30 January 2020

Today, beauty lies in things that can be used and repurposed over time, not in things that are new

Use, throw and re-use! 2020 looks to cut waste and demonstrate how to drive trends at all levels based on a sustainable, circular and differentiating approach.

Faced with the longstanding environmental emergency impacting our planet – which today has (finally) caught the public’s attention and that of individuals in general – it would be difficult to choose just one or two reasons as to why we have reached the point of catharsis.

Without realising it, we woke up in an era when the most widely spoken commercial language was that of extemporaneous disposable purchases, closely tied to current trends rather than to long-term needs. To understand each other universally, we adopted a disposable lifestyle and, to self-absolve ourselves from the tendency towards compulsive purchases (in large quantities), we attempted to spend less and less, penalising the labour and the quality of raw materials, based on a fast fashion logic.

But, as is the case in everyday life, the world realised the problem at hand only when all the indicators seemed to point towards its doom (just think, for example, at the excessive need for water, the increase in greenhouse gases and the choice of low quality materials).

Fortunately though, we have a solution and this solution is workable, rewarding and at our fingertips.

The time is now: at Pitti, elegance is circular

The solution, as we already mentioned, is in our reach but the timing of its adoption is – and must be – here and now.

This year’s first glimpses into the world of fashion came with clarity at the 97th edition of Pitti Uomo, marked by the identity-focused choices of the contemporary citizen.

The annual event held in Florence and watched with interest from all corners of the fashion world, welcomed a small (and indispensable) provocation of Greenpeace in Fortezza del Basso, promoter of the campaign fittingly titled The time is now! New citizen 1.5”. The first warning is enclosed right in the folds of the claim: 1.5 is the maximum increase in the global average temperature, the so-called safe upper-limit for global warming permitted to the world’s inhabitants to contain the climatic threat.

The red alert has been sounded. However, the rescue plan now comes into play. It is within this mindset that Greenpeace Italia appeals to the conscious individual, to act within the scope of his or her lifestyle with small choices focused on responsibility. The Organisation’s proposal has been transformed into 6 collection capsules made from eco-sustainable fabrics provided by manufacturing companies from the Detox Consortium

But the invitation to a concrete commitment to sustainability came from all levels, even from Royalty.

Prince Charles of England – as promoter of the “Campaign for Wool” launched to support the use of pure wool obtained from organic crops – sent his video contribution to the Pitti Uomo exhibition, drawing attention to the love of nature and animals and encouraging a strategic collaboration between breeders, retailers, stylists, designers and consumers to facilitate the introduction on the market of an increasingly ecological, ethical and sustainable fashion product.

In the Anthropocene era, the stimulus to live and “think sustainable”

Before enjoying the results of the change in mentality currently underway, however, let’s take a small step back. Before any self-respecting historical renaissance – which will hopefully have even half the revolutionary reach of the Renaissance on the arts and trades world – it is best to stop for a second and understand the causes that led us to where we are today. Those detailed in the first chapter on our history textbook, so to speak.

In 2019, there was a lot of talk about the Anthropocene Epoch in films and museums. In a nutshell, the geological era of man, the natural effects of human actions against our Planet. We have entered the timeline, but there’s certainly no merit or glory in it.

But not all evil comes to harm: by acknowledging this epochal scientific “result” things actually started to turn in the right direction (perhaps the only one now possible). Today we can in fact say we are ready for the “Sustainable Thinking” promoted first of all by the great names of the global fashion industry. This means that we have all the necessary elements to return to sustainable thinking, providing answers to our needs without irreversibly impacting the environment and the ecosystem.

White Street Market 2020: the essential is visible to the eye (and scented to the nose)

 Controversial, unscrupulous and at times bordering on insolent, we cannot deny that the universe of fashion dictates current trends and, above all, heralds key future developments.

After Pitti Uomo, the stage has changed location putting the spotlight on the Milan Fashion Week. Between catwalks, exhibition spaces and press conferences, many themes emerged and many possible solutions were put forward, all with an eye to eco-fashion and green design. Many of these resonated in Via Tortona, at the Base Milano centre for culture and creativity (formerly the Ansaldo company) during the two days of the White Street Market.

The first event fully dedicated to fashion design and sustainable innovation, in fact, brought together a heterogeneous selection of strong market brands, also – and above all – in view of their concrete answers to sustainability issues, to the benefit of the circular economy.

Among these, Oway was on hand to make its presence felt through the strength of perfumes and the power of sensory experiences, in a sea filled with many brave explorers of the world of reuse and repurpose.

We stood proudly among jeans, trousers, t-shirts and accessories, pioneers of a plastic free business model since 2013, firm defenders of reuse, never mere spectators by choice, longstanding protagonists of the agricosmetic circle. With a clear message for everyone: “We need you”, because this is the right direction. 

Oway’s Interwoven Senses and Artefiera’s immersive journey

As you may have well understood, Oway’s 2020 also started full of stimuli and intuitions.

Before saying goodbye to this past year, we had the good fortune of crossing paths with a young artist with an already mature and well-defined stylistic figure, but constantly looking for synergies. She produces art making it available to conscious and accidental users, while Oway continues to carry forward its circular agrosmetic project, made up of many diverse initiatives, but lived in the context of a unique and coherent lifestyle.

What do these two “subjects” have in common? Very simple: a belief. That of experiencing art as if you were to immerse yourself in a new dimension: leaving behind the confines of two-dimensionality, exceeding the limit of known coordinates and venturing into a virtual abyss that interweaves the senses and amplifies the unexpressed emotions locked away within us.

Camilla Fasoli is the artist who has created an immersive journey for us, reinterpreting the world relying on an augmented reality and on the evocative power of recovered fabrics.

Through innovative collages and weaves of textures, starting from discarded industrial materials, samples and old collections provided by Vescom (leader in the contract furniture sector at the international level), Camilla composes dreamlike scenarios, multidimensional and evocative textile sculptures. This journey together has brought to life the interactive installation created for the Oway store in Via Ugo Bassi 4/E in Bologna, on the occasion of Artefiera: underwater depths and luxuriant gardens in the heart of the metropolitan noise, in the exclusive company of our five senses.

Without any expectations, exploring the depths of our perceptions, rising above the surface of reality and plunging back into the complexity of two mirrored backdrops.

 

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