Recent news of Lisa Ho's business going into liquidation has really got me thinking. It is SUCH a shame that talented and respected designers, such as Ho, have had to pack-up shop and farewell the fashion industry, all due to the fast-paced pressures of an international fashion industry built on mass-production.
These days, it has become very apparent that people are opting for cheap, knock-off designer pieces over quality, Australian made fashion. In many respects, I don't blame these people (and I too am guilty of having several mass-produced labels in my wardrobe). The trouble is, this kind of fashion is so accessible (online and in every shopping mall) and a lot of people simply do not have the time to seek out unique, Australian-made pieces. The fashion industry creates 'trends' that the majority of us have little choice but to follow, so when we hear about designers going bust we really have to look at ourselves and the choices we make each time we whip out that credit card.
'Conscious consumerism' is a term that is thrown around a bit these days. It is premised on the idea that we should all look more deeply into the products we purchase. I do this when I buy free-range eggs and when I look out for grain-fed meat, but do I really do it when I shop around for my next look? If we all made the conscious decision to buy pre-loved, Australian-made and locally-designed - we could set the Australian fashion industry back onto the right course.
The great thing about buying vintage is we are essentially recycling our fashion rather than adding to landfill. The awesome thing about buying Australian-made and locally-designed fashion is transparency - we know where it has come from, and we can learn about the stories behind each piece. I imagine a lot of the stories connected to mass-produced fashion today can be traced back to an over-worked and under-paid woman in Bangladesh - that's not a story I want to connect with my body.
All of this reinforces my goal for Hustle&Scout. If we can provide the public with more opportunities to buy from local designers, chat to them, form associations with their collections and hear about their inspiration, we can really give something back. We had our minds blown when we were introduced to our talented designers at FashFest, so it seems only timely to open up a space for these designers to network, chat to the public and launch their careers!
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