I'll call this a return on style kind of investment. I do have a tremendous affinity for good tailoring, I am after all the grand daughter of a seamstress, and was raised in the same region where Giorgio Armani no doubt found inspiration for the colors and lines of his collections.
A few days ago I came across Vanessa Friedman's Fashion Manifesto#. Friedman was the FT fashion editor and soon to be NYT fashion director and chief fashion critic#.
Now in addition to writing about Armani's credibility and relentless focus I have discussed marketers and the fashion design business on occasion of the passing of another favorite Italian designer Gianfranco Ferre'. Most recently, I had the opportunity to listen to a podcast interview with Tom Ford.
I have a fashion and style board on Pinterest -- I enjoy composition of textures, colors, materials, patterns, and lines.
My roots are still deeply Italian, and I tend to derive more joy from saving for special items and while I do work some edgier styles into my wardrobe, with some additions I know will rotate out, the majority of what stays is fairly classic and has been with me for a few years.
So when I came across Friedman's talk about a Sustainable Wardrobe, I thought about my choices over the years, what stayed and what cycled out, and about sustainable in other categories, like home appliances, for example. Every time I chose to wait and then make a thoughtful purchase, it paid off in enjoyment and durability.
The decision about what constitutes value is yours, as Friedman says, and when I came across the story of Brunello Cucinelli, the Franciscan of cashmere, I liked his story and work -- see the guardian of these places. The new collection has that timeless quality I have come to appreciate. Part of it is also being alright with admiring from afar and knowing what fits you and your personality.
I am seeing this kind of thought process in younger generations, millennials, and also much younger ones, like 5-8 year olds who incidentally take to technology fast. So it will indeed be interesting to see how the industry develops in conversation and then trade with these generations used to speed and features/functionality in tech and not as attached to owning things.
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Valeria is an experienced listener. She designs service and product experiences to help businesses rediscover the value of promises and its effect on relationships and culture. She is also frequent speaker at conferences and companies on a variety of topics. Book her to speak here.