The Luxury Liveability Brand Index: An Answer to the Fast Fashion Crisis?

This month Monocle magazine published their fifth international cities liveability index. Surveying cities all across the globe on metrics such as transport, public service and low crime, this year’s findings also looked at three new factors: These included (1) opportunities present in these cities, (2) their ability to deliver goods and services on a 24 hour time span, and (3) that fine balance between historical preservation and forward thinking innovation. By analyzing a city through this holistic approach, readers are afforded an appraisal that considers all aspects that sums up quality of live: one that takes into accounts many different sides and measurements. In reading through this article, with thoughts on the fast-paced nature of fashion affecting fashion greats like Galliano and McQueen, the lack of manufacturing integrity, and pressure for designers to pump collections out of a capitalistic machine model, I asked myself if it were possible one day  for brands to one day measure such a liveability index? 

The vast majority of luxury brands are faced with a problem. Those that are part of conglomerates have investors breathing down their necks as designers are pressed to produce collection after collection. Consumers are also becoming increasingly skeptical about the integrity of products. Manufacturers in China are told to keep quiet as misleading “Made in Italy” / “Made In Paris” labels are prominently stuck on products. With also high profile crashes with Galliano and McQueen subjugated to create commercially successful lines, it is evident that capitalism cannot be the ultimate trump card. Ultimately, creativity suffers. The intimate bond between a garment and a designer, as Azzedine Alaia contends, is also lost. As pointedly as London fashion designer Richard Nicoll said to me during a recent interview, it will take one of the big luxury conglomerates such as LVMH or Gucci Group to make a step before all else follows.

Metrics have been set in place long ago, but these are used more so by shareholders and reflect generally the financial return of a fashion house and less so with the “intangible” aspects of a brand. But what about consumers, who demand that business should be more sustainable, ethical and truthful to them? Ones, like Giorgio Armani and his openness to manufacturing in China, who transparently deliver what they say? Without further ado, here are some of the measurements I would include in a Luxury Brand Liveability Index:

1. Balance between a house’s heritage and forward thinking innovation- Shamelessly adapted from Monocle, but completely and utterly relevant. Self-explanatory as you can see and no explanation needed.
2. Creativity- Beyond the pomp and circumstance, what is special about this year’s clothing line? Has the fabric or leather been treated in a different way? Have new blends of fabrics been used and to what effect? Is the fashion house producing too many products and sacrificing quality? 
3. Commercial Success- Fashion is about the intersection between commerce and art. Garments are ultimately meant to be sold and worn (exceptions: haute couture, fashion theatre), and as such a garment that cannot do both is of little use.
4. Intellectual and Cultural Substance- This would include history, heritage, the ability to transform a commodity into a fully-fledged brand, and the ideas that underpin certain collections. For example, one of Jil Sander’s recent collection featuring wearable couture brings exciting shapes that can be worn on the streets.
5. Sustainable Practices- Where are  products manufactured? What conditions do workers bear in the workshops? Are steps being taken to minimize waste? How are the chemicals in dying fabrics disposed of?

Do you agree or disagree with some of the factors I have included above? What would you add or remove from this admittedly non-exhaustive list? I would love to hear more about your thoughts on the matter, so please comment below.

For more reading on how luxury has lost its luster, please read “Deluxe” by Dana Thomas

My friend Sam has also written an eloquent article on this matter. You can check it out on her blog, Sam Is Home!

Image Source: Monocle Magazine