Fashion Is Not Just Clothing. It’s Art You Wear

I got into fashion for the art. The colours, the shapes, the stories that could be told with a collection. The meaning behind every detail.

But lately, I find myself questioning: What am I even doing here? Where is the art? Where are the stories?

The industry I fell in love with feels so far from what I imagined—caught up in politics, unethical practices, and a system that seems to have lost its way. And worst of all? Many customers don’t seem to care anymore. Not everyone, of course, but I see what’s happening.

There’s something magical about designing a piece from scratch—like pouring your heart onto a canvas and watching it come to life. For me, every sketch was a story, every garment a piece of art that someone could carry with them. I used to find inspiration in the most beautiful places—Burning Man outfits that embodied wild self-expression, my ex-boss’s trip to Barcelona that influenced an entire color palette, or Gothic architecture that shaped an entire collection in school.

Every collection had meaning. That shade of blue? It wasn’t random. That fabric? It had a purpose. I studied fashion because I saw it as an extension of art, a way to express culture, identity, and creativity. But the deeper I went into the industry, the more cracks I started to see.

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Fashion Wasn’t Always This Fast

Even our traditional seasonal collections—Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter—were already intense. The amount of work it takes to build a cohesive, well-thought-out collection is huge.

But what we now call slow fashion was just normal fashion before. Designers had time to research, sketch, source, and develop their collections with intention. Fashion followed a rhythm—two main seasons a year, sometimes four, but it was still a process that allowed for thoughtfulness and craftsmanship.

Now, the industry has completely shifted. Instead of two to four seasons, we have 52 micro-seasons a year! 52!! Instead of allowing time for creativity and quality, brands are racing to pump out new designs every single week. The average person today buys 60% more clothing than they did 20 years ago—but they keep those items for only half as long.

And this mindset isn’t just in big corporations—it’s everywhere.

We constantly get clients who come to us and say, "I need everything done in four months." They don’t even have a brand name yet. They don’t have a vision. They don’t even know what they want. But they expect a full collection, branding, and manufacturing to be done in an unrealistic timeline.

Where did this rush come from? Why has fashion turned into a race?

Where Did the Art Go?

Instead of people craving stories and individuality, they crave trends.

Instead of craftsmanship, they want speed.

Instead of quality, they want the cheapest option.

And it breaks my heart.

Fashion was never meant to be disposable. And yet, we’ve built a machine that churns out millions of pieces—most of which end up in landfills. The fashion industry produces 92 million tons of waste every year—that’s a garbage truck full of textiles dumped every single second.

And what’s worse? Designing no longer feels like creating. It’s about hitting targets, copying trends, and selling more, more, more.

You wouldn’t believe how many times clients come to us saying:

🛍️ “We want the cheapest but the highest quality.”

🛍️ “We want it for $10, but we want it to look like COS.”

How does that even make sense? You can’t have high quality at the lowest price—someone, somewhere, is paying for that. And too often, it’s the garment workers and the planet.

When you’re constantly asked to prioritize sales over craftsmanship, to copy rather than create, it’s hard not to feel like you’re losing a piece of yourself.

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But Don’t Get Me Wrong. The Art Still Exists.

I see designers out there keeping the art alive and I'm trying to do the same on my side.

I look at the runways, Instagram, and independent designers, and I see people pushing creativity forward, making fashion that is meaningful, expressive, and unique. There are incredible designers still treating fashion as art—telling stories, experimenting with materials, redefining silhouettes.

But then, I also see the other side.

The start up brands that want to churn out micro-trends every week. The knockoffs. The companies that don’t care about design, only profit. The endless cycle of clothes made to be worn once and thrown away.

The contrast is overwhelming. Fashion should be about creativity, storytelling, and artistry. But right now, it’s two different worlds.

One side is creating. The other is consuming.

One side is experimenting. The other is mass-producing.

One side is making art. The other is making waste.

So which side do we want to be on?

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We Need to Talk About Sustainability

And if we’re talking about fashion’s broken system, we can’t ignore sustainability.

It’s not just about the clothes—it’s everything around them.

The waste is everywhere.

From overproduction to packaging, we’ve created a system that is so far removed from reality. These excessive unboxing videos with layers and layers of plastic, tissue paper, and pointless ribbons—for what? A fleeting aesthetic that all ends up in the trash within seconds?

It’s madness.

And fabrics? We keep choosing the cheapest, most harmful materials, pretending they don’t have consequences. Polyester alone contributes to 35% of all microplastics in our oceans. The same material that’s in 60% of our clothes is shedding tiny plastic particles into our water every time we wash them.

We need to wake up.

Fashion shouldn’t be about how fast or how cheap we can make something. It should be about creating something worth making. Something that lasts. Something that isn’t just another piece of trash in a landfill a year from now.

And that starts with changing how we think about fashion.

If you’re a designer reading this—or if you’re planning to start your own collection—take your time in the creative process. Slow down.

The industry pushes speed, but creativity isn’t meant to be rushed. Some of the most iconic designers built their legacies not by following trends, but by crafting something that truly represented their vision.

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So how do you stand out?

How do you create something meaningful in a world overflowing with fast fashion?

Here are a few ways to embrace your uniqueness and creativity in fashion:

🖌️ Find Your Personality & Let It Shine

Your collection should feel like you. What are you drawn to? What excites you? Whether it’s bold prints, avant-garde shapes, or minimalist elegance, lean into what makes your perspective different.

🔍 Get Inspired, but Don’t Copy

It’s easy to fall into the trap of looking at what’s trending and thinking, I need to make something like this. But real creativity comes from pulling inspiration from unexpected places—art, architecture, nature, music, cultures, emotions. Take inspiration, remix it, and make it yours.

⏳ Take Your Time to Develop Ideas

Great design isn’t rushed. Play with sketches, test different fabrics, and explore unconventional silhouettes. Let your ideas breathe before committing to a final concept. The more time you spend refining, the more your collection will feel authentic.

🎭 Create for a Feeling, Not Just a Trend

Ask yourself: What do you want people to feel when they wear your pieces? Powerful? Ethereal? Rebellious? Your designs should tell a story, evoke emotions, and make the wearer feel something.

🌍 Think About the Bigger Picture

🧵 Think about the people making your clothes. Are they being paid fairly? Are they working in safe conditions?

🌿 Think about the planet. Are you using fabrics that contribute to pollution? Are you producing responsibly?

📦 Think about the waste. Do you need excessive packaging that ends up in the trash?

👗 Think About Your Ideal Customer

Do you really want a customer who wears your outfit once and throws it away?

Do you want a customer who doesn’t care about fabric, fit, or craftsmanship?

Do you want a customer who just takes a picture in your piece and never wears it again because oh no, people might see me wearing it twice?

Or do you want a customer who values what you create? Who appreciates the art in your designs? Who treasures your pieces for years, maybe even passes them down?

You get to decide.

Let’s make better choices. Let’s create a future where fashion is art again.

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A Wake Up Call to the Industry

Despite everything, I still believe in the magic of fashion.I believe in its power to inspire, to connect, and to tell stories. And I believe we can make it better.

But we cannot keep going like this.

If we don’t change the way we design, produce, and consume, we won’t have a future where fashion can still exist as an art form.

Fashion is not just clothing—it’s art. It’s self-expression.

And art deserves more respect than this.

The industry is broken—but we don’t have to follow its rules. We have the power to redefine what fashion means.

👉 Will you be part of the change?