Frivolous 2020: The State of Fashion With Stephan Rabimov
Fashion industry used to be an invitation-only gated community. Thanks to social media, e-commerce, and micro-learning platforms, today the world of fashion is wide open as a busted seam. Democratization of access created a different kind of problem: how to stand out from the crowd while maintaining the fresh quality of ideas. Designers, models, influencers, retailers find themselves on a new playing field. “Fashion is again at the fault lines of tectonic shifts in culture and business,” says Stephan Rabimov. He would know. As a fashion scholar, critic, and industry expert with 15 years of emerging fashion market experience, he has seen some of the major changes up close and personal. A contributor to Forbes USA, editor-at-large of L’Officiel Austria, and an in-demand fashion PR consultant, he had settled on Portland, Oregon as his tranquil West Coast base to help dream up a post-pandemic world of opportunities for brands and consumers alike. We connected with Stephan in his stylish downtown office to find out what made fashion work, what makes fashion fail, and what will make fashion thrive again.
“In life, many things happen almost by chance.” Stephan reflects on his first encounters with the industry. “My interest in fashion was ignited by my first visit to New York Fashion Week. At the time, I wanted to be somebody versed in international relations, trade, and politics. This felt like an exciting intersection of my skills and passions.” In 2007, he launched one of New York’s first digital fashion magazines DEPESHA. To put things in perspective, Instagram didn’t even exist then. It was a visionary idea to share fashion reviews on Facebook and Twitter before the audience was ready for style content online. He practiced what he preached.
“I became intellectually fascinated by the power of clothes. Every time I would go out, I’d put on something drastically different. It would really change the way people interacted with me, as well as the way I interacted with people,” Rabimov said.
As times change, the question of power dynamics remains. “With everything that is happening in the world, from pins to T-shirts with slogans to protective gear, what do you wear to a daily protest?!”
People wear whatever makes them feel comfortable and supports them in their life’s mission. That’s the general rule. However, given climate change and social circumstances, the wardrobe evolves. There’s a new mandatory accessory in the world now: the mask. Stephan’s coverage of this undisputed fashion icon of 2020 went viral with over 350,000 views on Forbes! “When Chanel introduced pantsuits for women, it took another 20 years for the idea to proliferate around the world. The masks have done that in a blink of a moment,” notes Rabimov. "Everything happens faster and faster in fashion now. Brands that don’t honor that won’t survive!"
Protecting our planet has become another crucial topic. “Fashion is a notorious contributor to pollution, but it can also be a role model on how to reduce or eliminate it. A surprisingly good example of this is H&M. They’re so big, and they put their resources on the really strong buyback programs collecting recyclable clothes, offsetting their carbon footprint. They are part of the problem and big participants in the solution. If more companies follow suit, we can both protect and adapt our lifestyle, which is the most difficult part to change and reduce the impact of fashion production. With a little will, we start seeing real changes around the world”, notes Stephan.
Many critics accused the fashion industry of being frivolous, releasing new collections amid the pandemic and staging virtual or in-person fashion shows. Stephan has a strong response. “Anybody who thinks fashion is frivolous has never read a history book. History is peppered with examples of the profound impact of fashion on the human condition. It can’t be frivolous when it protects us, excites us, creates jobs, and is a part of the arts, diplomacy, healthcare, education, and so on,” says Rabimov. Fashion can put entire counties on the map in competitive ways. He cites Georgia as an example. The appointment of Demna Gvasalia at Balenciaga brought attention to Georgian fashion and the team behind Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Tbilisi helped support other Georgian designers on the global stage, turning Tbilisi into a bona fide emerging fashion capital within years.
Storytelling is at the heart of Rabimov’s work. He had established the USA’s first academic Social Media Center in San Francisco and developed virtual fashion journalism courses before it had become standard practice on editorial calendars. Stephan is always interested in the next new normal. “I smile at this constant buzz that ‘the fashion industry is dead.’ First, it was the magazines that were dead. Then, it was the fashion weeks that were dead. Well, it’s 2020 and fashion magazines are covering fashion weeks, in a pandemic. People are too quick to discard the tremendous potential of the industry to evolve and adapt. Change is an essential component of everything we do!” he notes. What does the future of fashion look like in the five-to-ten years span? “If I were to play an oracle,” he laughs, “I’d say it will be driven by our need for a more sustainable, diverse, inclusive, and respectful world, where creativity is driven not by egos but by partnerships.” According to Stephan, the industry is walking a fine line between creation and protection with brands creating foundations and educational art centers to inspire the next generations and to give back to communities that supported their success. “That’s great, but not enough. Until we see upcycled fashion, recycled garments, and innovation that improves our planet’s health season after season, across all major fashion houses, we shouldn’t rest our guard.”
Future is always decided now, in every moment. This November is an important crossroads for intercultural diplomacy with the presidential election in the United States. “Fashion elements in politics are important because they send faint, but recognizable signals for experts like me to help interpret; so I urge everybody to pay attention to their local political process. Don’t look at fashion as a secondary element, but as part of first impressions,” said Rabimov. Who looks trustworthy? What emotions are you experiencing? Is it authentic, or are we being manipulated? People have more power now than ever before in all aspects of life, including politics and fashion and business.
I work with international brands that are hiring graduates from top global fashion schools to work on collections that will be produced and sold elsewhere, anywhere, online, to you and me. Fashion really brings people together. We must harness the power of fashion for the greater good!
You can follow Stephan on Twitter and Instagram @depesha
