Back to the textile culture: STOP THE IGNORANCE
Local commerce has gone through major changes within the last few years, mirroring its modifications in the evolution of social interactions and dynamics. Concerning money, it goes without saying that the quality-life standards, together with daily stress issues, led people to egoistically act different in the money-worth: fair enough, most people correctly egoistically choose self-well-being, instead of what is getting to be considered now “overrated or harmful”.
Why? Most of us, especially through the last years, had to fac e multiple vital choices. The last 20 years’ family incomings kept on the same level, whereas daily life increased its costs permanently, leading to, especially with the “euro era”, surely not complimenting the whole process, a harsh quality of life. I feel quite sure that you at least once thought “I would rather go out for a brunch instead of getting myself a new coat “or “I would rather spend that amount of money on a family vacation instead of in a designer piece”. All in all, if prior, feeling good had a connection with “dressing good”, today it’s all about “self-love”, evoked by the tranquility of seaside or mountain traveling, meeting friends, going for a party, enjoying the family and most of all, smiling and laughing. How could we not agree? We can’t in fact.
The crisis in textile/fashion/clothing sector has actually not that much to do with daily choices of life. Textile industry must be guilted for it. We all, as workers are guilty of accepting any condition posed, with never fighting. Overfilled wardrobes, together with the historical period that we are facing, create the perfect mix not to want to fill them more. the horde of the e-commerce all the market had varied. Once, going to our favorite store, boutique in the very center of our town, being talkative to the employers who were willing to advise you and conduct you through the shopping experience, among try-ons, was a joy. Visiting Store fronts was and is part of my job, leading me to understand what the market requires and how to proceed with the sourcing every season. Unluckily, those last-year visits, led me to questions:
how could a possible consumer be willing to buy in a certain store when all the storefronts are filled in with poor-quality pieces? Through the last few decades, the big producers, started lacking in quality to drop costs. With that being said, if at the beginning the benefits were assured, with the time, the run for the consumerism did saturate the market with scares products, breaking drown historical textile philosophy: textile factories rather import yarns that were previously the base of their work. Besides, competing with foreign produces, I personally define as disloyal, for the production chains they utilize and the material they eventually place on the market, resembles quite impossible. It feels nostalgic to me to remember about the old-schooled cotton, silk, and wool mills, especially the one in my town.
In all this consumerism mess, Brand splay a good role: they started to rather invest in their image and merchandising, then in actual quality of their products. I found myself arguing quite often for the latter reasons, for little expenditures in meters and on low-end andimported products. The price of the product is now imposed and has no link to the actual quality nor to its tailoring. It contrariwise relies on the label, on the image, and on the message that the company wants to give to the final consumer. AS A MATTER OF FACT, WE CONQUER THE DEATH Of out Italian Textile field.
Can we keep this from happening? Possibly, at least we must try. We all must. the Italian textile industry has been the flagship of our nation all over the world, it is part of our history, of our being, of our culture. We all must step back to the origins, returning to our grandparents’’ ideologies and beliefs. Brand s must restart seeking for qualitative pieces, textiles with a real base, understanding the whole process behind very seasonal collection and being prepositive in the presentation of their products. The Italian production must be safeguard, in the full respect of the timing for a collection production, and its show, in order not to undergo issues with others taking profit from our work. Price must be the last focus, whereas the former one MUST be the taste, the quality, the construction, the raw materials implied. manufacturers, as well as contractors, must invest their efforts in professional and qualified personnel, paying attention to the world around them.
Last but not the least, Schools must return to real origins, preparing youths, giving them certainties and a true qualification, teaching discipline, love sacrifice and humility. Now instead, those who have now completed textile schools are children with so much presumption and a great deal of confusion in the head. I personally will keep fighting for the defense of the origin, for the joy of knowing that in that neighborhood shop I can find love, passion, research, sacrifices, smiles and the desire to qualitatively dress up.
Am I fool??? …perhaps, or maybe not that much…. S.B.
