LONGEVITY

Lon

vi

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COVER

350gsm Colorplan Gravure

PAPER Splendorgel

BINDING SIZE

210mm x 265mm

FONTS

Screw Post Binding

Circular Std Futura PT Volkhov

Two holes drilled in covers and text and bound with binding screws

PAGE COUNT PRINTING

28

HP Indigo Digital

FINISHING Trim, Score, Fold

longevity

THINK PIECE

hotline words EMILY REID

bling

photo KATHERINE THOMSON

Today’s consumer is increasingly over-stimulated by the overwhelming choices they have in this digitally driven age. Technology plays an undeniably important role in our lives and has had a significant impact on fashion.

The Internet and social media have transformed the way we connect and communicate. Selfies, Snapchat and smiley faces are now a new language, creating more disconnect in real life, and more conversations online, begging the question whether technology has a positive or negative effect on our lives.

Technology has influenced the way that fashion is consumed, but what it hasn’t changed is way we dress – at least for the present. The main effect of all this connectivity is unlimited and unfiltered access to culture and content. A lot of what used to be quite exclusive in fashion, like runway shows and couture collections, are now accessible for everyone to see. Whether it is the ability to stream fashion week live on computer screens, or being able to preview an entire collection on social media the day before a showcase is now all possible thanks to technology. I am not saying that this is completely a bad thing, as I’m not expecting an invite to a front row fashion show with Anna Wintour anytime soon, but this increasing mode of experiencing clothing, and the ideas behind what inspires the designers to create, being mediated through screens, is something that I feel is undermining the inherent value of fashion.

This instant form of communication has triggered a response from the industry to feed the consumers’ desire for more, which has in turn given rise to the term ‘Fast Fashion’. Technology has fuelled the ability of companies to produce cheaper clothes, with a turnaround so fast that new clothes are in the shops weekly and High Street shops can showcase catwalk copies in under a month.

We consume in such excess that we don’t have the same value / consideration for things, just the amount of it we own.

We consume fashion like fast food. Fast fashion = cheap and disposable. When we shop online we add items to cart without much thought.

THINK PIECE

ADD TO CART

HOTLINE BLING

It can be argued that the technological advances that enable Fast Fashion to exist have completely changed the face of fashion, as the consumption of textiles within the fashion industry rose 47% in the years between 2000 and 2010. Undeniably, it is technology that has changed the way apparel products are produced, supplied and delivered to customers, and technology has been one of the most important developments in creating faster methods of manufacturing and production in the fashion industry.

In a short documentary about the future of clothing called ‘The Next Black’, innovative fashion and technology company, Studio XO, talks about the transformation in textiles that technology is driving. Wearable technology enables interactive wearable experiences at the intersection between digital and physical worlds. One of the most interesting areas for technology in fashion is through the development of new fabrics and the positive impact that this may have on the environment. Sophie Mather, a former head of innovation at Nike Asia, from YEH Group looks at technologies that can transform the fashion industry. Based in Bangkok, a process called dry dye is changing the way we dye textiles. Fabric is dyed using ‘super critical carbon dioxide’. This process of dry dye uses 50% less energy and chemicals than traditional methods. Each year the process of water dying textiles discharges the “equivalent of half the Mediterranean Sea into our rivers and streams,” but new methods, enabled by developments in technology are allowing us to mitigate the impact of fashion on our environment.

Although technology has been present in fashion for some time, even before ‘wearable technology’ began, it now dominates many areas of life. However, many technology trends in fashion focus mainly on gadgets and one-off ‘cyborg’ pieces, instead of technology becoming completely integrated into the way the industry runs and evolves. In a time where technology is growing more and more sophisticated, there has also been a backlash against embracing it, in all its forms, as a way to escape to another reality. Lee Quinby wryly dubs this trend as the “technological apocalypse” and notes that “If the future is cyberspace, then what better way to soothe techno-peasant anxieties than to yearn for a Mont Blanc fountain pen?” People have started to redefine their relationship to material objects and the way they consume content. The expansion of technology has been so rapid, that being constantly connected to the Internet is somewhat overwhelming and in some

ways isolating. Justine Picardie, editor of Harper’s Bazaar, notes “There is now an increased emphasis on the handcrafted; things that are real, things that are made by human hands, that are touched by human hands and emotive”, which sees us wishing to connect on an emotional level to the inanimate and develop a lasting relationship with the contents of our wardrobe.

In fashion, the technology we are exposed to is not necessarily changing the way we dress or the trends that surround clothing, but it is driving the industry forward in the way we experience and consume fashion. But now, as more brands defer fashion weeks and more designers drop out of fashion houses to dedicate more time to their own brands, will technology allow designers and brands to break off from the traditional mainstream and commercial methods of communicating with customers?

Connecting with people directly and in a more personal and intimate way. There is an increasing prevailing sense that there can be something intensely personal, intimate and human about clothing. As a result, it is possible to realise that a change is currently happening in the fashion industry, as we are able to see that the growth of technology has also inspired a search for a life that is more authentic.

MEETING

Started in 2014 by Bobbin Al-Rubeyi and Katy Katazome, STORY mfg was created out of a desire for a more fulfilling and thoughtful approach to fashion. Together they make products that do not only benefit the wearer and the maker, but also leave a positive impact on the planet. Using considered, ‘earth friendly’ materials and natural production processes, STORY mfg produces clothing that is rich in detail, emotion and time. With a love for all things ‘slow made’, this future - facing brand is redefining the meaning of sustainable fashion, ensuring that every garment has a story.

STORY mfg.

interview EMILY REID

photo STORY MFG

STORY MFG.

INN: STORY mfg celebrates slow - made production processes, and focuses on the details that are otherwise often taken for granted. Why is this important to you and the brand?

BOBBIN: I’m realistic about what Story MFG is. We are a luxury concept. We heavily invest in time and people. We use very high quality and expensive fabrics and produce garments in a country with a deep heritage at a high price point. Everything we do is detail oriented because we care about the little things that make a big difference.

INN: You create products that are ‘built to last’. How is this relevant in an increasingly disposable culture?

BOBBIN: Clearly things that are built to last have a lower impact on the world because they need to be replaced less often.

However, we also ensure that when they are eventually discarded they biodegrade.

Our principal goal is to create what we call positive products - things that benefit the people to make them, the earth they come from and the waste they eventually turn into. The jeans I’m wearing right now for example are made of organic cotton, dye taken from a plant and buttons made of 100% copper - which will make for excellent worm food one day!

INN: There are conversations currently happening in the industry about there needing to be a change in the way we consume in order to transform the unsustainable pace of the fashion system.

What is your opinion on this issue?

BOBBIN: I think the problem with the current system isn’t with consumers; it’s the brands and the industry that need to make a change. Only a precious few consumers are equipped to make informed choices about purchases, and a greater amount simply don’t care because it doesn’t affect them. Companies really need to start investing in their own future on this planet because they are only poisoning the well they drink from.

INN: You mention in your brand bio that you aim to “re-appropriate technology for the better”. Where do you think our use of technology has gone wrong?

BOBBIN: I don’t think that our use of technology has gone wrong per se. I just think we have lost focus slightly. There have been huge developments in textile making that have allowed things to be created faster and cheaper, and now we’re looking for ways to retake that spirit and use it to make things cleaner and kinder.

INN: What inspired you to create STORY mfg?

BOBBIN: A niggling feeling that we could do better. We wanted things that didn’t exist, so we willed it into being and discovered a market for it!

INN: What does mfg stand for?

BOBBIN: Manufacturing! It’s a nod to old British workwear labels.

STORY mfg’s latest collection ‘Full English’, is inspired by Britain’s ‘60s and ‘70s holiday havens that have stood the test of time since the days of their prime. See their Cotton Twill Time Jacket, Sundae Jacket and Straight Leg British Jeans in our shoot ‘Connection Established’.

SHOOT

connection established photo ODA EIDE model AISHA ARDEN makeup FLORA DICKIE hair DANIELLE IGOR styling EMILY REID

CONNECTION ESTABLISHED

CONNECTION ESTABLISHED

JOHANNES REPONEN

MEETING

interview

iIlustration

EMILY REID

EYRUN MULLER

Johannes Reponen With a desire to enhance, expand and experiment with fashion writing, Johannes Reponen started Address, a journal for fashion criticism. As well as being an editor and a fashion consultant he is also a Lecturer at the London College of Fashion, where he is currently teaching the new MA Fashion Media Practice and Criticism course.

With Address, Reponen has created a platform that attempts to think and test ideas around fashion and start a conversation that challenges our perception of the subject. Through a series of written and visual pieces Address approaches fashion in an entertaining, accessible and thought-provoking way. Reponen is using his work to impact the next generation of fashion thinkers, influences and critics and record the relations of fashion in our culture, from the most eclectic exhibition to the way we ‘tie our shoelaces’.

You don’t get an opportunity to establish a relationship with clothing if it’s designed to ‘expire’ quickly.

MEETING

INN In your most recent issue, you devote a section to ‘care’, where you examine our relationship with fashion. How do you think fast fashion culture has affected our relationship with clothing?

JOHANNES Fast fashion is meaningless as it is created on the premise of short life spans. That’s why a lot of it is high on trend value and low on production quality which in turn means that they are either likely to go out of style quickly or to disintegrate after few washes. This of course makes clothing very disposable and not very sustainable. You also don’t get an opportunity to establish a relationship with clothing if it’s designed to ‘expire’ quickly.

INN In an increasingly throwaway society, why do you think it is important that we care for our clothing?

JOHANNES Fashion is a business and I’m not against consumerism. However, we should think about the things we buy as long-term investment as opposed to a quick fix. Consumers need more education on what quality means and how to care for clothing. Garments that live longer usually have more memories attached to them which is why you are then more likely to invest in caring for them. At the core of this is a question about values: what do we place value on when we go shopping? Is it on trend relevance?

Is it on quality, craftsmanship or materials? Is it on sustainability or perhaps something else?

INN There are many conversations currently happening in the in the fashion industry about fixing the ‘fashion system’, with issues including the unsustainable pace of fashion, the pressure on designers to constantly create and the dominance of digital. How do you think the fashion industry needs to change in order to progress?

JOHANNES I find the discussion about ‘broken fashion’ system to be too much about media hype and not enough substance. The question is far too big to resolve with a simple answer but the good thing is that the industry is starting to question and perhaps even re-think some aspects of the ‘fashion system’ as opposed to continuing with the same tried and tested formula which might not be the best way forward.

INN How do you hope Address can make an impact on the thoughts and ideas surrounding fashion?

Much of the discussion around fashion is very limited to superficial ideas to do with trends and commercialism but there is so much more to fashion than this. At Address, we aim to offer additional perspectives on fashion in order to add to exsisting dialogues. We are interested in the personal relationships people have with their clothing, fashion and clothing as a symbol of the state of politics, economics and culture, as well as fashion as a practice beyond what a few celebrated designers do.

INN What item of clothing do you care for most and why?

JOHANNES I have a few pieces that I’ve inherited from my father that have a lot of memories attached to them.

THINK PIECE

a moment to myself words ABRA STOAKLEY

My life is too fast. The stress affects my health, my relationships with others and my general happiness.

I know that part of the problem is that my life is too fast, too frantic, too often fraught with the difficulty of lurching quickly and reactively from one task to another. At night, my brain races, like the ticker-tape newsfeed at the bottom of the screen on American news channels. I cannot sleep, often not sleeping at all on really bad nights, and seeing four hours of sleep as a genuine achievement. I need to slow down, but how?

Stress affects your health in worrying ways. Recently, I have been appalled to see articles on the impact of a lack of sleep, ranging from early death, to obesity, to heart problems. Insomnia also affects judgement, which in a job like mine, can be really problematic.

Living such a fast-paced life has also contributed to a constant feeling of anxiety and lack of satisfaction about life. Ultimately, it is no way to live a fulfilling life, but I imagine my experiences are not dissimilar to millions of others.

An article suggests 10 ways of reducing stress, the first being chewing gum. I decide (quickly) that I am going to skip that suggestion and move on to suggestion number two: walking. On a glorious, Spring day, my husband and I arrive at a well-known pub in the

Weald and immediately order a huge Sunday roast and some drinks. Several hours later, we pull on our walking boots and totter into the woods. A little hampered by our bulging waistlines, we nevertheless enjoy our five miles of woods, water and mud. We agree to return when the bluebells are out. Tellingly, I sleep for an extraordinary six hours and wake feeling more refreshed and energetic than I have done in months. Slowing Down (SD) rating: 10/10.

Smiling at other people is also recommended. I try it for a day without telling anyone. My colleagues view me initially with suspicion and by the end of the day with downright alarm. I am asked if “Everything’s okay?” on numerous occasions. My husband says I look mad, somewhere between Jack Nicolson as the Joker and Jack Nicolson in The Shining. I feel selfconscious and stressed out. I sleep badly. I decide that I prefer laughing to smiling. SD rating: 2/10.

Lavender. I liberally douse my pillow with a “This Works” sleep spray and smell like an old lady for a few days. There seems to be no appreciable improvement to my sleeping patterns, although I note on several occasions I spend a good part of the awake part of the night reflecting on the fact that I dislike like the smell of lavender. A lot. SD rating: 1/10.

A MOMENT TO MYSELF

A MOMENT TO MYSELF

As the proud new owner of some new, eye-wateringly expensive Sennenheiser headphones, I create the playlist of my dreams, including tunes from the recently re-discovered ‘Introducing the Hardline’ by Terence Trent D’Arby and that album by Alanis Morisette.

Instead of working, I end up dancing around my kitchen with the self-consciousness of a toddler, yelling “You outta know” at the top of my lungs. Catching a glimpse of my reflection in the window I note how happy I look.I sleep the sleep of the dead and wake up with aching muscles. SD rating: 10/10 (with the caveat that it might have been the dancing that made the difference, rather than the music itself).

Breathing. Really? I feel my stress levels start to rise.

I have never been able to meditate successfully: memorably, I was once ejected from a mindfulness class for giggling uncontrollably. In fact, I have been stuck on page 88 of my Mindfulness book for over a year due to my inability to find ten minutes each day in which to meditate. I find it difficult to be still, both physically and mentally.I take myself off into my bedroom, close the curtains and start concentrating on my breathing. I am a woman doing well until one of the cats decides to gently, but insistently, start licking my little finger. SD rating: 3/10.

Compassionate self-talk. I can only imagine that this is something akin to David Sedaris’ sister, Lisa, teaching her parrot to say “We love you Lisa” and “You can do it”. Not for me, I decide. Compassionately, of course.

The article suggests writing down your thoughts as a way of de-stressing and slowing down. I begin:

1) I have too much work to do.

2) I don’t know what to prioritise or where to start.

3) I feel undervalued at work.

4) I am not sure I am ever doing a good job.

5) I must finish the self evaluation form today.

I end up writing a to-do list for work tomorrow and feeling utterly bleak. SD rating: 1/10. Telling a friend that you feel stressed and that you cannot slow down is also recommended. I call a friend and tell her that I can’t switch off and that I am feeling really, really stressed out. “You have always been the same,” she responds soothingly. “This is why you are successful.”

SD rating: 0/10.

Get moving. Many articles suggest that exercise is fantastic for slowing down, even as it speeds you up, as the endorphins flood the body with feelings of pleasure (tinged with smug, for some) and you are exhausted afterwards, so must slow down. I go skiing for four days and on day 3 clock 72.4 kilometres/ hour going down a fast run, creating feelings of fear, exhilaration and power. I sleep for eight, uninterrupted hours in a single bed of such discomfort that I had hitherto avoided spending much time in my room, as the very sight of it has made me feel anxious. SD rating: 10/10.

I don’t think I will ever be truly a slow person. I am too used to walking quickly, thinking quickly and never feeling truly relaxed. But I have discovered that it is possible to unwind and slow things down momentarily (sometimes, ironically, by going faster) and in today’s frenetic world, I am grateful to find there is still space in which to go slower.

longevity