He Said, She Said

From the rise of sustainability advocates pushing for fur alternatives to the growing diversity seen on catwalks, the fashion industry is changing at a rapid pace. Ahead of their headlining participation at the annual Centrestage Elites show, we talk to d

From runway diversity to sustainability, Hong Kong designer Anaïs Mak and New York City’s Joseph Altuzarra talk the future of fashion

HE SAID: Joseph Altuzarra Before we look forward, let’s look back. How did your career begin?

After fashion school, I worked for a couple of different designers, like Marc Jacobs in New York and Givenchy in Paris when Riccardo Tisci was there. Then I started my own company; this was about 10 years ago. The first fashion show was an incredible experience. It was in a really small gallery I rented for free in exchange for giving the assistants clothing, and I didn’t even know if anyone was ever going to show up. We ended up not having enough shoes for the models for the 15 to 18 looks, so I basically spent the entire show switching shoes from girl to girl. Oh, and my mum made cookies for the backstage crew. Afterwards, I came out and saw that CNN and the whole American Vogue team were there, which kind of launched my brand.

Traditionally, designers show their new collections up to four times a year during fashion weeks, where editors and buyers come from around the world. There’s been a lot of talk about challenging this format, with protesters even pushing to cancel London Fashion Week this September. How do you think it’s already changing?

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about sustainability, about our responsibility as designers, and I have questioned the format of putting on a show. We’re putting in so much money and flying people in from all over the world for a 15-minute event. Is this the right approach? I think it’s important to challenge the way things have been done and to think about how we can do things differently. Now there are young designers who have done videos to showcase their collections instead, or who have given up shows and done dinners for more of an intimate presentation. I definitely think the change should come from designers, or in the US it should come from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. It’s also important to remember that it’s okay if it doesn’t work the first time around.

What do you think about the move towards using more sustainable materials?

I think materials are the most impactful way through which we can change the industry. That’s also been something I’ve been educating myself about a lot. For my resort 2020 collection, you’ll see that I’ve used a lot of deadstock fabrics to make the dresses. When it comes to fur, unfortunately some of the alternatives are actually very unsustainable and worse for the environment, and leather is also unsustainable due to its dying process releasing a lot of chemicals. This is why I think education is important, so that the consumer can be more aware and will want to buy into products that are not wasteful or hurting the planet.

Has social media changed the way you design?

Social media has become such a double-edged sword because it’s an open forum for designers to speak to customers directly and also a fairly inexpensive way of marketing, but now the quality of clothes has become less important because people are looking to just take a photo and not for something that lasts forever. It has also affected the speed of fashion because people are constantly looking for newness and consuming at an unprecedented rate.

It has also affected my designs in unexpected ways, in that people want clothes with a lot of frontal appeal. In the past I’ve designed something that was plainer in the front and had more details in the back, but customers now are less interested in that because they want to take selfies. Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s changing any time soon; I don’t think anyone is putting the cat back in the bag.

What does it take for a brand to be successful now?

Social media has become a big factor in a brand’s success. Oftentimes if your brand has a lot of followers then you already matter somehow, regardless of whether you actually sell. But I always like to go back to the simple truth about fashion: someone is going to take out their wallet and pay for something, so influencers might be great for marketing but in the end you need to have a good product that fits well and that people are going to buy. My focus as a designer has always been on making the best possible product.

What do you want to see more of in the industry?

We’re at such an interesting moment in the industry, when designers have so much power and can now speak to customers directly, so we should use that power to change the world in a meaningful way. Inclusivity, diversity, sustainability and being more aware of our footprint are all a big part of that, and I hope designers continue to take them seriously.

SHE SAID: Anaïs Mak How did your fashion journey begin?

I started my brand, Anaïs Jourden, in 2013 after I graduated, and there was so much I learned at school in Paris that I was impatient to put into practice. The first moment of validation came when I got nominated for the LVMH Prize in 2015 and my fellow nominees were the likes of Vetements, Off-white c/o Virgil Abloh, Craig Green and Jacquemus, who are now part of a whole movement of young designers joining the official fashion week calendars and transforming the business. The nomination, though I didn’t win, was a validation of my creativity and business.

You show during Paris Fashion Week. Do you see the seasonal fashion week format changing?

I’ve been thinking a lot about this topic and I definitely think fashion week will be replaced by something else. While I’m really honoured to be on the Paris Fashion Week calendar and proud to be the only Hong Kong brand there, this system was established in the pre-internet era, and while it’s important to honour how things have historically been done, I also think you have to be relevant to the world today.

We are now able to do things more spontaneously, so a lot more brands don’t have to follow the seasonal calendar or only respond to department store buying strategies (like having a certain proportion of dresses and skirts etc). Another Chinese brand, Yang Li, for example, cancelled his show a few seasons ago and instead the designer invited a community of girls he liked to post themselves wearing the clothes simultaneously, to create almost an online fashion show, which didn’t require a crew of 100 backstage helpers. I’m going to try to move in that direction of presentations or parties instead of shows as well.

Do you think it’s possible to get rid of materials like fur and leather?

I think if you work in fashion it’s very hard to be entirely environmentally friendly, but we should definitely use less fur and leather. I certainly don’t have any friends who wear real fur any more, compared to when I was in university in Europe. There’s less fur on the streets, because people just don’t take pleasure in doing that any more. While we should be careful to see if the faux versions are any better environmentally, they certainly have bred more creativity and newness. The fake fur on runways comes in crazy colours and innovative designs, which I think will keep going as technology advances.

How do you feel social media has affected the fashion industry?

Social media has had a huge impact on both high and street fashion. Influencers represent a kind of democracy, a way to know what people like, and this generation is very into comfortable clothes, which is why streetwear has become so prevalent. Different parts of cultures are also crossing into fashion, with rappers now starting their own labels or being used as ambassadors, all because of the internet. Social media may not have changed my designs directly but it has changed the environment and general trends, which in turn influences my designs subconsciously.

What emerging Asian cultural figures do you feel we should know about?

There’s a really exciting music scene in China right now. I’ve been following the DJ community. One of them is called Tzusing, who has collaborated with international musicians like Aphex Twin, and they’ve been playing in some of the best techno clubs in Berlin. Their sound is so progressive and I’m so inspired by them. I’m looking into doing something with them for my show in Shanghai soon when we shift from doing a traditional show to a party.

What do you want to see more of?

I would like to see more girls, especially in Hong Kong, being more expressive, whether it’s through clothes or other creative channels. It really touches me when someone tries to reach out with authenticity, because that takes courage.