Do- It-Yourself Fashion

When we think of luxury fashion, truthfully, the very notion of ‘do-it-yourself’ may sound inherently oxymoronic. After all, the entire value of luxury goods is interlinked

with the premise that we simply cannot do-it-ourselves. But if the last twelve months has taught us anything, it’s that these very same preconceived notions of luxury—which have been embedded in our psyche for decades if not centuries—can be challenged, reconfigured, altered and rebuilt at any given moment. And in light of the unprecedented impact of the pandemic; namely a combination of the economic fallout, social instability and enforced distancing measures, it should come as no surprise that the fashion industry would eventually be forced to reckon with itself, ultimately dismantling the former signposts of luxury in favour of something more tactile, approachable and democratizing.

 Mona, a Rammstein fan, photographed by Patrick Welde in her room for the Balenciaga capsule collection created with Gottfried Helnwein’s artwork. 

© COURTESY PRESS OFFICE.

With millions still navigating stay-at-home restrictions, the interactive relationship between fashion brands and their consumers has evolved synergistically. The lines have become blurred, with value placed not on extravagance, but on a brand’s attitude towards authenticity, individuality and accessibility.dell’accessibilità.

Knitting tutorial to recreate JW Anderson’s Colourblock Patchwork Cardigan.

In Late January, Simon Porte Jacquemus announced that he would open the doors to his namesake atelier, offering one person the opportunity to create their very own one-of-one fully bespoke Jacquemus bag. Last year, Alexander McQueen encouraged its followers to submit their own interpretations of the ‘Rose’ dress that closed their A/W 19 show under the hashtag #McQueenCreators, which has accumulated over 33,000 posts to date. Last year J.W. Anderson became a viral sensation almost overnight thanks to @lilbittylivie, a TikTok creator who crocheted a knock-off of the brand’s rainbow-coloured cardigan from the S/S 20 collection, which she spotted Harry Styles wear during a rehearsal tape from The Today Show. The resulting DIY creation catapulted the brand into the upper ethers of TikTok, garnering 78.2 million views to-date, with hundreds of thousands of users still continuing to recreate the £1,250 knit today. J.W.Anderson’s response? They gave away free PDFs of the pattern, with detailed sewing instructions.

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Read the full article in the June issue of Vogue Italia, on newsstands from June 4th

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