M.A.D About Fashion By Maria-Aliki Dimitratou: June 2015

ARE WE OBSESSIVE ABOUT LABELS?

Dior, Fendi, Yves Saint Laurent are but a few examples of the omnipresence of fashion labels vying for our undivided attention and a sizeable part of our hearts and souls. Getting your hands on such a coveted piece feels like selling your soul to the devil but the return in joy or satisfaction makes it worth the shot. But, why bother?

Cult of personality is one reason. A fashion piece bears the unique hallmarks of the character and personality of its designer and this, alone, is enough to create a legendary aura around the person and his uncanny ability to transform humble pieces of garment into unparalleled art creations. Alexander Mc Queen, as such, achieved status symbol popularity and sold millions of pieces, not only thanks to the cascade of events that brought his life to an abrupt end, thus imparting mythic attributes to his design label, but also thanks to his extraordinary talent and craftsmanship that secured him pride of place in the pantheon of iconic fashion figures. The moment I bought the classic skulled scarf, his signature item, I got so blown away, not least because of the feeling of finally getting hold of a piece made by the hands of someone you cherish and admire.

Another is trend-following. You zero in on items like a specific Celine bag, featured in full-pages ads in each and every decent fashion publication or Christian Louboutin’s red sole pair, the ultimate in shoe fashion at present. And without wasting any time you take possession, blissfully unaware that similar fashion items have a way of finding themselves on the bodies or the feet of same-minded people with similar ideas on fashion. Factoring in the devastating implications of the illicit, mostly third-world, replica industry, the effect of the image you wish to create leaves a lot to be desired.

Fashion-stricken victims can also became relentless copy-cats since, unable to create their own unique style, they show a tendency to imitate celebrities in a vicarious, yet distorted sense of misplaced adoration and blind obedience to the dictates of fashion as defined by the rich and famous. Copying Rihanna’s Miu Miu shades can hardly elicit positive reactions from friend or foe as one is hardly expected to make a difference by directly replicating somebody else’s ideas.

A final one is using fashion labels as status symbols, much in the same way as any expensive material possession without drawing any clear distinctions between unique specimens of creative art and mundane expressions of utilitarianist functionality. A Chanel piece is a Chanel piece, inimitable in its design and unique as a product born out of a creative mind and in no way equal to a manufactured item, which is naturally without any pretensions whatsoever to becoming an elevated art form.

Whatever the reason, we have always been and will always be seduced by designer labels to the point of becoming fixated on them. We need to take a breath and put the whole thing into perspective. After all there are quite a lot lesser known designers with equally interesting items to buy. They can all be brought into the mix. It's not a matter of choosing one over another and, is doing so falling easy prey to our urges rather than follow what are gut instinct tells us best fits our look.

Kisses,

M.A.D