The state of fashion according to: Anastasia Vartanian

It seems that everyone wants to be a fashion critic these days. From live-tweeting critiques of Met Gala attendees to trend prediction TikToks, the desire to appear as an expert is high amongst a generation being met with AI, which is expected to do the thinking for them.

But nothing compares to the REAL fashion nerds. The ones who eat, live, and breathe everything fashion. They can pinpoint every reference off the top of their heads, memorise collection names, dates, and influences. These true authorities rise above the noise, serving as beacons to guide the lost through the fog of commercialism and fleeting consumer demands.

“The state of fashion according to” is a new series by Dazed MENA aiming to platform the voices of the fashion pundits of the world. When others pray at the altar of idolotry like “quiet luxury” or “clean goth”, others seek shelter in the guidance of none other than @fatannawintour, AKA Anastasia Vartanian. Now at 100k followers, Anastasia has amassed a following built on fashion history lessons, educated opinions, and memes – our modern vernacular. We asked Anastasia what the state of fashion looks like to her today:

Anastasia Vartanian: “We’re in a luxury fashion end times.”

Zein Karam: How come?

AV: It feels like the hype around luxury fashion is noisier than ever, while the quality is at an all-time low. Creative directors are being constantly switched around in a practice known as “musical chairs.” Luxury houses need to stop switching creative directors and start focusing on quality. While the fashion community gossips, speculates, and predicts what a new Gucci or Balenciaga might look like, luxury houses have been facing scandals for labour abuses in their supply chain.

Reportedly, bags which cost 35 to 75 euros to produce retail for 1,900 to 2,200. Over the years, these gigantic markups, ridiculous price hikes and outsourcing of production to companies with poor labour conditions has been chipping away at luxury fashion’s facade. Once, luxury fashion meant quality. It conjured an image of slow fashion: workshops and ateliers where artisans are masters of their craft, not sweatshops where employees are forced to sleep in the factory to maximise efficiency. Is the luxury fashion bubble about to burst?

ZK: The bubble is certainly bursting, just last month the internet was in a frenzy due to claims of Chinese factories being the manufacturers of these goods and now selling them at an affordable rate, it was definitely telling of people’s attitudes towards luxury fashion.

AV: You’re right, I think the recent Chinese factory discourse shows that the public are becoming jaded with the state of luxury fashion. While the reality is a little more complicated than ‘all luxury bags are actually made in China’, there is certainly a lot of outsourcing going on.

ZK: So, how can we as consumers hold these brands accountable?

AV: Simple, stop buying and falling for the marketing. But that’s easier said than done. The power of these brands is too strong to go away overnight: the status that is associated with them, the decades of history, the way it makes you feel to buy luxury… I think living in our hypercapitalist, consumerist world also comes with a lot of cognitive dissonance. While I’m aware of all the problems of luxury fashion, I was still excited to buy a pair of Margiela Tabis at the outlet. So I’m part of the problem.

ZK: Do you see the bubble bursting, giving way to a new model of luxury fashion?

AV: I think true luxury is slow fashion. Small businesses where you know that the product has been made fairly, with care, and with high-quality materials. This won’t become the new luxury model overnight, simply because it’s not as profitable to do business fairly, and it’s not as scalable for a mass market. But I think we will see more and more discerning customers who put their money towards real quality, rather than a logo.