Fashion Forward

"Describes the fashion trends of the 1920s through the 1990s, including step-by-step instructions on how to get the looks today"--

Fashion can be fun, but it can also hurt people, animals and the planet. Fashion Forward: Striving for Sustainable Style goes behind the glitz and glamour to explore the social and environmental issues within the fashion industry. It looks at the history of fashion, from why humans started wearing clothes to the birth of consumerism to the explosion of fast fashion and fashion’s footprint. The book introduces readers to the innovative people, companies and organizations that are taking positive action on fashion. Kids will discover how to make ethical choices and become fashion heroes for the future. There are easy ways we can help transform the fashion industry and still look stylish at the same time!

Sustainable fashion has gained immense traction in the past decade. While American and Western European initiatives are often credited with being the pioneers of this relatively new segment of the industry, it is important to note that they are not the only ones asking the tough questions, and providing innovative answers on the topic. Eastern Central Europe is full of educators, activists, programs and initiatives that are actively addressing and working with sustainable fashion, yet lack a unified platform on which to collaborate and advance their goals. A cumulative platform was warranted to showcase the diversity of ideas the Visegrad (V4) region has to offer. Based on a 3-day conference that was organized in September 2021 by Fashion Forward, a New York-based not-for-profit think tank, and funded by the prestigious Visegrad Fund, this volume was conceived to present the most pioneering civil society advocacy groups and universities of the region. Representing 8 partner organizations— 4 universities, and each of the V4 nations’ respective Fashion Revolution chapters— conference delegates shared their experience, insights, and knowledge with each other and the public in an accessible, open forum in which active participation and communication were highly valued and encouraged. Following the conference’s format, this volume is divided into three sections: “Sustainability & Accountability,” “Culture & Society,” and “Education & Training.” Interspersed between the partners’ delegates’ essays are “Worlds,” short fictional scenarios that imagine alternative realities around the concept of sustainable dress and fashion. These Worlds were written by delegates in a workshop hosted by Fashion Fictions, a speculative, prototyping fashion project based in the U.K. It is our hope that this publication provides a comprehensive foundation on which to further explore and expand the notion of sustainable fashion in the Visegrad region.

Fashion Forward demystifies the exciting career of a fashion forecaster and fosters skills that will benefit any design professional. The book begins with an overview of fashion forecasting theories and concepts and then leads readers through a step-by-step guide to creating and presenting a forecast. The authors reveal the inner workings of global fashion forecasting through real-world examples and interviews with both influential forecasters and the designers who rely upon them. Fashion Forward enables readers to start spotting tomorrow's trends today and compellingly communicate them-both visually and verbally-to inspire fashion innovators. New to this Edition - Current images and examples. Updated fashion photos to include current and trending images, professional presentations and forecast examples, plus new interviews and quotes. - Covers the latest methods and technology. New coverage of social media, technology and data analytics practices in fashion forecasting. - Enhanced global perspective. New content addressed the global apparel industry, emphasizes international forecasting firms, includes interviews with global forecaster and trend specialists, and more diverse images and examples throughout the book. - Practical career information and hands-on application. Updated and expanded career opportunities sections and enhanced activities provide real-world simulations and insights. - New online STUDIO resources offer students self-study quizzes, flashcards, additional projects and online resources.

Benjamin on Fashion reconstructs and redefines Walter Benjamin's complex, fragmentary and yet influential fashion theory that he developed in the Arcades Project (1927-1940) and beyond, while situating it within the environment from which it emerged - 1930s Parisian couture. In this insightful new book, Philipp Ekardt brings Benjamin into discussion with a number of important, but frequently overlooked sources. Amongst many others, these include the German fashion critic Helen Grund, who introduced him to the contemporary fashion scene; Georg Simmel's fashion sociology; Henri Focillon's morphological art history; designs by Elsa Schiaparelli and Madeleine Vionnet; films by L'Herbier and others starring Mae West; and the photography of George Hoyningen-Huene and Man Ray. In doing so, Ekardt demonstrates how fashion and silhouettes became grounded in sex; how an ideal of the elegant animation of matter was pitted against the concept of an obdurate fashion form; and how Benjamin's idea of 'fashion's tiger's leap into the past' paralleled the return of 1930s couture to the depths of (fashion) history. The use of such relevant sources makes this crucial for understanding Benjamin both as a thinker and a cultural theorist.

This collection of chapters endeavour to explore the consumption, governance, potency and patronage of attire in the context of social, socio-economic and fashion philosophies.