The curse of fashion and its cure

Guest post by Hafsa Hussain

On every item we own from our phones to the sheets on our beds, in small writing on the label it states, ‘Made in __’. This is most likely to originate from China or developing countries. But what is the story behind where our items are from, most importantly the clothes which we wear? Founder of Fashion Tech Lab, Miroslava Duma told the August 2017 Marie Claire, the first ever sustainable issue: “The fashion industry is all about storytelling and craftsmanship. Sustainability adds value because it makes that backstory even more impactful”. In recent years, consumers have been demanding more social and environmental information about the origin of the clothes they buy. This shows that more than ever, we are interested in our clothing, as the truth about the origin has been exploited in tabloids and documentaries, changing consumer attitudes.

Did you know that the fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world after oil? With approximately 80 billion garments produced worldwide per year (Green Peace, 2016). This is due to the demand for new trends and styles increasing in recent years. According to the documentary, True Cost, rather than four seasons of collections per year, fast fashion has fabricated fifty-two seasons, creating new styles every week. Keeping in mind the lack of consideration for social and environmental consequences. Can the industry succeed by continuing with fast fashion and being ethical simultaneously?

Factory workers in Bangladesh  (Photo: Sustainable Clothing Production)

In the fashion industry momentarily, fast fashion has been speeding up trends and shortening seasons, whilst becoming old, dated and out of style. The average turnover period of designer brands from the catwalk to consumers is six months and has now been compressed from only a few weeks by companies such as Zara and H&M, whose profits are exceedingly high. Swift cycles make these fast fashion companies succeed: having fast designs, effective transportation and items prepared on hangers with price tags attached ready for the shop floor. As fast fashion replaces the luxury, authenticity and exclusivity with planned impulse, lasting for a limited time due to the poor-quality fabrics, manufacturers have gone out of fashion.

(Photo: Remake)

H&M, a mass fast fashion company, has focused on their ethical profiles for sales growth in the long-term. According to Corporate Knights magazine, H&M ranked 57th amongst the world’s most sustainable companies with an overall score of 65.10%; Whilst Kering ranked ten places above with a score of 66.80%. H&M launched a garment collecting service at their stores, recycling textiles to “give their garments a new life and helping to close the loop on fashion”, stating they have gathered more fabric in comparison to 250 million t-shirts. However, according to the Huffington Post, H&M continues to produce 600 million garments per year which is more than double the garments recycled and reused. As consumers, if we began re-using and recycling our items, rather than constantly buying new pieces and throwing others away, producers would have no choice but to change their strategies, and companies would consider evolving to a slow fashion movement

H&M’s garment collecting initiative. (Photo: H&M)
(Photo: Yelp)

SOLUTIONS!

It’s time to change! There needs to be inventive strategies implemented to move from fast fashion to slow fashion, for the mass market sector, including the extension the product’s life cycle due to designs of clothes which are not molecular. For example, a coat which contains zips, buttons and trim can be recycled efficiently leaving just the fabric to be shredded back to its thread level, this new thread can become a new fabric and finally a new item of clothing. To achieve this, the jacket would need to have a mainframe hidden and attached in the coat’s fabric to hold the zips, button and trim altogether, and when the coat is at the end of its life cycle, the wireframe can be removed easily from the bone. Additionally, materials could be labelled with expected lifetimes including repair kits and services, provided by retailers, if the design development of the garments can be easily updated for the look or size.

Vintage clothing is commonly classified as clothing that is 20 years or older and if the garment survives more than 50 years it can be proudly called an antique. Vintage clothes are not only used pieces of garments, but it’s also part of history and adventure of thoughts of who wore them and their story to tell. Vintage clothing is a simple way to reduce, reuse and recycle clothes. During the manufacturing process, quality was important and key hence the fact they often last longer than most of the clothing today. But why has vintage fashion become popular recently, maybe because they can’t be replicated effortlessly or perhaps due to celebrities such as Kate Moss and Kim Kardashian having worn vintage on the red carpet? What people don’t realise is that fashion trends always come back around. Instead of throwing your ‘old’ clothes away, be patient, wait a couple years, fashion is not as new as you would think it is.

(Photo: TimeOut)

Recently we have seen a rise in 90s streetwear fashion on both our runways and on the streets. Big brands have dramatically increased their prices to offer ‘vintage’ pieces, but this could be saved if we as consumers actually visited vintage shops instead. Vintage can be advantageous in both ways, it allows you to differentiate yourself from the rest and it can also allow you to add to the current trends, so you look truly ahead of what the current runways have to offer.

Thank you!

Hafsa x

                                                                @hafsahussainphotography

Spring vintage 2018

Hey guys! We’re all looking forward to the summer here at The Stellar Boutique. We’ve got some great new vintage transitional pieces for you all in this changeable weather. For those times when you might need to throw on a jumper and those exciting times when you’re looking for festival wear. Planning on going to Glastonbury? We got you covered!

On our radar and new in the shop are great pieces such as this 70s vintage loop knit cardigan – throw it on over a rock n roll t-shirt and you’re good to go. Relive the 90s and be right on trend in our vintage lilac shell suit jacket. Embrace the Kate Moss look in our oversized boyfriend sweatshirt – it looks great with chunky boots. Howl at the moon with our beautiful 90s vintage wolf sweatshirt. Have you come over all Jackie Brown? Get your hands on our 70s vintage suede waistcoat with panelling and pockets. Wear our funky vintage knitted silver stripe gilet with shoulder lapels layered over pretty much anything and you’ll be the belle of the festival. Wear our cute 80s vintage cropped blouse with jeans or an 80s a-line skirt and dance into the night. If print is your thing, take a look at the 70s vintage scallop knit jumper. We love a good slogan here at The Stellar Boutique. If you do too, take a look at our 90s vintage ‘team purebred’ sweatshirt. And last but definitely not least, this 90s vintage Burberry-style corduroy bomber jacket.

This is an exciting time for us and there’s a lot more vintage clothing to come!

 

90s hoarder girl comes good

Finally, being a hoarder has paid off… Whilst unpacking my entire boutique (+ worldly belongings) and settling into the new hq i came across my old customising sketchbooks from the 90s & 00s…

So I´m having a revival! ✂️

watch this space….

 

For the love of Flea Markets

Some of my fondest memories are from the days of selling my vintage finds on the fabulous Portobello Market in London many moons ago. I always feel at home on the markets, so when the opportunity arose to join forces with my best friend and owner of ‘Vintage Teeth’ to have a stall on the vintage flea market in Barcelona, I jumped at the chance! The sun was out as were the trendy, vintage loving bohemians of Barcelona. It was great to get back to my roots and enjoy a day selling my vintage collection amongst friends and the fashionistas of this beautiful city. vintage clothes 11

 

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No successful day on the market is complete without a cheeky cider and I was delighted to have a visit from my good friend (and occasional model for The Stellar Boutique) Padge and his gorgeous pooch Socks, a pup from one of my very own dogs! Now, more aptly known as, ‘Socks in the city’!

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If you fancy a rummage through the fabulously eclectic stalls to find a vintage treasure, The Flea Market Barcelona is on every second sunday of the month at Dressanes. More details here: https://www.facebook.com/fleamarketbcn/timeline

Boho Moroccan Kaftans Back In Stock!

Here at The Stellar Boutique we are celebrating the beginning of summer and, of course, festival season by bringing in a touch of the exotic with our hot array of Moroccan kaftans that are now back in stock.

The perfect summer essential to add a touch of bohemian glam, these gorgeous kaftan dresses are the genuine article, sourced from deep within the souks of the enchanted city of Marrakech. Each one has a traditional Moroccan embroidered trim and with the distinctive Arabian design on the front and back these kaftans have a true authenticity that won’t be found in your average high street store.

Incredibly versatile, these kaftans are an essential ‘must-have’ in every individuals’ holiday wardrobe. Perfect for throwing over your sun-kissed bod on the beach, they provide ideal protection from the sun but are loose, airy and light enough to keep you cool whilst making a style statement at the same!

Alternatively, team them with a boho belt, some gladiator sandals and a tassel bag and ‘Rock the Kasbah’ for the ultimate festival look for summer 2014.

Or simply wear yours to potter about in at home or the garden on those lazy, bohemian afternoons!

Either way, these kaftans are perfect for that super stylish, exotic summer cool.

Because we purchase our kaftans directly from the artisans of Morocco, we are able to ensure a fair trade policy. Working together to bring you unique North African delights straight out of the souks and delivered directly to your door.

As always, these beautiful kaftans are exclusive to The Stellar Boutique, guaranteeing you stylish and original fashion that cannot be found anywhere else!

Moroccan Kaftans, Back In Stock!
Moroccan Kaftans, Back In Stock!

Art and Suffering

“Tattoos detract attention away from the clothes in which you are modeling.” OLD NEWS! Thankfully it seems, the fashion industry has histrionically evolved from a time in which that was a collective actuality to pastures new, embracing the art form as a means of accentuating personality, something we here at The Stellar Boutique are tremendously appreciative of. Firm believers of suffering for our art (we have matching ink here at Stellar HQ,) we really think that the cultural shift toward tattoos is directive in concerning our desire to live in an incessant flow of art-directed personality, but is this a new age of professionalism, or is it strictly the acceptance of the creative industries?

A sign of the times...
Vintage lace and tattoo inspiration
Tattoo design

We’re not so sure, but in accordance to The Guardians online article “The Rise and Rise of the Tattoo” in 2010, one in five Britons are tattooed with those figures on the increase, precipitously. It’s almost 2014 and we’re pretty sure that art expression isn’t just a tendency but a way of life. Something that dates back 5000 years ago and once an art form of sailors, bikers and assorted deviants, this is a trend (if you can possibly call it a trend) that has quintessentially stepped up to the mainstream on a whole new and incomprehensible level.

Gang inspired tattoos
Navel tattoo
Sailor Jerry tattooist
Jean Paul Gaultier "Le Male' Ad Campaign with tattooed sailor

Ink is everywhere and has been for a pretty long time – in the 18th century, prominently historical explorers such as James Cook brought back drawings and told tales of Polynesian islanders’ spectacular inks with the intentions of warding off evil spirits. Ultimately, as time has progressed, tattoos have moved from symbolism of great cultural importance to that of artistic forms of self-expression. Like a sewing machine without the thread, the modern twin coil electromagnetic tattoo needle was patented in 1891 and was the catalyst of something beautiful. No longer a partition of class, displays of creativity and eccentricity are present on the streets and in the palaces alike – They are not dissident; they are not contravened and they are not a mark of the outlaw. A slave to the art of individualism, even Winston Churchill’s mother had a discreet snake tattoo on her wrist.

Kat Von D tattoo needles
Tattooed Maori family
Tattoo gun

Nowadays, they have personal meanings of original symbolism alongside a historically perceived meaning – Scarlett Johansson never discloses the meaning of the sunset tattoo discernibly extant on her forearm and why should she? And in regards to inspirational artistic phenomena, we read an article about Marc Jacobs’ views on tattoos in the industry in New York Magazine in which he expresses that his tattoos are a diary of his creative life – of his interests and his relationship to the world. “In what is perhaps the greatest fashion shift of a generation, tattoos are now as desired and admired as a Céline bag, a Prada shoe, or one of those long mountain-man beards.” He speaks the truth! Tattoos are distinguishable and expresses diversity and disposition, with Kate Moss’ bird tattoos drawn unambiguously for her by Lucian Freud and Chanel’s ad campaigns conspicuously featuring Freya Beha Erichsen’s ‘breathe’ tatt in synchronization of the release of their very own transfer tattoos in 2010 for the less inclined of fortitude.

Kate Moss, Lucien Freud tattoo
Chanel transfer tattoos on the S/S 2011 catwalk
Freja Beha Erichsen by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel S/S 2011
Freya Beha Erichsen by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel S/S 2011

Alongside this we’ve seen the current Valentino ad, a brand renowned for their modest femininity and contemporary glamour, feature not a pure, fresh-faced model but the big, hairy tattooed arm of photographer Terry Richardson, clutching heels and handbags for the female form. And to finish with a real insight into the future of the self-expressive nature of tattooing we’ve seen the House of Holland take a “trip to balmy Mexico City by way of the tattoo parlours of Venice beach,” with the designers Spring Summer 2014 collection showcased at London Fashion Week yesterday, capturing an existing and new generation with dazing ink printed luxury in a sugar skull, antiquated floral and love heart frenzy.

Terry Richardson for Valentino A/W 2013
Henry Holland for House of Holland S/S 2014
Henry Holland for House of Holland S/S 2014

Excuse us while we suffer for our art! View the full Stellar Collection here.

Vintage rose and crucifix
Dream catch me

No One Is Innocent

It’s officially “bedtime for democracy” (excuse the pun,) mind control is no more and the nostalgia of youth culture domination has overwhelmed the world! The Stellar Boutique loves punk and in merriment of the Met Museums up and coming punk exhibition, Punk: Chaos to Couture, we have seen the art of punk celebrated through an array of exhibitions such as Southbank’s Someday All The Adults Will Die: Punk Graphics 1971-1984 and most prominent, the University of the Arts London’s LCC campus’ accolade to the iconic punk graphics style in The Art of Punk in order to celebrate the unveiling of their significantly influential graphic design lecturer, Russell Bestley’s new book of the same title. Offering an assortment of punk designs and illustrated art from album art covers to ephemera, the reserve represents an interesting indication of, in the words of the author, “an ugly and brutal side that can’t be appropriated,” from artists like Jamie Reid and Peter Saville  expressive of bands of The Sex Pistols and The Damned. Combining this with the rebellion of anarchy we saw on the Autumn Winter catwalks from Versace’s “vunk” collection of safety pinned understatement (no sarcasm…,) it’s no wonder we have seen the likes of luxury fashion retailer Moda Operandi prospectively launch a collection deliberated by renowned designers from Balmain to Vivienne Westwood and Givenchy to Moschino paying homage to punk with exclusive pieces as a means of providing women with the opportunity to encapsulate the spirit of punk through a combination of high fashion and rebellion.

Moda Operandi, May 22 2013
Versace Autumn Winter 2013/14
Peter And The Test Tube Babies Artwork

Where did it come from? The most revolutionary event of the 1970’s was the notable youth movement that happened presently late in the decade. A state of mind, punk was built in on Kings Road by The Sex Pistols manager, Malcolm McLaren (1946-2010) and one of the most influential designers to date, Vivienne Westwood with their ability to transform youths into extremists and anarchists, just by the way in which they wore and styled their clothes. Much to the public’s dismay, the profligate identity of the Punk movement referred to that of political and sexual bad taste and down-right filth with the deployment of anything set to irritate those worth rebelling against – t-shirts were sold audaciously at Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren’s shop displaying distasteful phrases, like “Paedophilia” and “Cambridge Rapist” as well as indecent displays of exhibitionists, of which they were arrested for. We can only imagine such manifesto led to a larger number of congresses, in a time where rebellion against politics and the undertaking of “anarchy in the UK” was the way forward!

Vivienne Westwood Swastika Tee
Vivienne Westwood in the shop that she and Malcolm McLaren owned in the 1970's

Punk style created imagery of lost adolescence and the anguish and pain of losing their childhood, through destructive, asexual clothing centring on self-mutilation.  Au natural was demolished, making way shocking deployment of decorative elements and attire.  Political bad taste was addressed and teenagers ran free wearing Swastikas’ teamed with cheap taste bin bags and safety pins and filthy lavatory chains seen this season by the likes of Givenchy and Moschino. The metamorphic “Queen of Punk” became revolutionised by her creation of aggressive, pornographic looking accessories and everyday attire for hers and Malcolm McLaren’s band The Sex Pistols.  Her unconventional readiness to take risks and fascination for different cultures still assists in her ability to push the boundaries, displaying liveliness and eroticism teamed with elegance and potency in her works, encouraging wearers to be individual and non-conformist, an attitude that has been adopted by designers such as the late Alexander McQueen and Jean Paul Gaultier in more recent years. Phenomenally and most monumental, the “Pirates” collection, inspired by 17th century theatrical and historical dress of Pirates, buccaneers, dandies and highwaymen of which she explained style as “just putting things together that aren’t anything to do with fashion.”

Vivienne Westwood photo shoot
Punk fashion circa late 1970's

With fashion comes art and with art comes music. Idols of the time saw bands like The Clash and The Sex Pistols rise to fame with bassist Sid Vicious originating the most offensive and inventive punk fashions of that time – he was only in the band for the way he looked and his anarchist insurgence after all. Their 1977 hit record “God Save the Queen” was released at the same time as the Queen’s silver jubilee, with Artist Jamie Reid causing major offence after defacing the original Cecil Beaton royal portrait, and in his ransom notes styled lettering, writing “You too can be a punk.” Loves young dream, Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen became the talk, with teenagers idolising Sid’s dirty and somewhat unkempt look compared with Nancy’s “heroin-chic.”  Sadly, living fast and dying young was taken literally, with both dying under tragic circumstances – Sid’s suicide note reading “We made a death pact, and I have to accomplish my part of the deal. Please bury me next to my baby. Please bury me with my leather jacket, jeans and motorcycle boots. Goodbye. With love, Sid.”

Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen
Joey Ramone and Debbie Harry, 1977
The Damned
Siouxsie Sioux

Bringing punk back to the future, it’s all about the fabric! Think heavy duty with leather and studded embellishment spikes, dominatrix patent and bondage slashes to reveal flashes of flesh, leaving it all to the imagination. Unassuming is no longer standard with traditional tartans, oversized furs and dishevelled leopard prints. An inconspicuous fall? Chances are “pretty vacant!”

Agyness Deyn in punk editorial feature
Street style
Agyness Deyn Chinese Vogue editorial feature 2011
Street style

View The Stellar Boutique fashion collection here.