The Next Black (2014) by AEG is a documentary film about the people behind the scenes not merely in the fashion industry but even in the making of future clothing. Split into six progressing chapters depicting the innovative direction of clothing, this 45-minute film tells the story of interweaving garments and technology for fashion and for sports, increasing sustainability by growing materials and by changing buying habits, and reducing waste and pollution through less harmful means of dyeing and through repair, reuse, and recycle. Each chapter is excellently opened with the elegant use of asian-styled calligraphy paintings. Accompanied by the expressive narration, these beautiful visuals engage the viewers' imagination in the absence of appropriate real-life imagery.
Through the sleek cinematography permeated with aesthetic close-up shots of fabric texture, sewing tools, thread spools, the spread of dye in water, sewing machines in action and the likes, The Next Black inspires us with interviews from Nancy Lilbury of Studio XO, Matt Hymers of Adidas, Suzanne Lee of Biocouture, Rick Ridgeway of Patagonia, Sophie Mather of YEH Group, and Kyle Wiens and Brittany McCrigler of iFixit. Each of these hidden icons are passionate and determined to propel and advance the fashion industry with technology, sustainability, and through means of repair.
The first pair, Nancy Lilbury (Studio XO) and Matt Hymers (Adidas), address the idea of "wearable tech" by merging fashion and tech as well as the idea of smart clothes. They show us how much actual design engineering and 3D printing technology can be and is being applied into contemporary fashion for beauty and awe while heart rate sensors and accelerometers are integrated into sports gear to improve performance in the sports entertainment industry. Though Lady Gaga in a bubble dress is definitely a sight to behold, there is the question as to how durable and reasonable it is for regular citizens to be wearing hard and tough 3D printed fashion items as a norm. Similarly, although super tight sports jerseys with integrated heart sensors are a step forward in the sports world, the unbearable sense of tightness and constraint for the sportsmen also incur undesirable consequences such as cutting off the sleeves of a £500 handmade shirt. We can also see the same uncomfortableness with the recent change in American football attire which has tighten up significantly to expose many of the sportsmen's bounding bellies. However, there is an interesting segway into the next subject when Adidas also shows the use of bacteria on gill- or scale-like patterns in the shirts to increase breathability and perspiration during exercise of sports. Something that is very useful in the near future.
Suzanne Lee (Biocouture) and Rick Ridgeway (Patagonia), speak on the topics of sustainability through brewing sustainable fabrics and preventing material waste in fast fashion. Lee is fervently interested in using bacteria to grow material to be used to make clothes. The basic recipe includes green tea, sugar, acetic acid, and a starter culture (yeast and bacteria). A very interesting concept indeed but to be honest, such methods and its products are slightly alarming as it reminds of kombucha, a fermented (not to mention pungent) tea drink commonly used as functional beverages for unsubstantiated health benefits. My skepticism is somewhat proven by the way the fabric is smelled and its corresponding comment "there's no smell really once its been dyed". Well, that's what they all say. But regardless of my personal opinions on the matter, this is definitely an untrodden path that Suzanne is very admirably venturing into. It would be very interesting to see what comes out of it in the next few years and whether it is a material that is not only more sustainable but also durable. Ridgeway on the other hand strives to create awareness on the fact that it's not just the company's responsibility to prevent material waste, it is also the consumer's responsibility. Through a Black Friday ad, Patagonia encourages customers with the thought "don't buy it if you don't need it" and pushes towards an attitude to buy high quality items that will last longer and when it is damaged, repair it and reuse it. Definitely an attractive and wise attitude to adopt but whether this Black Friday ad carries hidden intentions disguised as a genuine care for the earth, we will never know but can only ponder.
It is a little ironic how in these two chapters, we are trying to make sustainable material out of bacteria to reduce waste but at the same time, Patagonia talks about preventing waste by repairing and reusing clothing items to keep them longer. I assume material made out of bacteria is not meant to last long as it may disintegrate faster than the regular fabric in order to be a kind of sustainable material to reduce pollution when thrown away in the long run. So how do you or even why should you repair and reuse something that is not meant to be kept for long? On the other hand, perhaps on the more realistic side of things, these two seemingly opposite ideas do go hand in hand in the sense that we don't try to repair and reuse the clothing made from living organisms but we do try to repair and reuse the material that are not as sustainable.
Thus, we are led into the last two chapters of the documentary, Sophie Mather (YEH Group), and Kyle Wiens and Brittany McCrigler (iFixit). Mather begins with a story that leaves a vivid impression about her love for watermelons and her disgust after she witnessed the polluted river water used to feed and grow said watermelons. This experience led her to press towards a method of dyeing without water. This approach reduces water pollution because it does not use a single drop of water. Wiens and McCrigler further impress us with the human ability in learning to fix things. They claim that when you fix something, you become more connected to your products and it becomes part of your skills, learning, and persona that wouldn't be if you were just to buy a new jacket. Instead of being something I bought, it now becomes something I own.
In conclusion, the overall message from this film is that the direction of fashion is changing and moving towards the integrating of technology, changing the buying culture, and increasing sustainability while reducing waste. Specifically in regards to the idea that we should learn to buy less but longer-lasting products, personally, I applaud this way of thinking and am all for it but in reality, how feasible is this way of life?
Consider these things:
1. People already have this shopaholic habit ingrained into them,
2. People have this innate need to always acquire new things,
3. There's always greedy people out there. Production and marketing will always strive for more sales, more profit with disregard for the sustainability of the earth, and
4. These type of high-tech fashion items will be initially expensive which will deter many and create a negative first impression of the inability to ever afford them. Thus, there is a need to gain traction in this market before it can really take off at full scale.
Regardless of these concerns, there is also the fact that people change, habits can be changed, and companies go where the money goes which is still in the hands of the people. If the cost of purchasing these futuristic items could be borne initially by these makers and their sponsors so that wearable tech can gain traction, this whole movement can definitely move forward.
However, this is a battle and it needs to be fought tactfully and strategically. We can't just run into it full force and hope to win. In other words, we can't just throw all these new products into market and expect it to take off on its own. Because that would result in a collapse and utter failure. People need time to have their concepts changed. People need even more time to have their habits changed. It may take at least another generation to turn the entire ship in a different direction. But it can be done if done properly.
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Additional Assignment Question:
Are any of the innovators in the video doing work that interests you to pursue? If so, who and why? If not, what would you like to see people researching when it comes to the future of fashion?
I am particularly interested in iFixit's work. I think it is necessary to have some kind of open source place to collect high quality information that is easily accessible to everyone so that people can learn how to do things themselves instead of outsource and pay for a service they can easily learn on their own. IFixit used to only be a website but a few years ago they extended into a mobile app. I find it convenient to have it on my phone but it is a little small and hard to see. The optimal device though is the iPad or iPad mini. In any case, iFixit is definitely a life saver and I believe having the general public as contributors is also an excellent source of information.
"My skepticism is somewhat proven by the way the fabric is smelled and its corresponding comment "there's no smell really once its been dyed". Well, that's what they all say." That made me chuckle! I think you make a good point that it's sometimes easy for creators of new or nontraditional products like this to become essentially immune to certain aspects of their inventions: they see the odor as nil because they've been surrounded by it so long and have come to perceive it as normal.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I agree that there's a lot of cultural inertia against large-scale change with regard to our fashion habits. Not only do people have a compulsion to shop and to acquire new purchases, they're also trained to believe that new items are an expression of status and romantic allure. As long as those with wealth largely model that reuse and wearing items out is declassé and worthless, it will be hard for anything modeled in "The Next Black" to become widespread reality. Lady Gaga showing off a bubble dress isn't enough.
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