Is Italy Too Italian?

[Enaml]

Might not be the right spot (sorry if not, Faust + mods), but it's a pretty interesting read. Food for thought:

Is Italy Too Italian?

[Faust]

Thanks, I read that earlier today. Based on what I know it seems to be a fair article.

And yet, I wonder whether the mass-produced, cheap clothing world is becoming to resemble the shit-food world of America, and whether fashion will get its own Michael Pollan in the years to come as we lose this traditional knowledge and skill and replace it by shit manufacturing processes that turn out shit instead of clothes. Some of the problems are similar - sustainability, overproduction, environmental impact, moral dilemmas. Come to think of it, I'd love to write a book like that.

[orphée]

The article portrays Italy as being caught up in its own little world -- and what a wonderful world that is: pavement pizzaria tuned in to radio stations playing music from the 1980s, entire 'business lunches' i.e. 'menu' for 10 euros including wine and espresso (because 'that's the way things are done') and where strolling through any average sized city will carry one past excellent cobblers and tailors, many of which offer bespoke services. It is - in this day and age - sometimes hard to believe that such things really exist. And yet they do, in multitude: in Italy.

Many aspects of the article ring true. At the end of the day, Italy is a land of moderation...not too much wine during dinner, not too much coffee after....just enough. That's what it is all about. And that necessarily translates into a certain lack of daring, or - perhaps more apt - a very, very slow process of globalisation.

Yet I am an optimist, and if judging from the abrupt change of ambience noticeable when crossing the border into Italy from its neighbouring countries (well, at least from the north, in the Lake District), I have to say that it is exactly this 'living in a bubble' mentality that has saved Italy from the ravages of progress, which does have a certain 'dumbing down' effect in the sense of making everything look, feel and taste the same. Yes, the labour situation is a disaster, and the country is being run by someone by whom even the most outlandish Rossini opera buffoon would pale, but Italy still manages to taste and feel different. Ci mancherebbe altro.

What this is ultimately down to is the ole waiting game. Will these mills, etc. manage to stay alive long enough for consumers to wake up and realise what they are missing? Actually, I was going to say: 'until they realise how much tradition and expertise is on the brink of being lost'. But let us be honest. I am afraid it is not a loss of techniques or suchlike that the 'average' consumer fears, but more like a loss of 'getting the goods'. Greed. Yes, greed for quality, in a world where quality seems to be going down the pan for the most part. That is what we have to hope for. If the Italians (such as the ones mentioned in this article) succeed in holding on long enough, maybe, just maybe, enough people will look to them for quality. And being an optimist - albeit in a world of mass production and lies about provenence - I have to hold on to the belief that the Italians will find a solution....or at least that the solution will - some day - find Italy. There is just too much at stake.

[eat me]

The article brings tears to my eyes, almost. I mean, will we all end up eventually with mass-manufactured shit? Or, even more importantly, a culture that isn't capable of looking beyond that m-m shit when they get the means?

I only hope that for all it's flakiness the whole eco-local-responsibly-produced-organic-fairtrade-quality-artisan-small-batch trend that goes on in some mainstream markets (food, drinks, architecture, etc) will cease to be a trend and will embody itself in peoples mindset. Perhaps then instead of lauding brain-dead celebs for shopping at Primark with all their bags of gold, HELLO! magazine will put them to shame.

It should start from the bottom.

[Faust]

The article brings tears to my eyes, almost. I mean, will we all end up eventually with mass-manufactured shit? Or, even more importantly, a culture that isn't capable of looking beyond that m-m shit when they get the means?

1. No. 2. Yes.

I only hope that for all it's flakiness the whole eco-local-responsibly-produced-organic-fairtrade-quality-artisan-small-batch trend that goes on in some mainstream markets (food, drinks, architecture, etc) will cease to be a trend and will embody itself in peoples mindset. Perhaps then instead of lauding brain-dead celebs for shopping at Primark with all their bags of gold, HELLO! magazine will put them to shame.

It should start from the bottom.

I think that movement is no longer a trend. I mean, we have no choice, basically.

[orphée]

Since writing, I have been giving this a re-think. Some would say that western society is in decline....are the Italians leading the way? And what hidden (read: artisan) benefits might this decline harbour?

[Faust]

Some would say many things. That don't make it so.

[eat me]

Faust, man, that's depressing. Way to brighten up the morning

Being young and all, I kind of still hoping people will see the light (not only in terms of fashion). Probably some major shit has to go down first, to wake people up, but hope hasn't died in me yet.

[Faust]

Sorry, eat_me. Don't think this will make your day either...

[eat me]

Oh noes...

Actually, since I don't have a subscription for WWDC and I can't remember the uni's password for it either, could you sum up (or post it, but I think it'd be frowned upon :smile:) one of those articles, namely the "Value Judgments: Fashion Insiders Define "Cheap""?

[Faust]

My subscription has expired too. I should renew it, probably.

[eat me]

My subscription has expired too. I should renew it, probably.

I see. This is quite interesting though: Frugal Shoppers Appear Here to Stay.

As superficial as it is, and with no real substance to back it up, its a positive outlook. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

[Lane]

I guess journalists are not familiar with even the slightest bit of economics.

There’s a different mind-set. They’re cautious about their purchases and more thoughtful about what they buy.

This is an amazing discovery. I wonder what will happen when people eventually have more of a disposable income.