Hype masks? The role of fashion in times of Covid-19.
This is not my first text here at Notthesamo. I've been here before, but this would be my first as part of the team. After 6 years of a website that the guys have been working hard to keep going, we came together and built a space. It would be a new era, new formats, amazing content, an opening party, and finally.. But then the little figure of "where to go" showed up with a mask and 70% hand sanitizer.
Coronavirus (in Cardi B’s voice) is the common name for a family of viruses that cause serious respiratory infections, called Covid-19. Its first case was recorded in December 2019, in China, and it quickly spread around the world. In March 2020, it was declared by the WHO - World Health Organization - as a pandemic. But since I'm not an expert on the subject (follow @oatila), I will leave some links at the end of the text for more information. Because in addition to washing hands well, wearing masks, and social distancing, information is one of the most efficient ways to help contain the disease.
Also read: In debt, but wearing 2 thousand reais sneakers
The anesthesia
It took a few days for reality to sink in. That it would be much more than just 15 days at home, that social isolation would be a new reality. Well, writing about fashion felt so surreal that only today could I open my notebook. But this question lingered in my mind for days: what will be the role of fashion in this new world? And the fashion media? I will recommend a video by Rita Von Hunty - will there be art after corona?- that also made my mind bubble.
Recently, in a historic decision, Vogue Italy published a blank cover in its April issue. After all, what is the point of having a cover with a model wearing haute couture in the middle of a pandemic? Moreover, Italy has the highest numbers of deaths from COVID-19.
VOGUE ITALY COVER APRIL 2020
With this feeling of loss of meaning, several questions arise, including our role as influential voices, even within our bubble. We are being extremely careful in all our positions, because it’s not a matter of image; it’s a much larger issue that our generation (the children of the comfortable 80s/90s/00s) has never faced anything like this. It’s time to be responsible in communication and in the aesthetic symbols we will help promote during this new scenario. You know that talk about which side of history we want to be on? Well..
In visual terms, what will be the legacy post COVID-19?
Igi Ayedun, a fashion journalist and consumer behavior analyst, in her musings on Instagram, explains how tuberculosis during the Victorian Era was glamorized through codes and aesthetic patterns. The vampire vibe (much explored by Alexander McQueen in his collections) that we associate with that time was a record of how sick society was. The pale skin, the blood in the mouth. But beyond that, the tails of the dresses were linked to diseases because they dragged on the ground and carried germs into the home and the body, so dresses began to have their hems above the foot. It's worth checking the video.
In countries like China and Japan, the use of masks has become cultural due to pollution and the prevention of infectious diseases that spread rapidly in large gatherings. Influenced by eastern consumers, brands like: BAPE, Off-White, and Anti Social Social Club have masks in their product lines.
They have always been a desirable item for the streetwear crowd, but with the COVID-19 outbreak, the demand for them increased, and consequently, the item has become even more “hype,” a symptom of a generation that has lost touch with reality.
If brands see this as an opportunity and turn masks into luxury items? If fashion and retail go down this path, they will face a significant ethical crisis, because no object that aids in the survival of a human being can be considered "hype."
No more.
In a country as unequal as Brazil, where doctors protest for the lack of masks to perform their jobs, flaunting survival and protection seems at least tacky.
The intention is to question and open a debate about the limits and the role of fashion at this moment, not to judge – despite the clear irritation with the hype mask topic.
The relationship between brands and consumers will be the great challenge.
Thinking about retail, brands' communication will be put to the test; extremely problematic situations will arise. Adidas, for example, announced it would keep its stores open, and after negative repercussions, reversed that decision. Recently, it sent sneakers to a team of doctors and nurses in the USA. In an attempt to improve its image.
Of course, there are many good intentions, actions, and large donations. At this moment, we will make mistakes and right decisions because we need to relearn many things together. But let’s face the truth, what are they actually doing here?
The Brazilian market
Versace made a significant donation, but to Italy, of course! And all major movements are directed toward the European, Chinese, and North American markets. In the global scenario, we know who will be last in line for the vaccine, right?
The truth is that we are an emerging market, and we are at the mercy of the state. With the economic downturn after COVID-19, our purchasing power will decrease, and perhaps many brands will leave the country.
For those that remain, the challenge will be how to act and help their communities build new stories. However, it is not just about sending sneakers, offering discount vouchers, and free delivery. The crisis is humanitarian, not just economic. They cannot have as their only objective selling sneakers and clothes. If all the “storytelling” constructed over these years does not accompany effective actions, it will become clear to consumers that they were just “stories to sell more products.”
I wanted to end the text saying that this will pass soon and that we will return to exchange and live everything again. But thinking that everything will someday return to "normal" is too distressing - because it won’t. The faster we detach ourselves from old habits of life, consumption, and sociability, the quicker we will build this new reality.
Let’s resist these old impulses and rethink because it’s time to strengthen those who are coming out hurt in so many ways. It’s very sad to see your friends with destroyed dreams, losing jobs, not knowing what tomorrow holds...
Something deep down comforts me. The independent has long been a change agent. Unbeknownst to us, we have always questioned whether the formats that large brands operate actually work, and if we need everything that is offered to us.
The answer came like a scene from an apocalyptic movie.
The market will try at any cost to return to the “comfortable” place of old communication and production formats with a new outfit, and guess what: it won’t work.
So, if the news is bad for us, it’s much worse for them. (it’s bad for everyone, I’m just trying to cheer up the independent)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbOWSibE-Hc&feature=youtu.be
LINKS:
https://www.estadao.com.br/infograficos/brasil,coronavirus-tire-suas-duvidas,1081506
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjmjoM_mJYk
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