What is the future of fashion?

While sipping my one cup of coffee I indulge myself in daily I ritualistically scroll through social media like any self-respecting Millennial morning person. A notification alerts me to several responses followers were leaving on a question I had posed the night before.

"IYO, what is the future of fashion?"

I wanted to know what people thought about this or whether they cared at all. Winter 2018 is coming soon which means New Year's resolutions will be popping up in our feeds forcing us to confront the final year before the new decade, 20% into the century. If hindsight is 20/20 what will 2020 be? The beginning of every century has brought innovation and change. We start to see scholars, scientists, and artists emerge to claim their place in history. In order to foretell the future we must gain an understanding of the past.

So let's go back in time for a second.

100 years ago the 1920's was so wild it was labeled "roaring" as we all would later learn in school textbooks and experience at flapper-themed parties. Also known as the "Jazz Age" the 20's was filled with celebration for life and enjoying a prosperous economy. It truly was a time of change and disruption like no other century had seen! This isn't a history lesson but if you have a washing machine, refrigerator, or garbage disposal you have some 1920's inventors to thank. Not to mention a television or a car. A time of uninhibited inspiration and invention, many of which continue to form the fabric of our lives today. Including Band-Aids. Thanks, Earle Dickson! Unfortunately as all this celebration played out in America, folks were about to go through the Great Depression at the end of the decade. What goes around comes around and Americans were rudely awakened from the dream of carefree living. As the 21st century hurtles along the space-time continuum in this frail dimension and the 20's are once again drawing near, I can't help but wonder where humanity is headed and as a fashion model, it makes me wonder where fashion is headed as well.

Now you know my train of thought and hopefully we can find the caboose in some of the answers my followers suggested:

Juliet mused "Avant garde space age shizzz. Queen Mary of Scots meets the Jetsons."

Lindsey, who is pursuing a degree in textile design went a different direction. "In my optimistic wishing, the future is going to ditch all this horrible polyester and acrylic and move towards using materials we already have in abundance. Natural dyes will be favored, perhaps more people will start making their own clothes again, and more size versatile/androgynous looks." I'm with you on sustainability, body positivity, and androgyny, Lindsey!

Autumn posited that materials like denim will stand the test of time despite what's trending next and Ryder wrote "the future is a possibility of your imagination, Kimber."

So many great responses! I truly have the best followers and I was inspired by how educated and engaged everyone was on the topic. And I have to say I don't disagree with them. Being the 2nd most wasteful industry in the world fashion must become more sustainable to survive. The average person throws away 82 lbs of clothes per year. Fast fashion is harming the environment and poses major human rights issues but it's so easy to walk into Forever 21 and get lost with your girlfriends or shop online and never have to leave your home. Consumers, designers, influencers and industry leaders will all play a role in whether or not we can turn this ship around. Even if it is an avant garde space ship.

But I believe there is more to fashion than sustainability. Currently ethical fashion is a hot topic especially surrounding animal rights issues like fur and leather. As an ambassador in the cruelty-free, Vegan movement I am excited to see brands like Stella McCartney, Reformation and Ministry of Tomorrow committed to cruelty-free, sustainable fashion. Even cities like San Fransisco and LA are banning these horrific practices and the consumer is following suit.

Beyond this inevitable eco-friendly ethical tidal wave is what I am interested in, however. What will be built on this foundation? I think a huge piece of the puzzle left undiscussed on my post is technology. We're already seeing the first glimpses of it from forefront fashion houses like Alexander McQueen's holograms or Ralph Lauren's 4D fashion show. Garments are moving as seen in Hussein Chayalan's designs with his transforming dresses that evolve into a new look right before your eyes. Robots walked the runway at London Fashion Week SS19 and even CGI modeling as seen in Balenciaga's latest bizarre Instagram campaign is shifting the landscape and making us question what is possible. Oh, and if you're not one of CGI model Li'l Miquela's 1.5 million followers you might not realize how imminent this future actually is.

There are so many unknowns when it comes to guessing what the future will bring and it's always entertaining to have these real life moments intersect with pop culture like in 2015 when Marty McFly was scheduled to come back to the future. Although NIKE did come through with power lacing MAG shoes, we haven't quite figured out the hover board thing yet and pay phones are definitely extinct. Whatever the future holds it's up to us to decide. As Abraham Lincoln said "the best way to predict the future is to create it."

We determine how this goes for as long as we're blessed to be here, and what a beautiful privilege it is to have the opportunity to create a better world for all life that calls Earth home.

My coffee's cold at this point and I still need to shower before heading to a photoshoot downtown. I feel a sense of excitement with a side of anxiety about what I'm going to experience in my lifetime, what impact I will have, what legacy I'll leave. Deep down each of us has a sense of purpose and a desire for meaning in this seemingly random and often cruel existence. Just before I sink into that dark abyss I see a bright red caboose in the distance of my mind's eye and I realize that after all Ryder was right:

The future really is a possibility of my imagination.

/KL