I imagine insanely thin models navigating a world of demanding editors, huge paychecks, and tiny salads.
From environmental concerns to reverse photoshopping, there is a lot going on behind the scenes.
Here are just a few of the details the fashion industry would rather you not know.
“Designer sunglasses have the highest markup at retail by far, think 800 percent in some cases.
There may not be a huge difference.
Outlets should be places to score out of season or slightly damaged designer clothes at a huge discount.
Unfortunately, you’re usually just getting a much less quality garment with the designer’s name on it.
“Designer outlets are run separately.
They are the stepchild of designer businesses, even if they bring in more money,” explained Leung.
“The designer’s best work is sold in their boutiques.
Department store buyers often buy the same, safe styles season after season.
Then the same buyers charge back the designers if they don’t sell.
If you’ve noticed this trend, then you’re not alone.
A group of Congress members wrote a letter to theFederal Trade Commissionabout their concerns of deception.
“Outlet-specific merchandise is often of lower quality than goods sold at non-outlet retail locations.
Why your size changes
Ever wonder why your size changes from season to season?
The industry changes the fit and size year to year.
“Always try on clothing.
“Designers and fit models change.
The overall aesthetic evolves.
Manufacturers are not 100 percent precise for every garment.
On that note, the ‘size’ on the label means nothing.
Every brand has their own sizing, and there is no industry standard.
Buy what you like, and what looks good on you.”
So stop giving any of your power to the size in your clothing.
It’s bound to change and will look different depending on which store you shop in.
They feel amazing, and you just can’t wait to wear them.
Soon however, they’re just another pair of jeans sitting in your closet.
Why do they lose their magic so fast?
That’s all part of the plan.
“Fast forward to 2014, and the fashion industry is churning out 52 ‘micro-seasons’ per year.”
The fashion industry depends on you feeling out of style so that you go and buy more.
Some prey on models
The life of a model certainly looks exciting.
However, there is a dark side to modeling, and the fashion industry is partly to blame.
Too many models experience sexual harassment once they enter this world.
Unfortunately models have to be aware of which fashion industry workers could be predators.
“It becomes more problematic, however, if the model in question is extremely young and impressionable.
Their income is uncertain.
It’s uncertain work,” Fashion Model-turned Sociologist Ashley MearstoldNPR.
“So shooting for a high-end editorial magazine may pay you a flat rate of $150 a day.
It may pay you nothing.
It may pay you in lunch,” she explained.
You might be paid in what’s known as trade.
So when you’re paid in trade, you get to take home some clothes.”
Walk in fashion week and help huge designers make money, then only walk away with an outfit?
This doesn’t feel quite right.
The high fashion industry has essentially created a world where models can never be thin enough.
Former editor of Australian Vogue Kirstie ClementstoldThe Guardianjust how dire the situation has become.
When I queried her about them she said, nonchalantly: ‘Oh yes.
Because I’m always so hungry, I faint a lot.’
She thought it was normal to pass out every day, sometimes more than once.”
“It is the ultimate vicious cycle.
And no one tells her to stop.”
They rely on reverse photoshopping
So what happens when models become too thin?
The fashion industry simply photoshops their pictures to make them look healthier.
This practice has become more common as models are looking sicker and sicker.
“I hate featuring very skinny models,” Designer Johnnie Bodentold formerCosmopolitaneditor Leah Hardy for theDaily Mail.
It’s a real problem.”
The problem is that no one in the fashion industry is stopping this trend.
Even fashion magazines are helping cover up the issue.
“I, too, have been part of the reverse retouching trend.
That these underweight girls didn’t look glamorous in the flesh.
Gemstone jewelers in particular may be purposely misleading their customers about where the gemstones came from.
According to Gemologist Eva Meijer, about 95 percent of rubies and sapphires are not quite natural.
I wish, but that’s not the case, and also, would be impossible.
Some gemstones are not natural at all and are actually known as synthetic gems.
“These synthetic stones are the ones it’s possible for you to call the ‘fakes.’
Talk with your jeweler about where she sources her gemstones and how they have been treated.
So caring for the environment was never high on the priority list.
Major accessories brands like Guccirely on leatherfor their handbags, belts, and shoes.
This does not come cheap to the consumer or the environment.
Cattle ranching requires a huge amount of natural resources like water to maintain.
Then the leather has to be treated with chemicals.
Fortunately major changes are being made.
While focusing on sustainability may be good practice, retail consultant Robert Burke isn’t buying it.
“Consumers look at luxury brands for exclusivity, quality and status.
I’m not sure where sustainability fits in that pecking order,” he told theWashington Post.
However, times are changing.
All you have to do is log into yourAmazon account.
Amazon now has a patent on a custom clothing manufacturing system that is almost completely run by machines.
Everything is automated, then quality-checked at the end.
Once the clothes are deemed ready to go, they are sent out.
And how long do you typically have to wait for your custom-made clothes?
How does a merefive dayssound?
Move over, fashion industry!
