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When it comes to fashion trends, 2020 will be remembered as the year of tie-dye, nightgowns, face masks, and… clogs. While the former three have all taken off as a result of work-from-home lifestyles, the clog — long considered the footwear of choice for moms and Brooklyn creatives — already made a solid comeback a few years ago. In the last six months, though, it became impossible to ignore that clogs were on the feet of, well, everyone you know (personally and on social media). Even high-fashion took notice of a shoe that has often been called “ugly”: During the Spring 2021 Paris Fashion Week shows, no shoe was more talked about than the clog (granted it was no regular clog, but rather one designed by luxury brand Hermès). But this was just the high-fashion pinnacle of what has already been a clog-filled spring and summer.

Back in May, UGG released a collaborative collection with cool-kid brand Eckhaus Latta. The campaign — shot on a floating dock in the middle of a lake with no one but the models around — appeared staged just to showcase the retro-esque, of-nature appeal of what had once been known as an orthopedic shoe. (Let the record show that the line’s Boogie Platform, a clog-platform hybrid, seen below, could only look orthopedic to those who run in heels for sport — and not just during Copenhagen Fashion Week.)

Then there is the other clog: Crocs. Known primarily as the go-to footwear for chefs, children, and moms who garden, these foam clogs — that previously would have not dared to grace the feet of any self-described fashion person! — have undergone a makeover. Since 2016, the brand has collaborated with the likes of Christopher Kane (where they were marble and rock-adorned), Balenciaga (where they featured a giant platform), and Barneys (where they were spike-studded). The style has experienced even more success with partnerships with celebrities and Croc enthusiasts like Post Malone and, more recently, Justin Bieber’s Drew House and Bad Bunny — all collaborations that have sold out within hours. 

And the clog’s popularity is showing no signs of slowing down. According to fashion shopping platform Lyst’s October report, “Clogs are becoming the comfy-ugly shoe of winter, with searches for the style being up 27% month-on-month.” Of the styles, the most searched for are the Birkenstock Boston Clogs (44% since the beginning of September), a more traditional clog style from a brand that knows a thing or two about shoes that can transcend decades and seasons (hi, Arizona!). The search for JW Anderson’s Chunky Chain Mules, one of the most popular shoes from the fall 2020 runway, is also up by 11% according to Lyst. Half-loafer, half clog, it’s the epitome of the high-fashion potential of the shoe.

People aren’t just searching, but are actively purchasing, too. According to the New York Times, the sales of Crocs are up 48% at a time when, the publication notes, sales of other footwear are down 20% compared to 2019. While a lot of the sales could be attributed to the high-profile names attached to recent collabs, there’s more behind this pandemic success. Last week, when boldly declaring that “Crocs are cool now,” GQ wrote, “The brand made plenty of new friends this year—a year when just so happened that no one needed to wear real shoes anymore.” It’s true. As the pandemic has forced many indoors, comfort has become key. And you can fight the aesthetics all you want — Naomi Campbell called Crocs a “lazy shoe” while on the Hot Ones (17:20) just last week — but there’s no denying that cork- and foam-soled clogs are comfortable. Add a soft lining on the interior, and they can double as an indoor shoe and work in the colder weather. As if to further make the case for their current zeitgeist status are the presence of tie-dye clogs. (In the case of Crocs, they even have a lined tie-dye style.)

When HILOS, a new sustainable footwear brand, pre-launched this fall (its official launch will happen in spring), it did so with a clog-mule style, a design that was decided on pre-pandemic. “The clog is a transformer; it’s carried me from dive bars to weddings and felt natural throughout,” Gaia Giladi, the brand’s Chief Creative & Co-Founder, tells Refinery29. “When imagining a radically new way to make shoes, 3D-printed from completely new materials, I knew it needed to be a transformer at heart — day-to-night and versatile for any room — so naturally the clog influenced our first design.”

The 3-D printed platform of this clog (that helps with comfort and support, plus can be made on-demand, thus reducing waste) brings up an interesting point. Over the last few years, what a clog looks like or is made from has changed significantly. While the mention of clogs may have historically prompted images of the Dutch farmers’ wooden klompen, or more recently of the Birkenstock Boston Clog or Crocs, now what comes to mind are images of brands like No.6, the New York-based brand known for its clogs that combine traditional silhouettes with interesting details, and Gucci, with its backless loafers. Even Bottega Veneta’s rubber rain boots can be described as clogs with the right styling — as endorsed by writer and clog enthusiast Lauren Mechling on her @thecloglife Instagram account.

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A post shared by Clog Life (@thecloglife) on Mar 2, 2020 at 3:49pm PST

Again, clogs aren’t a 2020 phenomenon. The clog’s turn for the fashionable has been talked about ever since the aforementioned Crocs runways. It was solidified when, in 2018, Maria Grazia Chiuri sent out a clog on the Dior runway — for the first time since 1954, according to Paper. But, as the Lyst report suggests, clogs may be at their fashion peak now — thanks to us being in a time when a customers’ needs intersect with the designers’ openness to make comfortable fashion. In addition to providing comfort that’s fitting for the lockdown age, which has no end in sight (thus, no limit to how many clogs you can buy), there is also a nostalgia associated with the shoe. A reminder of a simpler time, filled with gardening and hiking in clogs, which we have taken up again; and emblematic of the cottagecore aesthetic that has been prominent at the beginning of the pandemic, when at-home activities like baking bread and stocking up on houseplants were also at their peak popularity. When speaking about the new Hermès’ new collection, the brand’s creative director, Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski, told British Vogue that it was all about “resurrection”: “You rest; you feel better; you recalibrate; you rediscover the most essential things.”

For those who are then rediscovering the shoe staple, welcome to the new age of the clogs. I am joining just now, too (my eye is on the UGG x Eckhaus Latta Boogie Platform). For those who haven’t noticed the shoe’s recent fashion glow-up, maybe it’s because you’ve been wearing clogs all along — just without all the bells and whistles.

At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission. 

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“Truth is stranger than fiction. That’s a known thing for a reason,” says Dakota Fanning. We are speaking a few days before the premiere of Last Looks, a series on Quibi that looks at real-life crimes in the fashion industry for which The Alienist star is both narrator and executive producer. (It is also produced by Refinery29.)

The show is made up of 18 episodes, with each five(ish)-minute installation dedicated to covering the stories of six women. Subjects range from Anna Delvey, a faux heiress who swindled thousands of dollars from New York’s upper class (while decked out in Celine and Alexander Wang), to Patrizia Reggiani, who went from being called “Lady Gucci” to “Black Widow” after being convicted of arranging to kill her ex-husband and Gucci fashion brand heir, Maurizio Gucci, in 1998. Their stories are told through recreations and by people familiar with each case.

“Even though the shows are quite short, I think that you do get a full picture of who these people are. It’s not a one-dimensional look at each person, you really do get to see all sides,” says Fanning. “I think the show does its best to delve into their psyche and try to understand why they do the things that they do.”

The other stories include the tragic cases of Vicki Morgan, model and the mistress of Alfred S. Bloomingdale, heir to the Bloomingdale’s fortune, who was murdered in 1983; Christa Worthington, a fashion writer who was killed in Cape Cod in 2002; Ruslana Korshunova, a Russian model who died by suicide in 2008 shortly after joining a cult; and Sylvie Cachay, an aspiring fashion designer murdered in 2010.

Below, we speak to Fanning about what led her to join the project, the current fascination with true crime, and the dark underside of fashion.

What attracted you to Last Looks?

It’s a space and a theme that I enjoy watching as a viewer, like true crime series and docuseries, that’s something that I gravitate towards. So I was super excited by discovering the stories of people that I had maybe heard about and maybe some that I hadn’t heard about, and interweaving that with the world of fashion. As I got to narrate and learn the stories, it was super fascinating. I loved learning about each subject.

Sounds weird to say that you enjoy true crime, but I’m fascinated by the darkness of it all.

What do you hope viewers take away from these stories?

I hope that they get to learn about them, [especially] the more tragic stories of women who lost their lives. I think getting to learn about their stories is honoring them in a way.

If you are a true crime fan, I think that you’ll get a quick hit of these stories in that Quibi way, which makes it very easy to follow and easy to understand and super fast in this time where everyone is starting to get back into… I mean, we’re not back into normal life, but we can go for a walk again. It won’t take up too much of your time.

Was there one story that was particularly interesting for you to learn about or narrate?

I was saddened by a lot of them. There are definitely some tragedies that we explore. 

The one that I was most familiar with was the Anna Delvey story. I lived in New York for almost eight years, and I’ve stayed at 11 Howard [the hotel Delvey lived in for a few months], and I’m very familiar with Anna’s stomping grounds. I was very fascinated by her as a person and what she was able to get away with. I could picture that world very clearly because that was my world, too, for a bit.

What were the stories you were less familiar with?

I didn’t know much about the Christa Worthington story and the many tragic aspects of that and how it’s remained unsolved in a way. That one was one that I learned [a lot] about. I heard of the Patrizia Reggiani story, but getting to go through the play by play of that was also very fascinating. There were aspects of each of the stories that I didn’t fully know. So I did get a full lesson going through and narrating each one and seeing the cuts of the show. And I think that the style of the show is very specific and new and not something that you see all the time.

I think you get the information in a very compact way, like a poppy burst, and you get a very clear picture of each story and of each woman in a very succinct way.

Aside from being real-life crimes that rocked the fashion world, what do all these stories have in common?

I think that, in their own way, each woman [featured] is extremely ambitious for better or for worse. I think that you see these women desiring to make their mark in some way. And so I think that’s something that they all do have in common. I think some of them use their ambitious natures for good. And some, like we talked about Anna Delvey… can’t say that she wasn’t ambitious, right? She was very ambitious at all costs.

I think that you do get to see very strong women and see how they use that strength and use that desire all in different ways.

You’ve previously directed a fashion film for Miu Miu, and now narrated Last Looks. What is it about fashion stories that interest you?

I think that fashion is a world that is so enticing for so many reasons. There’s a glamorous aspect. There is a luxurious aspect to fashion. And I’m lucky to have been able to be a little bit inside of that world and see that world. I think it’s a subject that has a very rich history, and it’s very glamorous. And I think people are fascinated by glamour.

I also think where there’s light there’s darkness, and where there’s fun and frivolity there’s also can be heavy tragedy. I think that these stories show that very clearly.

Do you like projects like this where you get to step behind the camera or the production?

Definitely. That’s something that I’m actively doing and want to do more of. I’ve been acting for quite some time and obviously love, love doing that and have no plans of stopping, but I do want to make my own things and produce and get into that world even more. It’s very fun to be involved from the ground up and to get to, like you said, be behind the production, behind the camera. It’s something I’ve always thought was important. And so yes, definitely more to come.

Why do you think people are so interested in stories like this and true crime right now?

I think that people are ultimately just fascinated by people and what people are capable of. It’s almost like this weird fear of, Are you capable of something like that? We’re all human beings, we’re dealt different circumstances in our life that lead to different things. And I think, for me, I’m just fascinated by the psychology of people and why some go down such a crazy path. And, I think that people are endlessly interesting and endlessly entertaining.

I’m also admittedly fascinated by dark subject matter. And so I think that’s a big thing for me. I wouldn’t say that I’m a dark person, but I’m definitely fascinated by the more grisly aspect of what people do sometimes. Maybe because it’s so far from who I am, I hope.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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It’s time to wake up. On Global Day of Climate Action, VICE Media Group is solely telling stories about our current climate crisis. Click here to meet young climate leaders from around the globe and learn how you can take action.

By now, the fashion industry’s harmful effects on the environment are well-known. With natural resources being used faster than they can be renewed, and more clothing produced by brands (and thrown out by consumers) than ever before, the environmental impact of the industry, as it currently operates, is catastrophic. “In the U.S., 11 million tons of textiles go into landfills every year,” says Kristy Caylor, CEO and co-founder of For Days, a zero-waste, organic line of basics. “When these clothes decompose, they release methane which is more harmful than CO2.” 

With this in mind, many fashion brands have been reconsidering their practices over the last few years. In 2015, Mara Hoffman, the founder of the eponymous fashion brand, made a turn for the sustainable. “The switch was prompted by discomfort. When I started to learn about the fashion industry’s harmful impact on the environment, I realized that I wasn’t willing to move the company forward in this way any longer,” Hoffman tells Refinery29. “It also came from a heightened awareness of having a kid who was three at the time, and understanding what my actual ‘legacy’ would be and what his reality would be, dealing with the stuff I left behind. This left us with two options: to close shop or completely change our methods. So we chose to change our methods.”

Now, she is one of the leading voices of sustainability in fashion, and as well known for that as for her aesthetic. But, according to her, the switch wasn’t easy. “Five-and-a-half years ago was a different world in sustainability, it was challenging to convince the wholesalers that had been buying from us for years and had certain expectations that this new way was what people would want down the line,” Hoffman says. However, she has proven she’s on the right side of history: Consumers’ shopping habits have indeed been changing, with an increasing number of shoppers in 2020 interested in secondhand fashion and sustainable brands.

“We have seen shifts in how our customer thinks about sustainability. In the early days [the mid-’90s], they used to ask about where the product was made or whether the product was made in a sweatshop. When we first started to celebrate Earth Day in our retail stores [in the mid-2000s] — with a focus on organic product — the customer would ask what the difference was between ‘organic’ and ‘natural,’” says Amy Hall, VP of Social Consciousness at Eileen Fisher, a brand that has been a champion of the movement long before it was one, and whose sustainable practices range from the fabrics selected to its take-back programs. “Now, we hear about all kinds of issues from our customers, such as animal welfare, living wages, and chemical toxicity. Our customer is much more educated and informed than a decade ago.”

Cassandra Dittmer, a sustainable brand consultant and stylist, confirms that today’s consumer wants to make better choices: “People do understand the need to shop sustainably. Conceptually we know it’s the right thing to do, but access to responsible brands is not always readily available.” She points to price as one of the biggest factors that deters shoppers from buying sustainable fashion, which is typically more expensive to buy new. “Being able to shop sustainably is a huge privilege because that means you are able to make choices,” says Dittmar. “Many people today don’t have the time or means to make sustainable choices when they are trying to support themselves and a family on living wages. We need to work on finding more accessible options if we want the masses to have the ability to get on board.” 

“People do understand the need to shop sustainably… but access to responsible brands is not always readily available.”

Cassandra Dittmer, Sustainable stylist

There is also the fact that, with the prevalence of greenwashing — the process of making companies appear more sustainable than they really are — and the many definitions the fashion industry applies to the word “sustainable,” it’s often hard for consumers to tell which brands are genuinely following eco-friendly practices and which are just exploiting the practice’s current popularity. “The key is to consider if brands are just using buzzwords or if they’re actually describing and detailing their practices,” says Dittmer. “If sustainability is truly a part of the brand’s overall mission, you will be able to tell from the way they talk about the clothing and manufacturing processes. I am always wary when I can’t find any information on the brand online — it generally means considering their practices and sustainability overall is not a priority.”

As such, transparency is key, and “creates an architecture for accountability, both internally and externally, and it also invites your community into the journey and the joy behind the creation of the product,” says Vanessa Barboni Hallik, founder and CEO of Another Tomorrow, a fashion brand whose products allow customers to scan a QR code on the care label to see the provenance of each garment and what choices we made along the way to make it. “Transparency is critical to the future of sustainable fashion, and fashion period — it raises the bar for all companies by changing the expectations customers have, creates accountability, and really restores that connection between the customer and who made their clothes, which creates a real foundation for respect.”

That said, the treatment of garment workers and fair wages is still a topic that often gets overlooked when talking about fashion sustainability. According to Sami Miro, founder of Sami Miro Vintage that uses existing upcycled and vintage (as well as organic) fabrics for its collections, the two are inherently connected though: “If we’re talking about sustainability, then it’s about the planet. But the people aspect of it is, in a way, a different subject. But really, if you’re going to be good to the planet, you have to be good to the people within the planet, too.” 

As consumers continue to demand transparency and ethical practices from companies, more fashion brands will be motivated to become more sustainable — if only to stay relevant. “I do see more brands following more sustainability practices,” says Chantel Davis, founder and designer of swimwear line Castamira, says. “When a brand knows that it can make a profit while making a difference, it’s a win-win situation.”

So then what does a genuinely sustainable brand look like? “Being truly sustainable varies by region and it’s not a one-size-fits-all label,” says Dittmer. “Personally, before working with or recommending any brand, I always consider the three Es — economics, environment, and ethics — that go into the creation of a new product. From there, it’s about making the best decision possible.”

Ahead, we look at some of the biggest things that sustainable brands consider when making theirs.

What Are Sustainable Fabrics?

One of the first decisions that every brand makes when operating in a sustainable manner is fabric choice. Many eco-friendly brands opt for natural materials, avoid synthetics that contribute to microplastics, support farmers that use innovative practices to restore the local ecosystem, and look for long-lasting, high-quality fabrics.

“[In 2015] we started slowly by replacing existing fabrics,” says Hoffman. “You want to invest in fabrics and materials that will last and achieve a certain level of quality.” This, understandably, led to an increase in price. Miro says that the key to a more sustainable future is for consumers to understand why it costs more to do things more ethically. “The biggest problem in terms of sustainability is a lot of people don’t understand. Some people are like, ‘Why is this item so expensive for my brand?’ And there are a lot of reasons why,” she says. “The first is that we buy high-quality upcycled fabric.” When you add a short supply chain and fair wages to that, it’s even easier to understand why the costs add up — and why a T-shirt should cost more than the $7.99 it does at a fast-fashion store.

When it comes to material like cotton, organic is much more than a buzzword. “The cotton industry is a very significant user of chemical pesticides and insecticides, including some of the most hazardous pesticides on the market. Organic and regenerative farming is crucial to reducing this chemical usage for the sake of biodiversity, soil health, and the health of local farming communities,” says Barboni Hallik.

In addition to using organic fabrics, Miro uses upcycled and vintage materials — something that’s become increasingly popular with brands looking to combat waste. “Upcycled fabrics are fabrics that have already been created by other brands. They’re essentially waste, they’re leftover fabric that wasn’t used. So when you buy upcycled fabric, it’s so much better for the planet, because it eliminates the additional need to manufacture, which causes a lot of the problems that are happening, and is one of the biggest reasons why fashion is so detrimental to our planet,” says Miro. “You’re taking waste, fabric that would essentially be going into our landfills, and creating beauty out of them.”

The longer the fabric can be kept in rotation, the better it is for the environment. “A product can be made from upcycled materials, worn by a customer, then contributed back into the same product cycle. The primary goal of any product is to keep it in circulation for as long as possible before breaking it down and upcycling it into new materials,” says Hall. “Once that happens, the new goal is to keep that upcycled product in circulation for as long as possible. And, overall, to reduce — or even eliminate — the use of virgin resources in any new material.”

In addition to upcycled and vintage options, some have taken to using fabrics made from literal waste. Girlfriend Collective, an activewear line, made a name for itself in recent years for using materials like recycled post-consumer bottles in their sports offerings. Castamira similarly uses Econyl® for some of its swimsuits. “This yarn is made from fishing nets from our oceans, including fabric scraps from mills and carpets that would end up in the landfill,” says Davis. “This was to recycle landfill materials and what filled the oceans.”

How Do Labor Practices Affect Sustainability?

Since the Rana Plaza factory collapse in 2013, consumers have become increasingly aware of the mistreatment of workers behind some of the biggest names. “The fashion industry is increasingly built on cheap and fast fashion. We seem to forget that, without the garment workers, none of our products would exist. Yet, we collectively forget that, with each ‘haul’ of cheaper trendy garments, the people who made those garments may not have been paid enough to buy food for their family,” says Hall.

As consumers are looking to improve their shopping habits, ignoring the inhumane treatment of workers is impossible. This conversation has been heightened even more in recent months as several brands refused to pay for orders that were already being produced during COVID-19, resulting in a loss of income for people who depend on the little wages they do make. To highlight the issue, Miro asks to think about the process it takes to make that $7.99 T-shirt:

“You choose the fabric, create the fabric. You wash and dye the fabric. Then the fabric gets sewn by a human. And then the fabric gets shipped. So think about all of those steps — how much the fabric costs, what it costs to make the product, what it cost to wash the fabric, what it costs to sew the fabric, and then what it costs to ship it. And yet, even with a $7.99 price point, these fast fashion brands are still making a profit, obviously. They’re worth billions now… How much is the person who’s sewing that garment getting paid for it to still be $7.99 retail price? It’s frightening.”

“We collectively forget that, with each ‘haul’ of cheaper trendy garments, the people who made those garments may not have been paid enough to buy food.”

Amy Hall, VP of Social Consciousness at Eileen Fisher

If a brand wants to be truly sustainable, it has to make labor practices part of every sustainability conversation, and ensure that the people behind the clothing are making living wages and working under good conditions. “You cannot be a ‘sustainable’ brand if you do not advocate for the humans behind it,” Hoffman says. “The treatment of humans across all supply chains — from the farmers and factory workers to distribution center employees through to staff at an HQ— should be a priority for all companies.”

What Does It Mean To Have A Short Supply Chain?

With items manufactured in other countries from the point of purchase, there is also the issue of CO2 emissions. “Moving things around takes a lot of energy and our current global logistics system is still powered by a lot of fossil fuels, which has a material contribution to global warming. The fashion industry is notorious for having far-flung supply chains where the components of a single garment may travel all over the world before its final manufacturing and shipment to the end consumer,” says Barboni Hallik. “We try to mitigate that by keeping our supply chain as short as possible. For example, we manufacture our garments as close to where our fabrics are made as possible and we are constantly looking for raw material sources that are more local as well.”

Miro likewise keeps the supply chain short. “My supply chain starts and ends in Los Angeles. So I’m not shipping all of this fabric from China. I’m not having the pieces sewn in China, and then shipping it to me, and then distributing it from Los Angeles. It’s made in L.A., and it ships from L.A. So eliminating all of the production made in another country, and then shipping it to here.”

What Can Fashion Do To Make Eco-Friendly Packaging?

Sustainability doesn’t end with the making of a finished product — it still needs to be packaged and sent to the consumer. While brands can’t control how far away their customer is, they can use recycled and recyclable packaging to ship the product. “EcoEnclose [eco-friendly packaging and shipping supplier] is a supplier of ours for our polymailer bags which are 100% recyclable,” says Davis. “Plastics and other trash can take tens even hundreds of years to break down in the environment.” That’s why many are trying to eliminate plastic altogether. For example, Mara Hoffman introduced a paper bag this year as part of the brand’s goal of eventually eliminating all plastics from its packaging. Meanwhile, For Days tries to use reusable packaging whenever possible.

“Packaging is a big part of the impact of any consumer product, and we took great care in ensuring that our packaging has the lightest footprint possible,” says Barboni Hallik of Another Tomorrow’s initiatives, which start with organic cotton garment bags and hangers made from 100% cellulose fiber from recycled pulp and go all the way to compostable stickers. “The key decision points are often in the details — for example, there is a lot of packaging labeled as compostable that is only compostable in industrial facilities to which most consumers do not have access. So you really have to do the research.”

How Fashion Can Close The Loop 

More recently, conversations about closing the loop have come up when talking about sustainability in fashion — and for good reason. “A closed-loop system means that products, materials, and resources stay in circulation and retain maximum value versus ending up in landfill. At For Days, we make it easy and incentivize customers to close the loop by sending us their old clothing, and we do the rest,” says Caylor. “We sort, grade, and determine if it can be reused or requires recycling. We then work with post-consumer recycling partners to upcycle the fabric into new fiber, new yarns, new fabrics, and new garments.” Not only does For Days take its own clothing and exchange it for new items via its SWAP system, but it also accepts other brands’ products via its Take Back Bags, to keep all clothes out of landfills.

They are not alone. Eileen Fisher’s Renew and Waste No More programs, according to Hall, are the two pillars of the brand’s circular effort. “One of our proudest initiatives is Eileen Fisher Renew, which began in 2009 as a clothing take-back program. Now in our 11th year, Renew has collected nearly 1.5 million Eileen Fisher garments, half of which are still in perfect condition and can simply be cleaned and resold,” says Hall. “The rest are sorted and fed into different channels: some are resold as ‘not quite perfect’ pieces; some are cut up and reassembled into fun, limited-edition collections; and some go into our Waste No More brand of felted pillows, wall-hangings, and furniture coverings.”

Mara Hoffman also has a take-back program in partnership with the Renewal Workshop, which cleans, repairs, and sends back the brand’s clothing for resale. “The goal is to keep things out of landfills for as long as possible,” says Hoffman. “We also invite our customers to send us back any pieces they no longer wear. This partnership helps us increase the longevity of our garments. Since August 2018, we’ve sent 884 pounds of damaged Mara Hoffman garments to The Renewal Workshop for repair.” With more brands taking responsibility for everything they put out into the world, they are partially taking the onus off of the customer who has long been stumped by what to do once their clothing reached the end of its lifecycle. 

“A closed-loop system means that products, materials, and resources stay in circulation and retain maximum value versus ending up in landfill.”

Kristy Caylor, CEO and co-founder of For Days

Designing with longevity in mind has, too, become an important hallmark of a sustainable fashion brand. “For us, circularity means ethically produced, exceptional quality products with long lifecycles and extending those lifecycles even further through resale,” says Barboni Hallik. “On average, increasing the longevity of a garment by even nine months decreases its carbon footprint by over a quarter. Imagine doing so for years and years.”

More brands are starting to think about resale. This summer, Mara Hoffman partnered with The RealReal, a luxury secondhand retailer, to sell its pieces at discounted prices. “Companies like TheRealReal really embody what we are talking about when it comes to longevity of a garment and keeping clothing out of landfills, this is why it is crucial to design quality pieces. If you don’t love your piece anymore, consigning to TheRealReal gives the garment another chance at life with someone who does. This cycle of passing a garment on could be endless,” says Hoffman.

While these are all applause-worthy initiatives, it still falls largely on the consumers to do the work. “Brands can’t close their loops without the help of customers. It is, after all, up to the customers to bring back their previously worn garments, whether directly to the brand or to another reclamation point, so that brands can then choose a new path for those old garments. That said, the customers need convenient and efficient ways to upcycle their old garments,” says Hall.

So What Can Brands And Consumers Do Next?

There’s a lot for brands and consumers to consider when making sustainable choices, but it’s important to remember that change won’t happen overnight. “While there is a lot of greenwashing out there right now, I don’t believe in shaming brands that don’t have every area of their supply chain completely sustainable,” says Dittmer. With that said, she believes that everyone can do better by starting to examine their current habits. “Every brand and consumer can make the effort to rewire the way they run their business and brain to be more conscious,” she says. “The best thing you can do [as a consumer] is buy less. Take a step back and resist the urge to be fueled by the quick release of fast fashion. Instead, work to integrate mindfulness into your purchasing decisions.”

Miro agrees that consumers need to stop viewing fashion as disposable. “I think that’s a pretty typical assumption that people make when they know they’re buying something from a fast-fashion brand. They’re like, ‘Okay, I’ll probably get one or two uses out of this dress or whatever it is, and then I’ll throw it away.’ If you invest a little bit more, you’ll get a lot more time out of the pieces that you buy,” she says. “What I focus on is not creating a collection of abundance and pieces that aren’t really necessary, but on what my customer wants, and something that she’s going to wear frequently. Produce high-quality garments that aren’t just a one-wear and then throw it away. The pieces that I create the customers will have for years and years and years.”

All the brands interviewed for this piece emphasized the need to design fashion that will last. “Climate change is an undeniable reality — just look at what is happening in California right now. Once we really dug down and learned about the negative impact that the fashion industry has on the earth, there was no turning back. We know that putting clothing into the world is inherently not sustainable, so our focus is on creating the least harmful impact on the earth and its inhabitants,” says Hoffman. “We design each piece with longevity in mind. We ask questions: Will this garment be timeless? Will it hold up for the wearer to re-wear over and over? How can we ensure we offer an end of life option?” It’s the same questions that consumers should be asking themselves, too, before purchasing.

“Brands can do a few key things: assess how much they produce and sell, how often they introduce new styles and collections, where every fiber comes from, how each item is made, and how purchasing practices and decision-making processes impact their supply chains,” says Hall. “We believe that limiting the harm we do is no longer enough — we must leave the places we touch better than we found them.”

Or at least do everything in our power to try.

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From Pose to The Politician, every Ryan Murphy project is a fashion delight, the costumes as intricately put together as the storylines. And yet with Ratched — an origin story of sorts for asylum nurse Mildred Ratched, the infamous character from Ken Kesey’s 1962 novel ​One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest and the 1975 film of the same name — Murphy has outdone himself, showcasing vibrantly colored costumes that steal every scene, thanks to costume designers Lou Eyrich and Rebecca Guzzi. 

The frequent Murphy collaborators say that, with every new project, the writer-producer sets a tone and a color palette before starting work — Ratched being no exception. “I think more so than any other show, though, this was the tightest color palette directive that he’s given us for something. Up front he said, ‘No red, no orange, no purple. The only red is lipstick and blood,’” says Guzzi. From there, the two used mostly cool colors, with a lot of greens. “Green became this color that was used in a variety of ways. Because to Ryan, green represents lust, envy, oppression, violence, many different things,” she says. “So we used that to foreshadow and indicate characters’ moods.”

For the silhouettes and styles in the series, set in the years following World War II, Eyrich says they were inspired by ‘40s films, like Now, Voyager, for the “film noir” feel. “Rebecca and I were trying to stay true to the ‘40s silhouette of a strong shoulder and cinched in waist and women in dresses; always gloves, always hats,” Eyrich says. 

Right from the first episode, we see Mildred (Sarah Paulson) in a striking yellow skirt suit as she requests a job at the psychiatric hospital, whose stunning production set included ornate doors and floors, velvet furniture, and plush carpeting. “From the moment we started working on the show, we’ve been talking to our production designer, Judy Becker, and we were in there a couple times a day just looking at all their boards, looking at their upholstery swatches, what colors they were picking for the hospital set. And once we saw the coral and the cornflower blue and the alabaster walls, we knew that Mildred needed an entrance for that scene that was about going out for this job interview, that she was not going to take no for an answer,” says Guzzi. “She had to be a visual force to reckon with, too. And so, of all the colors we looked at amongst the set, that mustard yellow popped the most.”

Once Mildred gets the job (through less than ethical means, of course — fitting for a workplace that horrifically experiments on patients), she is most often seen in her green nurse uniform, one of the many worn by the hospital staff. “Again, Ryan had a very strong sense of what he wanted here. He wanted not just the starched, pure white uniforms that they wore in the ‘60s, ‘70s of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, but that were still clinical-looking, but less severe,” says Eyrich. “And he wanted movement on the women’s dresses when they walked down the hall, and he wanted some kind of flow or shine. So, we played around a lot with different fabrics and different colors. He had referenced either a blue or a green, so Rebecca and I had a lot of different sketches made up and then tested a lot of fabrics, and finally landed on one that we could find enough yardage on, because we needed hundreds of yards of the fabric.”

While Mildred and head nurse Betsy Bucket (Judy Davis) wear the long-sleeved, belted, buttoned dresses, the orderlies wear a shirt and pants in two different shades of green, while trainee nurses don a lighter-colored apron over short-sleeved styles — all in slightly different variations of the hue for visual interest. “We didn’t want just monochromatic everything in the exact same shades, so you do get a little bit of color texture with different tones of blue-green,” says Guzzi. “Picking different shades also sort of helped distinguish a hierarchy — lighter colors for the orderlies and the training nurses, versus the more saturated colors of the nurse dress itself. Even [head doctor Richard] Hanover’s lab coat is a slightly different shade of blue because he, as a character, wouldn’t want to quite be in the same shade that the nurse’s uniform is, because he runs the hospital and has a very egocentric view of himself.” They additionally distinguished Mildred’s look by adding a pin on her collar lapel to signify her time in World War II with the Army Nurse Corps.

Outside the hospital, many of the characters pair striking color combos like pink and red, and yellow and brown, for their looks. “One other thing that Ryan discussed early on in one of our prep meetings, was not only this tight color palette, but also giving Lou and I reign to explore unexpected color combinations that really helped heighten the sense of drama. And we actually found that to be very period-accurate when we started digging into the research and looked at a lot of Vogue covers of the mid- to late-’40s,” says Guzzi. “You have a khaki suit, but then bright canary yellow gloves, hat, and scarf. So, we took a lot of those monochromatic looks and topped them with an accent color.”

For one particularly standout look, Mildred wears a navy blue dress and cape paired with a bright green bag, gloves, and brooch. “In the fittings, we would find the suiting and the silhouette and then just pop the colors together,” says Eyrich. “We had different scarf fabrics and an array of colored gloves and such, and we just really loved the navy and green, and that was a big color combo in the ‘40s. So we had found a navy hat that had green trim around the flower, and then we found the green bag and the green shoes, and all the pieces just came together. We loved how strongly it popped. When she walked down those white stairs, it just was a strong entrance.”

Capes and statement outerwear are recurring themes throughout the show. “This is a gloomy, foggy, cool northern California coastal town. So everybody’s got layers to help set that mood and that film noir vibe. And everybody had a very specific coat silhouette. Charles Wainwright has the trench coat that’s very Humphrey Bogart [in] Casablanca, and Gwendolyn has her short, cropped driving coat,” says Guzzi. “Mildred wears several different types of things, but we saved the capes to mirror this idea that she’s trying to be the perfect nurse and that she’s, in her mind, trying to care for people in the way that she thinks is appropriate.” Once again, the two added a wink in the form of a brooch in the shape of the letter “R” on one of the early looks. “Sarah Paulson always loved those little touches that they would’ve done back in the day,” Eyrich says. “They would embroider their initials into their clothing, and she just loved that ‘R’ that stood for ‘Ratched’ and it also matched the scarf and the gloves perfectly.”

Gwendolyn’s (Cynthia Nixon) standout looks extend beyond the aforementioned coat. As the press secretary for the Governor of California, she is often seen surrounded by men. As such, her suits, in muted shades of brown and navy and in plaid patterns, appear more masculine, though both Guzzi and Eyrich say that it wasn’t intentional, but rather just typical of the working clothing of the time. “Clothing, for the most part, in the ‘40s did have a masculine tone because the suiting for both men and women was so structured and so tailored with those really strong shoulders and accentuated waist for both men and women,” says Guzzi, noting that Gwendolyn’s looks are softer when she’s not at work. “Ryan had thought of a Carole Lombard, Katharine Hepburn casual inspiration for her when we see her [outside work]. But when she’s at work, she’s more of a Rosalind Russell type, or even Double Indemnity.”

In contrast, there is Lenore Osgood (Sharon Stone), an heiress whose wealth is only matched by her desire for vengeance. Covered in fur, jewelry, and the type of white silk clothing that only the rich can afford to wear, she is the epitome of indulgence — and her fashion reflects that. “With her, it was ‘more is more’ — accessories, fur, she just would layer it on,” says Eyrich. “Ryan said she should be dripping with diamonds even in the bath.” (And, in one scene, she is.)

“The ‘40s can be pretty austere, obviously because of the war and rationing, and so there was not a lot of decoration in the clothing for at least the middle years of the decade. Ryan wanted to keep things very clean and austere and even going so far as to not having a lot of feathers or decoration really on any of the hats,” says Guzzi. “But when we got to Lenore, Ryan said that she was the one character — because she is this wealthy, eccentric heiress — that we can lean into with embellishments, because it would be period-accurate. Sequins and beading and fur and leopard patterns and just jewels upon jewels and layering all of that texture for her.” That also goes for Miss Petunia, Lenore’s beloved pet Capuchin monkey, who Guzzi and Eyrich said they treated like “the daughter Lenore didn’t have,” by dressing her and Lenore in coordinating outfits. “Once we decided whatever Sharon was in for a scene, we would then go out and get silk-satins and organzas and little miniature rhinestone- or diamond-vintage belt buckles to then design the monkey party dresses,” says Guzzi, laughing.

Speaking of parties, for one of the series’ most pivotal scenes, Mildred (again through less than ethical means) convinces Dr. Hanover to throw a party for the asylum’s patients and employees. While Mildred dons a dress in a green hue that’s not a far cry from the uniform colors, Gwendolyn wears a rich blue dress. Meanwhile, Betsy and Dolly (Alice Englert), who we hadn’t yet seen in normal clothes, appear in much warmer colors — coral and pink, respectively. When actress Judy Davis expressed her love for coral, Guzzi and Eyrich settled on the shade for her after also seeing traces of it in the production set. “It’s a color that was peppered throughout in upholstery, and we just loved how it read in that hospital,” says Eyrich.

For Dolly, one of the youngest characters at the hospital, the color choice was even more significant. “We had only seen her in her nurse’s uniform, and that is a very definitive moment for her and her relationship with Edmond, and there’s a lot of aspiration and hope for their future together,” says Guzzi. “So, we wanted to give her this very — as if it’s her first time at a dance, first time on a date with a boy — super-feminine but still childlike [look], with the flower in the hair and the little necklace and cupid heart earrings.”

It’s these types of details that make Ratched a fashion must-watch, as well as serve as a reminder that even the most chilling things can have touches of true beauty.

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In the last few years, the word “cult” has, ironically, become mainstream in fashion. It’s been used in reference to influencer- and Cool Girl-friendly brands (think: Nanushka, Staud, Rotate); to brands whose products have taken over Instagram (Jacquemus’ Chiquito mini bags, Susan Alexandra’s beaded totes, Sleeper’s dresses); and to established brands whose every drop still gets fans excited (Supreme). But, if every brand can be a cult brand, then what does the designation even mean anymore?

“A cult brand can be defined as a brand that has made significant impact within culture and fashion,” says Telsha Anderson, owner and buyer at T.A., a NYC boutique that carries popular brands like PH5, Ellery, and PRISCAVera. “It also creates its own target audience that continuously bands together to create support surrounding the brand, day after day.”

Caroline Maguire, fashion director at Shopbop, defines it as a brand whose impact extends beyond the products it sells. “Cult brands have their own loyal customer base, who are not only obsessed with the brand but the culture and values that are associated with it,” she says.

Sophie Hersan, co-founder and fashion director at Vestiaire Collective, agrees with both of them. “A cult brand is one that has developed a community of dedicated fans around it. In which case, it’s not always about the latest design or collection, but the identity of the brand that the fans are buying into,” she says. “Cult brands symbolize a lifestyle and culture first and foremost.”

From the Wang Gang — aka members of designer Alexander Wang’s close (and famous) circle of models — to Ganni Girls — fans of the beloved Danish brand — communities have long been known to form around labels, and even specific designers behind those labels, as is the case with Phoebe Philo’s #OldCeline or Daniel Lee’s #NewBottega. In the case of Supreme, fans have frequently expressed their allegiance by camping out on folding chairs outside the stores the night before a big drop and buying out every collaboration, ranging from Louis Vuitton and Comme des Garçons to NYC’s MTA, within minutes.

“Supreme is a perfect example of a cult brand and is a pioneer of streetwear. Over the last few decades, it’s developed a loyal following and has continuously innovated and collaborated with other designers and artists to remain trendy. Despite being around for over 25 years now, it remains a top seller on Vestiaire Collective and limited-edition releases are more valuable than ever,” Hersan says. And it’s not showing any signs of slowing down. Its most recent collaboration, Supreme x Pat McGrath, sold out eight seconds after first dropping. Since then, the $38 lipstick has appeared on StockX, Grailed, and eBay at prices starting at around $150. 

“A cult brand can be defined as a brand that has made significant impact within culture and fashion.”

Telsha Anderson

“A brand garners a cult following through creative product offerings, innovative design, and exciting marketing,” says Maguire. “These brands always focus on the product integrity first. Next, they create exciting and innovative collaborations, which lends itself to how well it is marketed on social platforms.” With that said, while Supreme, who has been successful on all these fronts, will likely retain its reputation, it’s no longer the only brand that’s reigning, well, supreme. Since the introduction of Instagram and influencers, the idea of a cult brand, much like the definition itself, has evolved and expanded.

“Cult brands have changed over the past few years with the rise and importance of social media. Previously, the fashion community would hear about products or brands through word-of-mouth, and while that is still important, everything is now so instant and easily accessible,” says Maguire. “Today, consumers watch tastemakers and influencers wearing products on social platforms and brands continue to introduce the ‘see now, shop now’ option, which work together to contribute to a cult brand’s large increase in popularity.” 

Take, for example, Cult Gaia. After the brand debuted its Ark bag in 2013, a see-through, half-circle bamboo clutch, the brand earned the “cult” label thanks to the way the bag was spotted on the arm of every celebrity, influencer, and fashion-lover alike; soon, it was sold out. Years later, the bag, which is now available in a variety of colors and materials and readily available, remains a best-seller for the brand, that has now also become known for its clothing offerings. (This past summer, the brand was responsible for one of Summer 2020’s most popular dresses.) 

“Social media, hype via word of mouth, and sold-out product are all important [in making a brand go cult],” says Anderson. “I also believe a brand’s ability to innovate beyond what the brand is known for in that ‘cult moment’ is important as well.”

In 2020, according to Anderson, Hersan, and Maguire, no brand is more emblematic of cult status than Telfar, which Maguire calls “THE brand for fashionistas at the moment.” The Telfar Clemens-led, Brooklyn-based unisex brand — that just won the CFDA Fashion Award for the American Accessories Designer of the Year category and revealed an upcoming UGG collaboration — has become known for its “Bushwick Birkin.” The tote, which comes in three sizes and many colors, has become so heavily sought out that it earned its own security program after every drop sold out and fell prey to resellers hiking up the price. There is also the way Telfar caters to its audience. Telfar is not only groundbreaking for its inclusive approach to luxury — the most expensive tote goes for $250 which, while not cheap, certainly doesn’t even come close to the cost of many other luxury It bags — but also for the way it puts its community first. “It’s not for you — it’s for everyone,” reads the website. 

“Telfar is unique in their product offering, editorials, approach to social media, and they continue to evolve. They also have a unique target audience that supports them digitally and in-person,” says Anderson. To wear a Telfar tote, whose supporters notably include Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is to display your values — something that consumers are now increasingly interested in when it comes to brands they support. 

“The last couple of years have seen increased consumer demand for purpose-driven brands amongst both independent and mainstream designers. COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter have only accelerated this trend further. The followers of cult brands have high expectations for the ethos that they are buying into, so I anticipate this to continue,” says Hersan. “Speaking out about values won’t be enough. Loyal followers will want to see positive actions and know that their purchases are building a better future for society and the environment.”

“A brand garners a cult following through creative product offerings, innovative design, and exciting marketing.”

Caroline Maguire

Customers are indeed moving away from fashion brands — especially of the fast variety — that only offer clothing, and toward those that have a mission behind them. “Two brands that have had a viral moment this year are Marine Serre and Telfar,” says Hersan. “I think both brands are symbolic of the things that are important to consumers in 2020: sustainability, diversity, and community.” According to a Vestiare report, Marine Serre experienced a 1,200% increase in sales over the past year, becoming one of its top five most listed sustainable brands. After Beyoncé and Adele wore the label’s crescent moon print designs, global fashion search platform Lyst also saw a spike of 426%. Telfar, likewise, has seen a 270% increase in search since being spotted on AOC. It helps that both brands have instantly recognizable elements — Marine Serre with the crescent moon print and Telfar with the oversized logo — which don’t guarantee brand success, but also don’t not.

Anderson says it makes sense that what used to be defined as “cult” is evolving. “Cult brands changed because our culture, needs, and resources have changed. I believe change is important and necessary for growth as a culture,” she says. “As life evolves, I believe the idea of a ‘cult brand’ will evolve as well. What makes something launch or pop today will change in the next six months or in the next five years. The definition of a ‘cult brand’ will shift and change as our culture, resources, and day-to-day necessities change. What we need today will never be what we need tomorrow, and that’s the excitement of growth and human evolution.”

So then what does a brand need to do today to go cult? According to Hersan, a strong point of view. “Cult brands will always have a unique story and ethos that really resonates with the values with the community it appeals to. The ones that retain value are those that are consistent with and protective of their brand image,” she says. “Despite being dramatically different, Hermes and Supreme both evoke a certain lifestyle and have earned a loyal following as a result.” 

Maguire agrees. “Focus on what your brand really stands for! Don’t try and be everything to everyone. What is special about a cult brand are the styles, the philosophy, and the story behind it,” she says. “As we rely more and more on technology, brands will continue to come up with innovative ways to connect and resonate with their customer base. This will ultimately lend itself to loyal relationships and products more catered to their consumers.”

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Following the success of Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty show on Amazon last September, Prime Video will be airing a second fashion show to celebrate the fashion brand’s Fall 2020 collection next month. The Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 2, on which Rihanna will serve as executive producer and creative director, will arrive on Amazon on October 2, and include performances from Rosalia, Travis Scott, Bad Bunny, Ella Mai, Miguel, Mustard, and Roddy Ricch. 

According to a press release, the event will see Savage X Fenty veterans Bella Hadid, Big Sean, Cara Delevingne, Christian Combs, Normani, and Paloma Elsesser returning to wear the latest Savage X Fenty styles. Lizzo, Demi Moore, Erika Jayne, Gigi Goode, Irina Shayk, Laura Harrier, Paris Hilton, Rico Nasty, Shea Couleé, Willow Smith, Chika, Miss 5th Avenue, Jaida Essence Hall, and “many more” will also be joining. 

The release describes the new collection, which will be available to shop on Amazon Fashion’s store and at Savage X Fenty, as “high-voltage” and “packed with unexpected pairings and surprising new styles that push the boundaries of individuality.”

The Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 2 announcement also came alongside a trailer, showing Rihanna walking into what looks like the backstage area of the show. The names of performers and special attendees then start appearing on the screen. Watch it, below, ahead of the October 2 release.

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As most designers are concluding showing their new collections at New York Fashion Week, Tanya Taylor used her Thursday time slot on the CFDA calendar to air a video of her own — one that has nothing to do with fashion. Titled “Things That Take Longer Than Registering to Vote,” the short film shows, as the name suggests, just how quick it is to register to vote. In it, celebrities from Hillary Clinton and Rosario Dawson to Mindy Kaling, Brother Vellies’ Aurora James, Iskra Lawrence, and more perform everyday activities that take longer than two minutes (the time it takes to register to vote with the Action Button on Tanya Taylor’s website).

“It’s important to me to use the platform I have to support social issues that I believe in. We were vocal in the 2016 election supporting Hillary Clinton, and we knew we wanted to do something around the election again this year as it is critical for everyone to know how to register and vote and feel that their voice matters,” Taylor told Refinery29 ahead of the video release. Created as part of Tanya Taylor’s involvement in Fashion Our Future 2020, a multi-brand initiative founded to use fashion to mobile the youth vote and led by Studio 189 cofounder Abrima Erwiah, the video was created with the goal of encouraging communities to register to vote ahead of the general election. “In talking with Abrima, the message about getting youth excited about voting really resonated with me, because I grew up in Canada and I have seen how youth in a less divided government see their civic voice effectively contributing to change and unity.” 

Inspired by the idea that it takes longer to watch a fashion show than to register to vote, the video, produced by Evan Jonigkeit, starts with an introduction from Taylor. It then zooms to self-shot snippets of celebrities doing activities of their choosing: Kaling waters her plants while Clinton plays with her dog and Dawson gets her makeup removed; James makes coffee, and Lawrence changes her five-month-old son’s diaper. “The idea is that if you have time to cook, water your plants, try a new hobby — then you have the time to register to vote,” Taylor says. Longer individual videos will be posted to Tanya Taylor’s Instagram throughout the week. Other participants include Stephanie Beatriz, Stacy London, Michelle Buteau, Michelle Kwan, Sydnee Washington, Zosia Mamet, and Sasheer Zamata. 

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In addition to being able to use her platform for an important conversation, not showing clothes this season allowed Tanya Taylor to reset professionally. “COVID has had a challenging impact on our business, but the silver lining is that for the first time in eight years we were able to hit pause and reevaluate our brand. We have had a lot of discussions about where we want the business to go, what we want the brand to stand for and how we get there,” she says. “Creating collections is what makes me happy, it’s my passion so I could never not create, but this season it was important that we blend purpose with passion.” The brand’s Spring 2021 collection will now be revealed in January, a few weeks ahead of the collection’s retail launch, as a way to combat the out-of-season calendar that has long made little sense to the consumer.

“As we begin this new chapter of our business, we feel confident challenging the old ways of doing things by focusing on our customer and putting them at the center of our strategy. NYFW in its traditional format is confusing to our customer — we show them products that they won’t be able to buy for six months, if at all, introduced at events that they are not usually invited to,” she says. “With everything going on in the world, we didn’t think our customer wanted to see a SS21 collection right now, and creating a fashion show wasn’t where the team wanted to spend our time and effort right now either. There are a lot of eyes on us during NYFW, so it felt like a great opportunity to use our time in the spotlight to encourage positive change and push our community to register to vote.”

In partnership with Fashion Our Future 2020, Taylor did create two exclusive products, a graphic tote bag and a lunchbox that you can customize with pins and stickers respectively, with proceeds benefiting FOF20 voter registration, education, and turnout initiatives, as well as the Lower East Side Girls Club. “Voting is all about using your voice and expressing yourself, so we wanted to make sure we were incorporating those values into our products by making them customizable,” she says. “I was also really inspired by the ‘I voted’ pins that are worn proudly on Election Day.”

Taylor says that it’s important for the fashion industry to use their platforms to advocate for other causes. “The fashion industry holds a lot of power. The reach it has is truly extraordinary and that influence should be used to encourage positive change. There are a lot of eyes on how the fashion industry will survive the pandemic, and being able to build an independent brand aligned with my personal values and to share that with others is what this industry should be more confident in expressing,” she says. “I think it’s important that designers feel a responsibility to use their platform to speak up for what they believe in and encourage change within their communities.”

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Fashion Month isn’t exactly known for producing wearable trends. And yet, when New York, the first of the four cities to hold the Spring 2021 shows, began its first all-digital showcase on Sunday, it presented looks that are a lot more attainable than in years past. It makes sense: With most of our lives spent at home now and in the foreseeable future, there is no need for extravagant dresses or out-there trends. And, given that sweatsuits have become the unofficial uniform of the pandemic, it makes even more sense that versions of the style (albeit much more fashionable than typical offerings) made their way into the shows of even the most high-fashion designers. (Masks, another necessity of the pandemic, also appeared frequently.)

Sustainable designer Zero + Maria Cornejo debuted a stunning silky hot pink top with matching pants that looked like it could take its wearer from lounging in bed to jumping on a last-minute Zoom call and taking a walk outside. A collection that served as “a love letter to New York City,” it also showed other appropriate-for-today wear, including a white hoodie-shorts set and a coordinating mask-and-jacket look.

Buzzy brand PH5 — whose new collection spread awareness about climate change and the bushfires that devastated Australia earlier this year, and cast members of the Firesticks Alliance, an Indigenous Australian-led organization, as models — showcased a printed pair of lounge-like pants with a coordinating sweatshirt and bucket hat, as well as knit matching sets. 

Even Rodarte, Kate and Laura Mulleavy’s label more known for its ethereal dresses and layered lace skirts, showed an athletic-inspired sweatsuit, emblazoned with “J’Aime Rodarte” on the sweatshirt and sweatpants a la its Radarte x Depop offerings, and floral pajama sets. Given that NYFW has a few more days left, it’s likely that many more brands will present their version of the style that we’ve come to live in (and love) over the past six months.

See some of the NYFW-approved sets in the slideshow ahead and check back as we add more looks from the forthcoming presentations.

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For as long as humans have worn clothes, fashion has served as an indicator of status and wealth, but also of allegiance. While at war, uniforms distinguished which side a soldier was on; they were also an instrumental expression of politics off the battlefield — something still seen today when women wear white pantsuits inside the White House or a pink hat to a protest outside of it. 

As a tool of resistance, a uniform can serve as an unspoken act of dissent, a visual way to display the values with which you align (or don’t), as well as an expression of solidarity with a movement at large. It shows unity within the group, but also to the rest of the world. It’s no wonder that, in times of social unrest, certain colors and styles have become associated with demonstrations.

Following George Floyd’s death at the hands of the police, people across the world have taken to the streets to fight against racial injustice, all while wearing clothing that both nods to the last 100 years of protests and is nothing like we’ve ever seen before. (Apt, given that we’re also currently experiencing a pandemic that’s unlike anything we’ve seen in our lifetimes.) With this in mind, we’ve taken a close look at the history of the fashion that has come to define movements in the last century — and reveal what it says about the clothes we choose to wear as we demand justice today.

The Subversive Meaning Behind The Color White

In the early 1900s, the American suffrage movement — whose fight for women’s rights started more than 50 years earlier at the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention — grew as women lobbied for the right to vote. On March 3, 1913, thousands of Women’s Suffrage Parade attendees gathered in Washington, D.C., to call for a constitutional amendment that would give women the right to vote. The procession, held the day before the inauguration of Woodrow Wilson, saw the women wearing white, just like they did at Seneca Falls half a century earlier. 

“White, traditionally, is worn as a sign of chastity,” says Darnell-Jamal Lisby, fashion historian and curator. He points to paintings of Queen Elizabeth I in white, “exud[ing] the essence of the virgin queen,” as well as the fact that the color became associated with bridal wear in the latter part of the 19th century. “The color white, as it [pertains] to women in the Western world, has always held this place of chastity and conservatism. It’s very much rooted in heteronormative traditions.”

But, according to Lisby, the color was likely chosen to counteract the idea of what white represented: “Like, ‘White was chastity, so we are going to take it, subvert it, and make it a part of this movement that allows women to use their voices,’” he says. It also made for iconic newspaper visuals as white stood out in the era’s black-and-white photographs: “To be visibly seen and photographed, this army of women wearing white, was a captivating sight to see.”

On the practical side, Lisby notes that the color could have been chosen to involve as many women in the movement as was possible at the time. “The thought behind white was that any woman of any particular class, [and] idealistically race, but obviously that didn’t come through — unfortunately, the suffragette movement was certainly based around whiteness and white women — anybody could wear white,” he says. Cotton, commonly used to manufacture clothes at the time, came in a “tinge-y brown, almost white color.” To add a dye to a style, you had to pay more — which not all could do. “White was that happy medium. Anyone could get it, anyone could wear it, so it was uniting women of different socio-economic statuses,” says Lisby.

Since then, “suffragette white” has become an important symbol inside the White House, too. In 1968, Shirley Chisholm wore white as she became the first Black woman to be elected to Congress. In 2016 and 2017, Hillary Clinton wore white while accepting the Democratic nomination for president, during her last presidential debate, and to Trump’s inauguration. In January of 2019, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wore white to be sworn in as the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. At the time, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, “I wore all-white today to honor the women who paved the path before me, and for all the women yet to come. From suffragettes to Shirley Chisholm, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the mothers of the movement.”

In February, women wore white to the State of the Union address marking the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment, which gave women the right to vote, to bring attention to the ongoing fight for women’s rights. “That symbolism of purity, it’s almost again subverting these ideas of chastity into ideas of protest and speaking up for women’s rights and breaking down that original notion of what white carried in the Western world to now mean something different, something new, that empowers women’s choices,” says Lisby. “I think the evolution is quite ironic.”

In 1917, white was also the color of choice at a march organized by the NAACP. Known as the Silent Protest Parade, it took place in New York City following violent attacks on the Black community in East St. Louis. Nearly 10,000 Black men, women, and children wordlessly walked down Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, the latter groups wearing white to symbolize innocence in the face of horrific violence directed at their community. “Again, typically when you don’t add all those dyes into a particular garment during the early part of the 20th century, it was much cheaper to consume,” says Lisby. “White intrinsically was also a part of the Black experience, when you talk about Sunday Best and the idea of respectability politics. Like having elements of black and white in your closet because that’s what you wore when you went to church. So it was something that was already there.”

Fast-forward to 2020 and the over-15,000 people wearing white who, following the deaths of multiple Black trans people, gathered at the Brooklyn Museum in support of Black Trans Lives Matter movement, and then marched through Brooklyn’s streets. A tweet by Fran Tirado, one of the organizers of the demonstration, confirmed that the decision to wear white was inspired by the 1917 march. Just like in the past, the visual result was powerful, creating photographs that show unity and bring attention to the message. “There’s just something about white that’s striking, that brings somebody’s attention to them so that they can hear the words. White almost acts as a canvas to social messages,” Lisby says. “It acts as a non-verbal canvas that communicates whatever message they’re trying to convey at a given time.” 

Lisby notes that while white is a visually powerful color to employ, what’s most notable about the uniform of the Black Trans Lives Matter march is the decision to wear the same thing when we have access to every color of clothing imaginable. “To organize as many people as they did to wear one color when people want to do what they want to do, there is power in that. It’s less about the clothing and more about the unity that they have in spirit. That they intentionally went there to make sure that what they were wearing wasn’t distracting from the message that was being elicited,” says Lisby.

The Quiet Power Of Wearing Sunday Best

Tailored suits, ties, dresses, and hats have come to define the images from the civil rights marches of the ‘60s, though the tradition of wearing one’s Sunday Best was part of the Black community long before this. 

“On Sunday, you were going to church. And when you go to church and the house of God, you better make sure you’re dressed to honor God in a way. Because your body is your temple. So if your body is your temple, then how you dress your body is also very important,” says Lisby. “It’s always just been engrained, specifically in the Black community that organizes stuff around the church, to ensure how you present yourself is not only honoring your own temple, your own body, the people around you; being respectful to them, but also giving honor to God.” 

He says it makes sense that the fashion extended to some of the protests. “A lot of the civil rights movements started in the church,” Lisby says. “It was just inherent to associate protesting with wearing your Sunday Best. It just went hand-in-hand.” 

Lisby also points to the idea of respectability politics that goes back to the time of Frederick Douglass, W. E. B. Du Bois, and Madam C. J. Walker. “If they were going to be these leaders and speak in these spaces that were very white, for them to be heard, they dressed in a very specific way that allowed the information to be digested,” says Lisby. During the ‘60s, the activists in the civil rights movement were likewise fighting to be integrated into the system. As such, they dressed according to what was the dress code “established” at the time. 

“During the civil rights movement, when you look at someone like Malcolm X or Martin Luther King or Ralph Abernathy or John Lewis, all of these figures; Rosa Parks and Coretta Scott King, and all the women who stood right next to the men to help drive a lot of the civil rights movement… they were dressed in a particular way that was traditional to the standards of fashion protocol of the time,” Lisby says. “They wanted their messages to be heard. I think, inherently, there is this idea that what you wear matters, and for those white people who were in power, visually, they needed to be able to receive what was being heard so that we can push the movement forward.”

After newspapers showed dogs and water hoses unleashed on the peaceful, well-dressed protestors in Alabama in 1963, people were startled by the images of racism’s brutality, recognizing themselves in the clothes of people. While it shouldn’t have taken dressing a certain way to get people to have empathy for one another, it worked. Soon after, President John F. Kennedy gave his history-making Civil Rights address.

America is now experiencing another reckoning with the systemic racism that’s still in place today. This past June, stylist Gabriel M. Garmon put out a call on social media for people to wear their “best” to a demonstration honoring and commemorating George Floyd’s life. As a result, the event — which Garmon organized alongside Brandon Murphy and Harold James Alexander Waight — saw over 1,000 sharply dressed men walking through Harlem in outfits ranging from black suits not unlike those from the ‘60s to bespoke ones featuring can’t-miss colors and prints. (In an interview with WWD, the trio talked about being inspired by the activists of the ‘60s.)

“For those in Harlem, there is this history of style that has always been there, even when you talk about Dapper Dan and what he was able to establish in Harlem. Style is very important, tailored suiting is very important, to the men there,” says Lisby. “I think, for them in Harlem, it was this idea of, ‘We want to show you dress in style as something that’s important to us, but also a tool to use to bring attention to us.’ Because there’s a power that I’ve experienced personally, and that other Black people I know experienced, that, when you’re dressed a specific way, it’s striking to many people. Because, unfortunately for many years, media has presented Black people in very specific tropes.” 

The same month, in Columbia, South Carolina, organizers of the Million Man March for racial justice also called for participants to be “fully adorned in their Sunday best.” (The original Million Man March took place in Washington in 1995.) According to organizer Leo Jones, the dress attire was meant to “reframe the narrative and build a sense of joy in our community to see us looking so well, and marching with such pride.” 

The Message Behind The No-Uniform Uniform

There have been other significant articles of clothing that have unified movements of recent years, and are a product of contemporary culture. Most notably, following Donald Trump’s presidential election, more than a million people came to Washington, D.C., on January 21, 2017, for the Women’s March. Many in attendance wore pink hats. Created by Krista Suh and Jayna Zweiman, the Pussyhat Project called for people to wear handmade, knitted “pussycat ear” caps, in protest of Trump’s comments about grabbing women’s genitals. 

This wasn’t the only statement-making article of clothing to define the last four years. While slogan T-shirts were around before Trump entered the presidential race — dating back to the Vietnam War protests in the ‘60s and the AIDS crisis of the ‘80s — in 2016 and 2017, T-shirts touting feminist ideals (sometimes with proceeds going to the cause, sometimes not, depending on the brand’s shameless ability to commodify feminism) became common again — though to a lesser extent than some of the other looks of the past.

According to Lisby, while there’s some significance behind wearing certain articles of clothing, it’s the unity, a group getting together to wear the same thing for the same message, that is most impactful. “The whole point of clothing in the way of a certain uniform — in the decisions behind to wear all-white, or suiting and your Sunday Best, or a particular item of clothing that unifies the entire group, like a T-shirt that may have some protesting verbiage on it — is to make sure that the language of that particular protest is being emanated and is the most prominent thing that’s being seen,” says Lisby. “You don’t want to take away from the message by wearing something that is not a part of what everybody else is wearing, because then you’re going to bring the focus to you, instead of the message.”

Specific marches aside, what’s most interesting is that the “uniforms” of today’s fight aren’t uniforms at all — the looks are largely individual. With only masks, a necessity in today’s pandemic rather than an intentional style choice, as a sartorial tie, people of all ages, racial backgrounds, and gender identities are dressing in everything from dresses and collared shirts to cutoffs, tank tops, and Converse sneakers. They are unified only in their message: Black Lives Matter.

“Today, the protesters are dressed as if they are prepared to pick their way through the rubble of disillusionment and despair. They’re wearing T-shirts and shorts that can take the tear gas, pepper spray and perspiration,” Robin Givhan wrote in the Washington Post. “People are not dressed to uphold decorum. What is decorum but the status quo?… The people alone are a relentlessly powerful message.”

Lisby agrees that there’s power in dressing as yourself. It also makes sense for our unprecedented era. “We’re in this time where everything is new. COVID is new for us,” he says. “So we’re just moving in a way where all these traditional approaches to life, to protesting, to anything, is just evolving, and I think there’s power within the fact that we are separating ourselves from those traditional approaches. I think that’s what is going to be the headline. I don’t think it’s necessarily going to be about a specific uniform.”

Maybe, instead, the headline will be about change that comes about as a result of all these people rising up together, no matter what they’re wearing.

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Irina Grechko, Khareem Sudlow