In the World of Sustainable Fashion, Shouldn’t We Be Promoting Copying?

First and third images: Stan Fall/Winter 21. Second image: Bode Spring/Summer 2018. Final image: Bode Fall/Winter 2019

Last week, the fashion world was alight with debates over the similarities between Stan’s Fall/Winter 2021 collection, and, well, the entirety of Emily Bode’s work. Now are they similar? Absolutely. Almost down to the stitch, really. But the idea of upcycling quilted garments isn’t particularly groundbreaking. Stan might’ve “stolen” Bode’s ideas, but just making something as simple as upcycled quilted clothing isn’t stealing, because the idea isn’t that unique to begin with. But where Tristan Detwiler [Stan Founder] gets himself in trouble is that he took nearly everything else too; the style of the shoots, the set, the imagery, and his brand motto, to the point where GQ’s Rachel Tashjian points out that they look like they could be a part of the same collection.

Even if Bode’s business model was unique and Stan was copying Bode word for word, isn’t that something we should be promoting? We criticize the fashion industry for waste, for latching on to temporary trends that just push garments into landfills, and for unsustainable creation and unethical labor practices. Bode’s business model is among the best in fashion environmentally; shouldn’t we want people to copy it? There is no ethical consumption under capitalism, but this might be the closest thing we’re going to get in the fashion industry. And we’re never going to be able to consumer our way out of the impending climate crisis, but if you can shift business towards a company that doesn’t create any new fabric or dyes or finishes, surely, that’s better than nothing.

This whole calamity was undoubtedly exacerbated by Diet Prada, and it really embodies what Diet Prada is all about; hunting for controversy, bulldozing through any nuance to commodify cancel culture and ship it off to their loyal brunch-going fanbase. Who would’ve thought a publication that’s never had an original thought would butcher an exposè on “stealing.”

One Hit Wonders

Héctor Bellerín for H&M

Héctor Bellerín, the Spanish right back of 10th-placed Arsenal, created a “sustainable” (there is no standard definition for sustainable) menswear collection with H&M. H&M’s description of the collection is rather funny: “When he [Héctor Bellerín] was initially invited to be a part of the Edition project, Bellerín set a firm ultimatum: that the entire collection had to be made from more sustainable materials.” This is a Joe Biden type promise; say something that sounds good, make sure there’s nothing tangible to quantify your success or failure, get the press coverage, and move on. That said, the synthetic fabrics in the collection are all 100% recycled, the viscose and lyocell are all sustainably sourced (again, they do not specify what their definition of sustainable is) and much of the cotton is recycled, so this is light years ahead of the typical H&M collection. The garments themselves look better than H&M garments traditionally look, probably because they aren’t made at the absolute lowest cost and shortest timeline possible. But until all H&M products are constructed like this, I don’t think it’s something that should be celebrated. It’s a good start, yes, but a drop in the bucket of H&M’s $24.3 billion yearly revenue and $4.3 billion in unsold inventory. It is a rather curious collection in some sense though; Bellerín plays defense for the fourth best club in London, and doesn’t feature for Spain. Still, that they would go out of their way to create a line with a player who’s far from a star is good news as to their intentions.

Aime Leon Dore Spring/Summer 2021

Aime Leon Dore’s new collection is here, and if you read the preceding paragraphs of this article and decided you do want a piece of quilted outerwear but don’t want to spend two months rent on it, they have you covered, for $500, which sounded very good in comparison to $1500, but is still a $500 cardigan. Aside from that, the collection is actually quite lovely. If you’re looking for a smarter look that falls just a little closer to streetwear than Ralph Lauren, there’s really no better place than Aime. One of the things I always find extremely satisfying about Aime is its logo-less design, which I think really helps secure its niche as the next step from men who recently grew out of traditional streetwear (ie. Supreme).

Polo Ralph Lauren and Major League Baseball, 2021.

Speaking of Ralph Lauren, Polo collaborated with MLB, and 90% of it is forgettable, although I am a fan of the Polo bear in the Yankees/Dodgers kit. Personally, I think it would be much more interesting if they used the Brooklyn Dodgers rather than the Los Angeles Dodgers, and maybe expanded to add the Mets and the old New York Giants as a nod to Ralph Lauren’s old New York image. Surprisingly, the Polo bear never seems to get old, no matter how many iterations they put out of it, or how many Instagram explore page brands bootleg it.

The NBA Earned Edition jerseys just resurfaced, and while the Miami Heat-Pacers jerseys rightfully get plenty of hate, we all seemed to gloss right over the monstrosity the Brooklyn Nets put out. It looks like they walked into a consulting firm, picked the fabric off the floor as the base for the jerseys, then looked outside and picked the font off the subway station, then submitted it 15 seconds before the due date. I’ve also heard that the 46 on the jersey stands for the number of fans they have, although that may be an overestimation.

Lastly, Milan Fashion Week has been going on, and while Prada got the most attention (both good and bad), Etro really stole the spotlight. It’s got everything you could ask for; beautiful prints, unique inspiration (Jimi Hendrix and Rudolf Nureyev), elite styling, and some rather odd makeup choices that nearly make you question the whole thing.

Weekly Reading: Attention Deficit Disorder Prosthetic Memory Program #164 — “In My Room: Teenagers in their Bedrooms.”

The very first weekly blog post of this website dealt with how male designers approach youth culture, specifically how its always male-centered. This reading is a return to that same idea, and brings about a sort of balance and richness that can only be achieved by truly immersing oneself in it, rather than observing from the outside, as many male designers are doing.

Song of the Week: “Sailin On” — Bad Brains

There’s plenty of people my age who insist that they were born in the wrong generation, and those people really weird me out, because we live in a time where you can order mozzarella sticks to your house at any hour, and also stream any Bad Brains song any time you want. Sure, your career outcomes are probably significantly worse than your parents, but they didn’t have tiktok, so who’s really winning.

Love always,

Dan Moran