Fashion From Exceptional Craftsmanship to the Age of Overconsumption – An Insider’s Perspective

Written by Alexandra Bronckaers, Independent Journalist

Fashion, Beauty-Tech & Culture - Alexandra Bronckaers, Independent Journalist. Sharp. Influential.

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Fashion was not born from an algorithm or a 24-hour online shopping cart. It was born from a gesture, a craft, a long sense of time. At its origin, fashion was a matter of artisans, bodies, materials, patience, and also power. Having worked in the heart of the industry, I’ve seen firsthand how those values are slowly being eroded.

The birth of the great houses: When couture becomes a language

Haute couture as we know it emerged in the mid 19th century with Charles Frederick Worth, often considered the first modern couturier. He imposed a revolutionary idea, it was no longer the client who dictated everything, but the creator who proposed a vision. Fashion became a signature.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Paris established itself as the world capital of fashion, with houses such as Chanel, Dior, Balenciaga, Lanvin, Schiaparelli. Codified haute couture was absolute luxury, one of a kind pieces, handwork, embroidery, multiple fittings. It did not seek profitability. It sought excellence, prestige, image.

As someone who has worked alongside these legacies and observed the evolution of craftsmanship, I can tell you, couture was a showcase. An unreachable summit. That exclusivity is precisely what would shape the industry for decades.

Ready to wear: The great turning point

After World War II, society changed. Women worked, bodies moved, mindsets evolved. Fashion had to follow. In the 1950s and 60s, ready to wear emerged as a social revolution. It democratized style. Designers such as Pierre Cardin, Yves Saint Laurent, Sonia Rykiel, Kenzo, and later Armani understood that the future was there, creating for real life, not only for hushed salons.

Yves Saint Laurent, in particular, brought fashion to the streets, borrowed from the male wardrobe, and dressed a generation. Ready to wear became a full creative territory, not a byproduct of couture. Having been on the floor in ateliers and showrooms, I have seen how this shift made style tangible and approachable for everyone.

At that time, the system was still relatively healthy, controlled production, readable seasons, genuine desire.

From the 90s to today: Then fashion becomes an industry

Then the machine spun out of control. In the 1990s and 2000s, houses became groups. Luxury became a global business. Collections followed one another, pre collections appeared, collaborations exploded. Creativity was required to be profitable, fast, viral.

At the same time, streetwear imposed a new grammar. Born from the street, hip hop, skate culture, it became a global language. Sneakers, hoodies, logos. Streetwear in itself is not the problem, it brought energy, diversity, culture. The problem is when it turns into a volume strategy disguised as cool. From my experience consulting brands, I can confirm this tension between authenticity and market demand is now the industry’s core challenge.

Fast fashion: The anti-fashion

Fast fashion, on the other hand, does not create. It copies, accelerates, crushes. Brands like Shein, and others before it, operate on a radical model, producing massive quantities, extremely fast, extremely cheap, with no real environmental or social responsibility. Thousands of references per week. A fully assumed disposable logic.

Here, we are no longer talking about fashion but about flow. Dopamine. Shopping addiction. The garment no longer holds symbolic or emotional value. It becomes a programmed piece of waste. Having advised on product launches, I have seen this system in action, how consumer desire is manipulated, and how it eats away at true craftsmanship.

Greenwashing: When morality becomes marketing

Faced with criticism, the industry adapts. Well, in appearance. Today, many brands highlight one eco responsible, conscious, sustainable piece. A capsule. A recycled material. Perfect storytelling. Press releases, vague labels, polished imagery.

Meanwhile, the rest of the collection, often dozens or even hundreds of pieces, continues to be produced exactly as before, overproduction, polluting materials, opaque supply chains, pressure on human costs.

That is greenwashing, greening the storefront to conceal an unchanged system. One responsible piece does not make a responsible brand. No more than an organic cotton tote bag saves the planet. From my work with both luxury and mass market brands, I can attest that the reality behind the curtain rarely matches the marketing story.

So what is fashion today?

The real question is not “what’s the trend?”. The real question is, what value do we still give to clothing?

Fashion today stands at a crossroads:

• either it continues down the path of quantity, noise, and immediacy,

• or it reconnects with meaning, less, better, fairer.

Create fewer collections. Produce fewer pieces. Pay better. Source better. Accept that not everything has to be accessible, immediate, disposable.

Fashion is not dead

But it must choose whether it wants to remain a cultural language, or become a disposable product permanently hooked on marketing drip. Spoiler, the consumer is slowly but surely no longer fooled. Speaking as someone who has lived inside the industry, I can tell you, they are noticing.

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Read more from Alexandra Bronckaers

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Alexandra Bronckaers, Independent Journalist

Alexandra Bronckaers is a widely recognized independent journalist, former editor-in-chief and publisher, with 30+ years of expertise across fashion, beauty-tech, art, culture and lifestyle. Her work blends sharp analysis with modern storytelling, exploring innovation, creative shifts and industry transformation. Working internationally, she highlights the leaders, creators, disruptors and cultural forces reshaping our era.