On May 25th, 2020, the death of George Floyd came as a “wake up call” for the whole world and, particularly, the fashion and luxury industry: it was apparent that, even in 2020, issues of race were not just a “thing of the past”. The fashion industry has long been subject to public allegations regarding its lack of diversity: many companies send mostly white models down the runway and the few BAME women that are cast have to deal with make-up artists and stylists who aren’t trained to work with darker skin tones and non-Eurocentric hair types. All of this seemed to change with the George Floyd incident. The September…

Streetwear is not a brand-new style – it has actually been around for four decades now. Nonetheless, only a few years ago this humble aesthetic entered the higher levels of fashion, imposing itself as a force to be reckoned with. Thus, a question arises spontaneously: how what began as a subversive movement succeeded in influencing the whole fashion industry, from the high-street to the luxury market? Simply put, streetwear consists in fashionable casual clothes: T-shirts, hoodies, jeans and sneakers. However, this definition of streetwear minimizes a model that upset the traditional fashion system by redefining its main concept: exclusivity. While luxury brands derive their exclusivity from a long-lasting quality and high prices, streetwear’s exclusivity is based on ‘know-how’ – it is impossible to acquire, unless you belong to a specific subculture. In particular, especially at the early stages of streetwear, very few consumers knew what to buy and even fewer knew where to buy it.  What was once a subcultural…

The fashion brand Jacquemus was recently cited as one of the leaders among the 20 next-generation brands in an analysis by industry experts compiled by Lyst. The founder, Simon Porte Jacquemus was just 19 years of age when he launched the independent label in 2009. The company now has over 60 employees and boasts a revenue of more than $20 million along with a multitude of high-profile celebrity clients. The brand’s explosive growth has intrigued and excited many observes in the luxury fashion industry and many have been left in awe by the brand’s strength at Paris Fashion Weeks alongside French luxury giants in particular. Jacquemus did not follow the…

Let’s face it: We all love a battle between the giants.  In the COVID era, after spending all of our time watching ugly remakes on Netflix and scrolling through not-even-funny memes on Instagram, we could actually call legal battles “poetic cinema”. So please, take a seat and don’t hold your breath.  It all started in 2017 (on this note, take me back to being eighteen and clueless, please!), when Huawei sought approval from the EUIPO (EU Intellectual Property Office) to register its computer hardware trademark. Huawei probably thought it was going to be a simple one-two-three procedure. Turns out the tech giant was actually clueless as to what was going…

Introduction In recent months, due to the huge surge in the price of cryptocurrencies, blockchain technology has attracted the attention of the media and some highly influential individuals, including Tesla’s Elon Musk. This article aims at analysing the possible applications of blockchain technology in the context of the fashion industry. Firstly, it is crucial to define blockchain and its functioning. Blockchain is a shared, immutable, and digital ledger where information is stored, duplicated and distributed safely across the entire network of computer systems composing the blockchain. In other words, it is an information-recording system that complicates or totally prevents information mutation. Being distributed, participants can monitor all the information present…

The fashion industry is the second largest polluter in the world, just after the oil industry. However, now more than ever fashion companies are talking about environmental and social responsibility. Unsurprisingly, this is happening at a moment in which we are all becoming more conscious buyers. In particular, the rising interest in sustainability amongst GenZ consumers, combined with the increase in their purchasing power, is influencing businesses to take notice. However, despite this flourishing curiosity in sustainability issues within the fashion industry, there is no clear or quantifiable definition of what sustainable fashion actually means. Rather than truly going green and working out how they could integrate sustainability into their supply chain, certain brands are picking the greenwashing option instead, using marketing tactics to paint a greener picture. As sustainability becomes more and more relevant, brands want to jump on the…

Why do people buy Crocs? What is it that makes the most unlikely shoes of all time so cool and desirable? The humble little foam clog has been debated ever since its first appearance in 2002, sparking an ideological war between those who love it and those who can’t stand the idea of a holey rubber slipper. Like it or not, however, it is undeniable that Crocs is amongst the most curious yet fascinating fashion trends of the latest years and, as it often happens for the most successful garments of the fashion industry, it never meant to be fashion, until today. The “crocodile brand” was founded in Colorado in…

From designing handbags for the Spanish royalty to being one of the most exciting brands of the moment, Loewe has gone through, and induced, many transformations. Undoubtedly, the biggest impact was brought by the current creative director, Jonathan Anderson, who joined the brand in 2013. Guided by the mantra of ‘past, present, and future’, Anderson took a year to fine-tune his strategy, which included redesigning the logo, and turned Loewe into a beacon of Spanish iconography mixed with a contemporary vision. His success became more evident following the introduction of the now iconic Puzzle bag in 2015, and it has all been uphill from there. Not only did he reinvent…

Low-despicable Fenty’s end(y) What can we say? The brand maybe seemed to shine bright like a diamond, but for sure, it was a shooting star! Indeed, after only two years, Rihanna’s luxury Fenty fashion house closes down. While her beauty and Savage x Fenty lingerie lines are cooler than ever, the ready-to-wear line has been put on hold. Due to supply chain issues and travel restrictions during the pandemic, the singer and LVMH have jointly decided to leave Fenty on ice while waiting for the storm to pass. And “Now that it’s raining more than ever”, we hope Rihanna stays “under her umbrella!” Paris is the New York Guess who is moving…