Fashion Students Give Gen-Z Take on COVID-19
The coronavirus is impacting individuals of all ages. But how is the fashion industry’s next generation of talent experiencing the epidemic?
Carved in Blue caught up with three students studying fashion at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. (Charlotte B., Claudia R. and Alexis C.) and two students from Royal College of Art in London (Samuel J. and Danielle E.) to get their take on coronavirus consumer behavior and apparel companies’ actions during the crisis.
Carved in Blue: How do you feel about the current situation? What bothers you the most?
Charlotte B: This current situation has been difficult for me. I feel like a lot of the things I look forward to have been taken away, and time is something you can never get back. However, I understand that this is affecting everyone, and some people are being affected in much worse ways than me. What bothers me the most about the situation is that some people are not taking it seriously and feel like because they are young they are unaffected. What they don’t realize is that this selfishness can lead to someone else getting sick because they couldn’t stay home.
Claudia R: I feel that this situation is definitely changing the daily routines for all of us. If anything, it has caused us to rely on technology even more. What bothers me is that I fear that people will get too used to staying home.
Alexis C: This current situation has disrupted the lives of many in different ways with worries of the unknown for the future. For me, I went from studying at Marist in Poughkeepsie, living with my friends and getting ready to study abroad in the fall to having to take online classes from my house, completely moved out of Marist for the rest of the year and having to reschedule my abroad trip to the spring, with no idea of what I will be doing for any type of work for the summer. What bothers me the most is that while I am at home, I am not able to do the normal things I would be doing if I was home. It seems like it should be a vacation, but nothing is open to travel to.
Samuel J: Currently I am in good spirits over the current situation; I am treating it as a point of reflection on how the industry needs to change and adapting my practice in ways that accommodate these current limitations. While it is frustrating that access to specialized machinery and facilities is not currently viable, I feel that now is a really interesting time to respond to the zeitgeist of the time through construction and craft. I had originally planned to work with the amazing team at Jeanologia on sustainable denim washes for pieces but will be definitely continuing innovative practices like these when they are safely viable.
Danielle E: Despite the awful realization of what is happening around the world, this time has led to some of my most creative and thought-provoking work. Using what is around me and creating solutions in a time of need.
What bothers me most is the fact that there are people not paying attention and trying to just go on with their daily lives.
Carved in Blue: Where do you get most of your news on COVID?
Charlotte: I get most of my news on COVID from watching the briefing every night with my family.
Claudia: I get most of my news from the White House press conferences and of course social media like Instagram.
Alexis: I get most of my news of the coronavirus from the news channels on TV, but I also get a lot of my news from TikTok as well.
Samuel: I tend to check the BBC online occasionally and social media, however I am consciously not getting too absorbed by it all. Everything can be a bit overwhelming at the moment.
Danielle: I get most of my news from BBC, friends, Reddit, etc.
Carved in Blue: Are you aware that some brands are not paying factories for the garment produced? Does this change your view of the retailer?
Charlotte: I was not aware that some retailers are not paying the factories. This just changes my outlook of the retailer, because every step of creating a garment is important and the factories should be paid to keep the industry doing well.
Claudia: I was not aware that some brands are not paying factories for the garments produced. This definitely does change my view on the retailer. Now, I would like to focus more on where my clothes are coming from when I shop.
Alexis: I am aware that some brands are not paying their factories for garment produced. This does change my view on these big brands that I have shopped with for years. The one that especially surprised me was Urban Outfitters because I have worked at URBN and fan of Urban Outfitters, it seems cruel not to pay the workers that are producing the clothes. If they can’t take care of the workers, who will make clothes when we reopen?
Samuel: Yes. I think it is disgraceful that some brands are shifting suffering away from themselves onto workers lower down in the chain. In times like these we should all be helping one another, but actions like these represent a blatant disregard for workers’ lives outside of the Eurocentric and Western economy. We need to hold these brands accountable for the ethical obligations they should have with their workers. Health and welfare should be respected throughout the supply chain.
Danielle: Yes. It’s unacceptable. There are loans and grants being given to businesses everywhere, so there is no excuse to not pay those who have already put in the time, effort, and materials to create your vision. You could not survive without them, and treating them such a way irreparably damages relationships and livelihoods.
Carved in Blue: Are you buying any clothes now? Do you plan to soon?
Charlotte: I am buying a lot of clothes right now.
Claudia: I am not buying any clothes now, but I plan to after the quarantine when I can go to the stores, rather than online.
Alexis: Currently, I am not buying any clothes right now as I am focusing on saving money since I do not have a job to make more money. I am focusing more on my fitness than buying clothes because I do not have any destination to wear the clothes I would have bought. I have, however, been looking online at what some of my favorite stores have released for their spring collections, but don’t even have the urge to shop. I plan on buying a set of workout clothes on Fabletics in April, and maybe a new set of pajamas and sweats, which I am not used to buying because I never wear sweats anywhere.
Samuel: Currently no, but this hasn’t really been something that has changed from COVID. The structure of fast fashion isn’t something I align myself with on a sustainable level. Most of my clothes are bought from charity shops, and in a time of lockdown updating my wardrobe doesn’t feel like the most immediate necessity.
Danielle: I am only buying from local retailers who have made their policies clear and want to continue working during this time in a safe manner. I will continue this method going forward. It makes me stop and think about what I really need, who is being impacted by my purchases, and the implication of where my support goes.
Carved in Blue: What do you think will change post-pandemic?
Charlotte: I think post-pandemic, people’s outlook will change the most. People are not going to take simple interactions with others and their freedom for granted. People will also realize what is truly important to them and how nothing is guaranteed.
Claudia: Post-pandemic, I would like to think that people will read their labels and want to know where their garments are manufactured.
Alexis: I think so much will change post-pandemic. There will be so many small businesses that will not survive this. There will also be a different way that we interact with people after this. Before, my normal was always being surrounded with people, whether I was in a classroom with 30 others, at a party with hundreds of other people or walking in New York City alongside thousands of other people. After this pandemic, all these social scenes will look different. We will be careful about how close we get to another person. Classes will have to accept less people due to space or be done all online, gyms will look different as they have to limit the amount of people using each equipment.
Samuel: My hopes for the industry and the world after is that things slow down, and we all make decisions that take into consideration the well-being of our planet and our society. Favoring environment over capital gain and pausing to produce really powerful and meaningful work. But I think that it could just as easily go another way, reverting back to how things are close to how it was before.
I see a lot of articles at the moment dreaming of new futures that they would like to see, but we all must acknowledge that it is up to each and everyone of us to create this positive change. It won’t happen on its own.
Danielle: People are re-learning empathy and compassion. This should greatly impact the way that we interact with those around us going forward. We cannot simply return to business as usual; this is an opportunity to create a healthier, more sustainable future.
Carved in Blue: What does Carved in Blue mean to you?
Charlotte: Carved in Blue means that sustainable fashion is finally getting the attention it deserves. Sustainable and eco-friendly fashion is the way of the future.
Claudia: To me, Carved in Blue is a great example of how we can make fashion more ethical. A sustainable alternative can always be found.
Alexis: To me, Carved in Blue is a connection to other people. It is a community of people who are coming together during this time to try to make a change in fashion. It’s a way to get information on what this pandemic has done to the denim world.
Samuel: Carved in Blue is about the heritage of denim, the memory of history which is held in its fabric and the future places it will go.
Danielle: A permanent future of quality and innovation.