About Copy (and Paste) in the Fashion Industry

I am not a staunch observer of the latest fashion trends, although I wish I am. Terribly split between 1000+ projects in a quite diverse range of industries, and a more than hectic family and personal life, I cannot dedicate sometimes more than a couple of minutes per week for observing fashion trends and influences. However, when you have good sources and references, even less than one hour per month is enough to understand where the fashion goes for the season and what are the main tendances and favorite colours and patterns.

Also, my time for shopping is very limited, especially for visiting a store without a clear intention to buy anything even more. Even as a young girl, without too much responsibilities on my sleeve, I always wanted to go straight forward to a store, buy what I wanted and keep myself busy with other things for the rest of the day. Still, at least once the month, I like to have a look in a couple of stores, to check the fashion tendencies in my home city, even though in most cases I am not interested at all to buy anything.

Approximately aware of the latest high-fashion tendencies, and with an eye on what is offered on the middle range market, I couldn't but notice a very worrisome tendency: patterns and models of big fashion brands - such as Chanel, Gucci or Versace - are copied - without the logo - and adapted for the low range market. I've seen, for instance, more than a chained bag on sale on H&M that only missed the C from Chanel, or whote shoes with flowers reminding of the Gucci sport shoes. A tendency so common also to ZARA or the peculiar Primark. Such a merchandise gives you the feeling that maybe you can convince yourself and some other non-fashionable people too, that you wear a precious item which is similar with the ones in trends. Did I say that I even spotted a ring that was strickingly similar with the classical Cartier rings in a big drugstore chain?

I personally don't have nothing against shopping from affordable brands. For my sport outfit, or when I am getting dressed for going in the park or other children-related activities, or for some weeekend trips, I prefer to wear comfy, funny looking clothes and shoes. I want to be original, unique and to wear quality clothes, but I completely reject the idea of wearing fake brands or looking-like-brands. If I really want a Chanel bag, I save fiercely and I eventually have it one day. If I want to wear branded clothes and my budget is limited, I go to a TK Maxx, where I can buy discounted quality original brands. 

This worrisome tendecies of the big brands are a bit depreciative for the usual customers of those companies. What, if you are not so rich, it means that you cannot be original? You have to resign yourself to the reality that you will never be able to be more than a sad buyer of second quality look clothes? Why those companies not use their resources and imagination to create interesting and original products which will make you feel comfortable, dignified and proud of your style. I bet people wearing Chanel-like bags are proud in their own way, but what about offering a nice creative alternative to the big fashion trends. After all, people purchasing from those companies have their own lives, struggles and challenges and creating fashion products inspired by their realities makes more sense than offering them make-believe brands.

To be honest, I have no problem to buy something that looks nice and original from a no-brand, but I will stubbornly refuse to invest my money and something that looks like it is Chanel - to name my favorite brand - but it costs less than 30 EUR worth. 

Therefore, one of my next blogging projects in the next weeks and months will be to focus on original local and international creative brand, offering original, mid-priced fashion products. They are worth to be known as an alternative to an industry that seems to go through a creative block.

Read More

My (Very) Pink Bag is Waiting for the Summer...

Isn't it summer yet? Not yet? For how long I have to wait more? With cold temperatures that makes your breathing hard, and temptation to add as many anti-fashion layers because, you know...better safe than sorry...summer looks like one of those open-eyes dream nurtured while staring at Instagram feeds from happier places than yours. But everything is short-term in this life, and as I am a big supporter of planning, I am preparing meanwhile to welcome the summer with the perfect, colourful, happy mood inducing outfits. 

Let's start with a bag then. A big pink bag, which I received via a partnership I made in the second half of December last year with Eva Leather, a company based in Guangzhou, SE of China, which creates fashion bags and designer inspired hand bags. The company was founded in 2012 and has a large variety of products that can be purchased online. The delivery was relatively fast - within one working week. They have their own loyalty points system for their regular customers and a money back guarantee policy. 

Talking about the bag...It was delivered in a small bag cover which allows to keep it in the closet safely until you have the right opportunity to wear it. At first, I was a bit in doubt about the colour but you can easily match it with various other summer colours, like green, yellow, a smart black dress and any kind of floral dresses - which I love very much, by the way. It is made of Togo leather, which is anti-scratch and finelly textured calf leather. It doesn't smell and looks like a great accessorize to wear at the beach, at a smart meeting, on a date and for an evening out with your favorite girlfriends. The choice is yours.

It has also a gold-tone hardware, with flap and padlock closure, which suits it elegantly and creates a smart diversion from the too much pink colour of the surface. It comes with a padlock, a leather strip and a key, which is a great safety especially if you plan to bring the bag on your long or short-term travels.

I personally always like to travel with a stylish touch, and my big problem is that I can rarely find an alternative to backpacks when it comes to bringing out a lot of things that I usually need while on the road, especially my professional camera, my notebook, my agenda plus pens, documents, my small makeup bag, a book or my tablet with my Kindle, a charger...The good news is that soon I will be able to take all of them in my pink bag from Eva Leather, because it has plenty of space for such a long list of necessary things to carry on. 

You can also organise your stuff smartly, as the bag has an inside zipper pocket and one large open pocket. The key gives you a great deal of safety to keep your things in your safe hands while on the road.

My conclusion is that this bag is strongly recommended to busy modern women like me and you, it offers a lot of possibility of wearing it and enough space to carry it with you all round the clock. As it is available in other - more 'serious' colours too, I would have rather prefer another colour, but this happy pink is not such a fashion catastrophy anyway and I am looking further to match it with some of my colourful outfits too. 

Now, I only need the summer for showing it - and colourful me, to the world. 

Disclaimer: Bag offered by Eva Leather for review in exchange for an honest review

Read More