Today WWD unleashed a crucial feature that asks the fundamental question, “Is Fashion Heading for a Burnout?” The endless schedule of fashion weeks—and the increasing demand on designers to churn out eight seasons a year to keep up with consumer demand—has been a font for soul-searching for several years now, particularly with the added pressure of social media and the breakneck speed of the internet upending the public’s expectations for immediacy.
Rather than trying to diagnose the issue, though, WWD instead just collected an exhaustive compendium of the industry’s top designers, editors and executives answering the question of whether the current 24-7 fashion cycle is sustainable. Some interviewees, predictably have a more positive outlook than others—perhaps the most perfect juxtaposition of designer disposition and outlook comes with the contrast between Karl Lagerfeld and Alber Elbaz; the German workhorse says he has “no problem” and compares fashion to sport—“you have to run”—while the droll head of Lanvin is more philosophical about it:
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