Controversies In The Fashion Industry

There's no doubt about it- the fashion industry is one of the most controversial industries out there. Not a day goes by without someone commenting or complaining about an aspect in the business. Whether it's an outrageous outfit worn by a celeb, or even some new trend, people will always have a negative or positive thing to say. I live and breathe fashion- at this stage, it's becoming my life. I long for the days when I'm finished school and I can pursue a career in fashion. That doesn't make me biased- I still have strong views on topics that can be quite opinionated, and maybe even a bit risky to discuss. I understand people will have different opinions to mine, and by all means, share them, but this post is going to be about my view on some of fashion's most frowned upon and 'touchy' subjects.I highly suggest listening to this song whilst reading this post- it's quite a coincidence that it's by one of my favorite singers, and also sets the tone of this post.

Fur

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First up, the fur debate. What do you think of when that little word pops into your head? Slaughter of animals? Or high end fashion? Regardless of what your opinion is, the issue of real fur being used in fashion is one that is talked about alot. In all honesty, when I see real fur being worn on the runway, my immediate reaction is not to grab a PETA protest sign, or bombard the designer's inbox. Imagine two models strutting down the catwalk simultaneously, one wearing real fur, the other faux. Would you be able to tell the difference? Probably not! If faux fur is so realistic, I don't understand why real fur is still being used. However, I do believe that it's the designer/celebrity's own choice. Fashion is how you definite it, and we have the freedom to wear what we want, fortunately. If someone said they were wearing real fur nowadays, the collected response would be of shock and disgust. But if someone was eating a beef burger, would the response be the same? Absolutely not [unless you're a strong vegan or something]. It all gets a bit hypocritical and messy, so perhaps it's time to leave the subject alone. All in all, using real fur = unnecessary.

Models;

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Next up- models. The idea of the 'right' and 'wrong' model has been something debated about alot in the business. Back when the original supermodels ruled the runway, like Naomi Campbell or Elle McPherson, models were tall, thin and fabulous. Its true- they radiated attractiveness and they were 'it girls' for millions of teenage hopefuls worldwide. Somewhere along the way, a unhealthy perspective on modelling began to appear. There were stories of anorexia, ribs and bones. This is something to this day that I think people still focus on when they think of models. Promoting something that only 1 in 100 girls have. The idea of 'real beauty' is nonsense in my eyes. Beauty is what you make it to be, not anyone else. I think the model image has in a way, 'improved' over the years. Girls with what may have been seen as 'flaws' in previous times are now some of the most famous women in the world. I personally think people need to open their eyes and realise that a change is occurring- quirky is the new barbie doll. Embrace what you have and don't worry about what you haven't!

Fashion = Nonsense;

The next issue I'm going to discuss is perhaps not something people think about as much-"is fashion a real job?" This might sound familiar to those of us that don't write fashion blogs or read magazines. This particular subject came into my focus after re-watching one of my favorite movies of all times, the Devil Wears Prada. I highly suggest you watch the clip above, because I simply couldn't say it any better  myself. The notion that fashion is a just "stuff" drives me crazy. Whenever I see people state they hate "fashion", I honestly don't understand. We are fashion- it is us as people that choose what we wear. You try hard to stand out, but you buy from highstreet stores that sell only trend-worthy clothes. Or people who think they are too cool to care about what they wear. Caring about clothes doesn't make me stupid, or a clone. Of course a job in the fashion industry is a real one! Why, if it weren't for Coco Chanel or Anna Wintour, those who complain about fashion wouldn't be wearing the clothes they are wearing today. Enough said.

So there you have it. Rachel Farrell's controversial post of 2013. Let me know what you think of the topics above in the comments below.

-Rachel x

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