Where Are Stores, Fashion, and Engagement Going?

Where are stores, fashion, and engagement going? I think about this daily, and we ask ourselves these questions at Gotham daily.

The luxury fashion industry is going through some serious tumultuous times. Reading about YSL designer Anthony Vaccarello jump ship for Zara is fascinating. Maybe Zach Posen is having so much fun at the Gap that he followed suit.

I watched the documentary Buy Now! on Netflix. The film highlights the hidden facts and shopping conspiracies used by every Etailer, Amazon being the worst, who has finally won the ability to use drones so you can get your purchased in less than an hour. Talk about creating an endless cycle of buying. None of this is surprising. Listening to how to draw customers in to buy, buy, buy is eye-opening, too, because we have each experienced the subliminal seduction. See the physical waste is mind-boggling. To see where products end up, watch the Vik Muniz documentary called Waste Land too.

We will never stop making clothes; we shouldn’t, as the fashion industry is an integral part of the economy and culture. Could Varracello and Posen both be leaders in producing fewer products to put into the world and begin only using recycled fabrics? That would be incredible.

One of my favorite substacks is Blackbird Spyplane. This past week, he wrote an article titled “The Internet is Rigged Against Great Stores.” Does everyone need to sell online? Isn’t going into a small store, touching the garment, trying things on, engaging with the staff, and hoping that the store is part of the neighborhood the best way to shop? I began Gotham because one of my favorite neighborhood stores, and it killed me. It was the landlord who got greedy.

Engagement is changing, too. The influencer game is fascinating to me, although I do get it. Did Balenciaga shoot the entire spring line on an iPhone for the effect of being authentic? What do all of these things point to?

There are subtle hints everywhere. Today, I consume more information from Substack and Puck than standard media. I buy fewer clothes than I used to, but I keep wearing all my old goodies. I still love Instagram, but calculate what I see and respond to. I want to walk the streets and discover, bump into people I know, and see fashion on the streets. I want to put my phone down. I have become more cynical. I understand why people are angry.

Change is in the air. Every generation creates change. Change happens outside, not inside.