-making industry has developed into, and I admire a female founder and designer who is honestly and truly not letting down her side in operating and ethical, values-driven business. It would be less expensive to run a more compromised business, and the choice to create something with integrity means that that she has created some of my favorite investment jewels, now on sale.

Here are my picks, but shop the entire sale here:

Thanks for tuning in! I’m working on the “low impact beauty packaging guide for the layperson” that some nerds asked me (and fellow nerd) to write, and hope to send it out soon with some other fun stuff.