Fashion in the news: most interesting fashion reads in April 2019

Every month, FashionUnited selects the most interesting reads about the fashion industry published across American and British news outlets. Here’s what you may have missed this month:

“Can the Birkin bag survive the resale market?”, The New York Times

Once upon a time, Hermès’ Birkin bag was dubbed “the rarest bag in the world”. Rumor had it that only a lucky few were able to get their hands on the coveted accessory, for which there was a waiting list of several years. The ordeal to buy a Birkin was even the theme of an episode of HBO series Sex and the City in which Samantha (Kim Catrall) tries to cheat the system by telling a Hermès sales clerk that the bag isn’t for her, but rather for her client, actress Lucy Liu. But those days are gone. Thanks to the growth of the resale market, which is expected to reach 51 billion US dollars in the next five years, it’s become easier than ever to own a Birkin bag -- or several. Websites like ThredUp, Privé Porter and The RealReal have a wide assortment of Birkin bags, putting the future of the bag’s image into question. Read the article in full here.

“Dyehouses clean up their act”, Vogue Business

The 7 billion-dollar textile dyes market is undergoing a major shift as improvements in chemistry allow for industry giants to manufacture more sustainable dyes. Additionally, there is a growing demand for natural dyes. Will this set a new industry standard? Read the article in full here.

“Your cotton tote is pretty much the worst replacement for a plastic bag”, Quartz

Following the announcement that single-use plastic shopping bags will be banned in the state of New York by 2020, Quartz investigated how sustainable cotton totes actually are, considering how many resources it takes to make a piece of cotton. The publication argues that, apart from not biodegrading and transforming the oceans into a giant plastic soup, plastic bags are “the most benign of current common options” when taking into account factors such as the impact of manufacturing on climate change, ozone depletion, water use, air pollution, and human toxicity. So, what’s a conscious consumer to do? Quartz concludes there is no simple answer to that question, but whatever shopping bag you choose, make sure to reuse it thousands of times until it literally falls apart. Read the article in full here.

“These are the fashion brands that rappers name-drop the most”, The Wall Street journal

American rappers are known for bragging about how much money they have, which means they often mention luxury brands in their lyrics. Listening to rap music is, therefore, a great way to know which fashion brands are in and which ones are out. Read Wall Street Journal’s viral piece here (paywall).

“What will fashion look like 20 years from now?”, BBC

What does the future hold for the fashion industry? Will suits disappear entirely from the office? Will streetwear consolidate itself as the new luxury? Will fashion brands release digital collections for our avatars as VR becomes more accessible and the lines between online and offline become blurrier? The BBC spoke with several experts to define the ideas that are most likely to become reality over the next two decades. Read it here.

“Fashionista’s complete beginner’s guide to ethical fashion certifications”, Fashionista

An ever-increasing number of consumers are looking to make more ethical choices when shopping for clothes, but keeping track of each and every brand’s practices is a daunting task most people don’t have time for. Enter ethical certifications like Bluesign, B Corp and Better Cotton Initiative, which indicate whether companies follow a certain set of standards. But that doesn’t make the job any easier, as consumers may also get confused about what each of those labels mean. That’s why Fashionista published a cheat sheet introducing the most common certifications. Useful for both conscious consumers and companies targeting them. Read it in full.

Pictures: Privé Porter Facebook, Screenshot The RealReal website, Pixabay, Pexels, courtesy of BoohooMan