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Even in the middle of a global pandemic, the fashion world continues to turn. From virtual collection presentations to socially-distant runways, the top brands this year have found innovative ways to make changes for the better. 

My eye was caught by Sarah Mower’s article on Marques’ Almeida’s Spring 2021 Ready-To-Wear collection. Mower provides commentary on how the brand is working towards more sustainable practices, which has been fuelled by the pandemic, and how they have adapted to the world’s new environment.

Sustainability in fashion is itself becoming a trend, however there are also trends within the sustainability movement. Mower’s comments caught my eye, because she outlines some of these trends employed by Marques’ Almeida – and I couldn’t help but notice that I have seen a lot of these trends before in other brands moving towards sustainability. This raises the questions: Is Marques’ Almeida becoming more sustainable for the environment, or because it’s trendy? Have they been inspired by sustainable practices, or are the trends they’ve displayed in their Spring 2021 range another case of copy culture?

Above: Looks from Marques’ Almeida’s Spring 2021 Ready-to-Wear collection

To me, the most fascinating trend mentioned in Mower’s article is use of tie-dye in sustainable practices. The process of tie-dye in mass production is not sustainable, but tie-dye practices in DIY-situations as a mode of upcycling old clothing is sustainable. Tie-dye emerged in modern fashion the 1960’s and 1970’s as a part of “hippie culture” – it was used as a tool to reject “violence, capitalism, materialism, and uniformity”. However, the practice of tie-dye can be traced back to 17th century Japan with the art of Shibori.

Above: Looks from Prada Spring 2019 and Stella McCartney 2019 showing tie-dye prints

Tie-Dye emerged in many 2019 runways, including Prada and Stella McCartney. However, it is important to note in these collections, they have used printed tie-dye and therefore are only employing it for the visual aesthetics, and not for the notion of freedom or individuality. A trend that was once a token of speaking against mass-production and consumerism has become a tool or mass-production and consumerism.

Above: Screenshots of TikTok tie-dye trends from an Elite Daily Article

Despite mass produced tie-dye aesthetics, tie-dye in terms of upcycling second-hand clothing also had a resurgence in 2020. The driving-force of this trend has been the pandemic, and more specifically younger people who have been locked-down at home. The resurgence of the trend started on TikTok, with users filming their tie-dying process while stuck at home. This then influenced other brands to offer an abundance of tie-dyed loungewear, and even in some cases offering tie-dye kits with their plain-coloured pieces of clothing.

Now we come back to Marques’ Almeida’s Spring 2021 collection. In Mower’s article it’s mentioned that the brand is moving towards being more sustainable, and how that has been influenced by the pandemic. However, the trends that Marques’ Almeida is using to show that sustainability has had a detailed history in fashion, is nothing new, and has experienced recent resurgence. Personally, I am starting to think that Marques’ Almeida, while not actively copying others’ designs directly, is jumping on the aesthetics of sustainably because it’s on trend rather than being sustainable because it’s the right thing to do.

Haven’t you heard? You’re on the front page! Or rather, the front page is on you. Newspaper print has recently emerged in the world of fashion, however this is a trend that has been around for decades. 

In the fashion world, there is a trickle-down effect that dictates trends at all levels. An easily understandable explanation of this in The Devil Wears Prada (Frankel, 2006) scene, in which Miranda Priestly explains the impacts of the fashion industry on a regular blue knit sweater. Usually dictated by larger, higher-end brands, these trends end up making their way to lower-end brands. Copy-culture is essentially plagiarism in the world of fashion, and those brands who directly copy from others’ own designs within the fashion industry often do so to appeal to consumers who want to follow the trends, but do not want to spend a lot of money. This is an almost defining characteristic of the fast-fashion industry, as copying is quicker to pump out than original designs. 

Newspaper print is a recent trend that has fallen victim to copy-culture. What was once a print inspired by real-life newspaper clippings in the 1930’s has delved into the realms of unethically produced knock-offs to fuel fast fashion. I have previously mentioned that through this blog I hope to facilitate an open discussion about what differentiates inspiration and copying, and where we draw the line between the two. I hope to start the conversation with this particular example of newspaper print, and its recent repetition in modern fashion. In this post, I will be talking about the history behind newspaper print, and the trail of trends it has inspired, and those who have directly copied it, since its first appearance. 

Above: Newspaper print by Schiaparelli, featuring real newspaper clippings about her and her designs. 

The earliest recorded occurrence of newspaper print featured in modern fashion is from 1939, when Elsa Schiaparelli showcased her newspaper print after being inspired by seeing women in a marketplace wearing newspaper on their heads. This first-of-its-kind print featured real newspaper clippings about Schiaparelli as a designer, and was crafted into yardages of fabric.

Above: Looks from various Christian Dior runway shows featuring the signature Dior newspaper print.

Christian Dior is the most recent designer to bring back the newspaper print, with their Men’s S/S 2020 Collection. Dior dug through the archives for this collection, and decided that the world was ready for more of their signature newspaper print. The design house originally debuted their newspaper print in the F/W 2000 Collection, under the creative direction of John Galliano. 

Above: Looks from John Galliano, Versace, and Gypsy Sport featuring newspaper print. 

Galliano continued to use newspaper print, even after leaving Dior. His “Galliano Gazette” print became a staple in his collections, and he has featured it heavily throughout the seasons - including F/W 2005, F/W 2018 and S/S 2019. Galliano revived the newspaper trend - something that hadn’t been done since Schiaparelli; first through Dior and then under his own name. Other designers to jump on the newspaper train include Versace, Gypsy Sport, and Balenciaga. 

Above: Newspaper prints used by Pretty Little Thing, ASOS, and Missguided on various different pieces of clothing. 

The newspaper print trend has finally trickled down to the brands of fast-fashion. The urge to have today’s trend without breaking the bank has fed the fast fashion beast and encouraged it to grow. Straight copies from the likes of UK brand Pretty Little Thing, which featured a blatant copy of Galliano’s “Galliano Gazette” print. Once the mistake was realised, these pieces were pulled from the website and replaced with their own newspaper print. Other fast-fashion brands have also followed the newspaper trend to appease their customers, such as Missguieded and ASOS. 

So who copied who? Schiaparelli is the original birth-giver to the concept of So, who copied who? Schiaparelli is the original birth-giver to the concept of using newspaper as a textile print. She also defined the egotistical nature of using a newspaper print specifically about one’s self, and then using it for fabric and clothing. Galliano didn’t directly copy Schiaparelli’s style of newspaper or format (ie. Schiaparelli used real-life newspaper clippings, whereas Galliano’s had been digitally created and specifically designed for the purpose of his collection), however he definitely built on the ego-centric idea of wearing your own news. Due to the ideas being similar but the design execution being different, my view is that Galliano was inspired by Schiaparelli, and was not a copy. 

With this being said, the case could be made that while Versace, Gypsy Sport and Balenciaga used newspaper print purely for the hype of the trend, they went to an effort to make it their own. They inserted their own brand and their own stories into the newspaper narrative, and built on the same concept that Galliano was building on. 

Growing up, I was surrounded by creative inspiration. My mum has always loved photography and interior design, and never failed to encourage me to pursue my thirst for creativity. I would create outfits for my dolls from household items and would paint any surface I could get my hands on. As I got older, I would visit the local Good Sammy’s every weekend and carefully scan the racks, searching for pieces that I could possibly alter in some fabulous way, whether it was through sewing alterations, embroidery, printing, or anything and everything else. Vintage and second-hand finds nurtured my interest in fashion history, patterns formed through re-emerging trends, and the cyclical nature of fashion. Through high school, I knew that my career would be doing something in fashion and in particular textiles - I simply refused to believe any alternative to that fact. So, I carved a pathway that would get me to the career and satisfy my soul. 

Above: Me in high school holding an award for a red dress I made with cotton roses and a felted silk fibre bodice. 

I currently work as a Fashion Production Co-Ordinator and Digital Textile Designer for a Fashion Wholesaler in Melbourne, Australia. I love what I do and am constantly pushing myself to do better with my work. Since the brand I work for is relatively small, I am able to be involved in all stages of the wholesaling process, from design idea conception all the way to boutique delivery and customer purchasing. I love the breadth of my role, and it has opened me to all kinds of possible endeavours. It has allowed me to discover and home in on the kind of future I want in fashion. 

Above: Printed silk swatches with designs I digitally made.