SLOW FOOD, FASHION, ARCHITECTURE, AND LUXURY
The topic I have chosen to discuss for this week is slow food, fashion, architecture, and luxury. In the lecture, Professor Serdari brought up Carlo Petrini and his Slow Food Movement. In today’s day and age, we are very familiar with fast food and fast fashion. While many people try to avoid fast food because of its obvious health issues, many people in America and around the world indulge in chains like McDonald’s and Wendy’s for their ease and cost efficiency. We are so preoccupied doing a number of different things, for instance running to class or school, that when pressed for time it makes sense to grab a quick bite. Fast food also happens to be one of the cheapest ways to eat. One may be well aware that a Big Mac will negatively impact their health and would much rather shop for organic meats and vegetables at Whole Foods, but their budget simply does not allow them to. In order to have a meal they must resort to these low quality foods. The same goes for Fast Fashion. Through social media especially, trends are rapidly changing by the week, if not by the day, and people are desperate to follow them. Obviously, it is nearly impossible to be able to buy all the looks off the runway by big designer tables, so brands like Fashion Nova have made a booming business off producing cheap knockoffs of what designers produce for their runways and what the biggest celebrities are wearing. This directly ties into my main point about fast and slow art. One of William Morris’ major issues with being an artist was that the arts and crafts of excellent pastry and quality that he was producing were simply unattainable to the majority of people due to their high costs. This is true with the art of any famous and master artist, as well as the fashion of the big brands. Fashion Houses like Louis Vuitton and Gucci hire the best creative minds to design and produce the intricate designs they create with the finest materials. Their work is art, however, it is inaccessible to most of the working and lower classes. Does this mean Louis Vuitton is doing something wrong by producing such high quality goods? Should they sacrifice their designs and luxury materials in order to cloth the masses? If they become mass produced and affordable, would that take away from their luxury and appeal? Does this make it okay for fast fashion brands to rip off their designs and make them widely accessible? Should we, as artists and designers, feel guilty for placing such high value on our work? Should we feel guilty about having a passion and going into a career that is only attainable by a select few? These questions can be widely debated and many people can come to many conclusions, but I, as an individual will try and think of my own answers and justifications for them. Although I do think it is silly to spend, for example, $10,000 on an Hermes bag, I still think luxury fashion and couture is an art form which people put hours and hours of time and work into, their work should not be diminished because some people can not afford it. That being said, there is massive inflation on the prices of many of these products. I believe things should be fairly prices based on the amount of work and the cost of materials that go into them. The exclusivity of these things is also what adds to their value. I for one cannot afford an Hermes bag, but that does not make me bitter. I can still appreciate the beauty and craftsmanship that goes into what that 180 year old fashion house produces. While fast fashion is definitely more in my price range, it is a corrupt business within itself. They rip off the hard work of other people, which is not okay, and are able to sell it so cheaply because of the cheap, inhumane ways they make it. Most fast fashion brands exploit and unfairly treat their laborers and they have a terrible, terrible environmental impact. Because they are accessible to the masses does that make them more morally good than luxury fashion houses? I do not think so. Then, we reach the moral questions of the guilt that comes along with our passions and career goals, the same guilt that William Morris felt. That, I do not have such a clear answer on. I do not believe we should feel guilty for having a passion. I think it is a beautiful thing that we, as designers, have found something we love that makes us so happy that we can try to make a career off of. I also think we should be paid fairly for our hard work and our craftsmanship as well as the time and schooling that went into it. Is there guilt in it being more of a luxury than necessity, more so interior design than architecture, yes. Sometimes I do feel bad that I am going into a field that may not benefit the masses. But that doesn’t mean it is a bad thing, I believe it is what you do with what you make of yourself. Hopefully, I will become successful in an interior design business of my own. Hopefully I can use that success to give back and donate and work with organizations that help the less fortunate. Morality is a tricky thing to come to a conclusion on, but I don’t think artists should have to apologize for doing what they love and valuing their work. It doesn’t make us bad people, especially if we hope to do good things with the success we aim for. (Sorry this is well over 300 words I had a lot to say, and can probably say more, but I will stop here.)
