FBR Brief #8: The Age of Dissonance
Sustainability, the Johari Window, and more predictions for 2021
I usually send out this newsletter on Mondays, but as they say, new year — new beginnings!
We're only one week into 2021, and we've already seen a handful of shocking headlines, from Bottega Veneta's exit from (almost) all social media, upcoming audience-free Paris Fashion Week, and violent scenes of the U.S. Capitol riot. This week I skip the news digest as this first paragraph pretty much sums up everything you need to know.
In this edition, I briefly cover a few systemic issues of the fashion industry with links to worthwhile reads, share more predictions for 2021, and I also introduce an application of an intriguing psychological tool (when "think outside the box" turns into "think inside the window") to identify missing opportunities.
Have a great Sunday night,
Assiya
Fashion and the age of dissonance
Over the past few years, the fashion industry had to face a reckoning over startling issues, ranging from environmental to ethical and social ones. And while there seems to be some improvement on the sustainability and diversity side, those are superficial repairs rather than systemic changes. At least, we're moving in the right direction and maybe one day it will be a better world.
ICYMI (In case you missed it, I surely did):
Only three brands 'acceptable on circularity' (EcoTextile News):
A new report on the circularity performance of the largest 100 fashion brands operating in Europe says that just three - Patagonia, The North Face and Levi’s - are achieving 'acceptable' results.
Download the report: “Can circularity save the fashion industry?” by Kearney
Fashion forward: luxury brands try to weave inclusivity into their fabric (Financial Times):
Observers say the luxury sector still has a long way to go in terms of ethnic diversity, and that it lags behind its counterparts in the broader fashion space.
Unlike the food industry, which is regulated by the FDA and must meet certain criteria in order to label a product “organic” or “cage-free,” fashion brands have few limits on what they can claim about a product beyond clearing the bare minimum of false advertising laws. […] But there is some movement on standardizing what brands can say.
Graph of the week
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The Johari Window is an effective tool mostly used to improve self-awareness and interpersonal communication skills, but can also be used to uncover the blind spots in business.
If we apply this model to the fashion industry and one of its issues, e.g., sustainability, in the top left corner named “Open” (also known as Arena), we would have what both companies and consumers know about sustainability in the fashion industry or the lack of it (overproduction, overconsumption, garments ending up in the landfill). In the bottom left corner named “Hidden” (also known as Facade), we would have those environmental hazards fashion companies produce and don’t want to share with the public (burning not sold stock, chemicals used in clothing).
The top right corner named “Blind Spot” could refer to new sustainable materials and practices used by others (e.g. resale), but ignored by fashion brands. So this would be a missing opportunity for fashion companies to improve their sustainability performance. Lastly, the bottom right corner named “Unknown” could be something potentially damaging or beneficial for both consumers and companies, for example, the negative impact chemicals on the clothing can have on its wearer’s health.
Read more on the Johari Window framework
More predictions for 2021
Six fashion designers to watch in 2021 (paywall)
2021 fashion-tech predictions (paywall)
Influencer Marketing in 2021: Micros, Video and the ‘Genuinfluencer’ (paywall)
Luxury Turns From Conspicuous To Conscientious In 2021: Challenges And Opportunities Ahead
Your perfect Sunday night read
⏪ Fashion Flashback - How Coco Chanel changed the course of women's fashion
From nautical tops to iconic 2.55 flap bag, CNN rounded up the best creations from one of the most indelible designers in fashion history.