Fashion is in a pretty shitty place atm. It’s not just that the new-stuff machine is an environmental and human rights disaster, it’s that everything looks the same, independent businesses are struggling and even expensive clothes are badly made.
Things are even worse in the media. Collapsing profits mean that even the biggest publications are struggling — so instead of the criticism we so urgently need, we get tedious trend reports and yet more celebrity outfits. The sad truth is that it feels almost impossible for writers to build a long-term career in fashion these days, and that’s especially true if you’re asking difficult questions. But if I’ve learned anything from publishing my book, The World Is On Fire But We’re Still Buying Shoes, it’s that people are dying for independent, critical voices that aren’t scared of saying what needs to be said.
So that’s what this newsletter is about. Drawing on my years of experience in the industry (in a previous life, I was digital fashion editor at Highsnobiety), I’ll be going further into the issues I care about, examining fashion’s problems with sustainability, consumption and greenwashing, and looking at how we can make sense of them. The newsletter format gives me the space to write deeper and more consistently, with the possibility of making a living from paid subscriptions.
Newsletters is give so much space and freedom to writers — when you don’t need to worry about the algorithm, you’re free to bring nuance and variety into your work. So yes, I’ll be talking about carbon offsets and emissions reporting, but I’ll also be taking a critical look at what’s going on in the rest of the industry and celebrating brands, retailers, people and products that I really care about.
I’m not going to rant about fast fashion (we get it, everyone hates Shein) and I won’t make you feel bad for buying clothes because I love them too. I like to touch on psychology and philosophy in my work, because at the end of the day this is what fashion is really about: society, and our place in it.
I’ll be posting a mix of free and paid newsletters. Paid subscriptions cost $6 / €5 / £5 a month, with a discount for a full year, and 30% off for students. Paid subscribers can join in the conversation in the comments. You can put it on your work expense account if you have one, and it’s tax deductible if you’re freelance.
At the end of the day I’m just a fashion writer who loves clothes and cares about where the world is going. And that’s what this newsletter is going to be about — making sense of fashion in an age of crisis. By becoming a paid subscriber, you’re helping me build a career from my writing, while supporting an independent, critical perspective in fashion at a time where the industry so desperately needs it.
🖤
Alec
