With the rise of fast fashion and its now apparent effects on climate change, there is an evident need for change in terms of how we as individuals use our clothing and footwear. Our team has created Ray Fashion Inc., a sustainable footwear company that focuses on implementing the circular economy to reduce the amount of waste generated in shoe creation. We have designed a sandal that accommodates the rapid consumption element of fast fashion with a business model that promotes sustainability through a buy-back method to upcycle and retain our materials.

This creative is established in the field of business, with an emphasis on fashion, art, and<br/>the creation of a body-positive exhibit. Using qualitative research from experts on fashion<br/>curation, we seek to create, curate and pitch a fashion exhibit. Using the information we gather<br/>from experts from two different museums, we will create a new age exhibit that pushes the<br/>boundaries of fashion as art through our theme of body positivity.

An exploration of how architecture can react to American hyper-consumption of clothing products. With the goal to raise public awareness and create systemic, sustainable change in the fashion industry, this project synthesizes each part of manufacturing, including production, consumption, and post consumption, into one local campus. By bringing manufacturing back into the daily rhythms of an urban context and combining a prototypical mix of fashion related programs, ethically minded consumers are formed.

The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 drastically altered what was once accepted as reality. As society shifted to an online universe, causing rampant isolation, the world faced many uncertainties. This dramatic transformation affected every global industry and because fashion and culture are intertwined, the industry became a direct reflection of the new social climate. This ASU Barrett Creative Project explores the current direction in fashion and identifies two contrasting cultural aesthetics that arose from the 2020 pandemic. Through ample research surrounding various topics such as generational escapism, mental health as it relates to the pandemic, increased psychedelic use, fashion technology advancements, the metaverse and non-fungible tokens in fashion, and the current political and social environment, I identified and named two separate fashion blanket trends: Kaleido and Chernobyl. Photographic evidence from Vogue Runway and the latest fashion seasons were included as support for these predictions. Inspired by Fashion Snoops, a prominent fashion trend forecasting agency, I created a trend packet, including a mood board, pattern and color palette, cultural influences, key items, and a fashion buyer’s checklist for both trends. Finally, I reported on my findings when researching Pinterest Predicts, a resource for creative businesses to predict trends, which identified three specific fashion trends, deemed Athflow, Cocoon Swoon, and Up Clothes and Personal, and I circled back to how it relates to both Kaleido and Chernobyl. Reminiscent of pandemic-induced escapism, 3D-printing in fashion, the metaverse, and a worldwide psychedelic awakening, Kaleido features many avatar-like garments with an otherworldly flair, complete with funky abstract knitwear, bold prints, eye-catching cutouts and textures. Leading brands reflecting Kaleido are Chet Lo, AVAVAV Firenze, and Marco Garro. Finally, Chernobyl has a direct correlation with the cultural annihilation 2020 left in its wake, voicing the civil distress that continues to echo universally suggesting an uncontrollable warfare on a preexisting reality. Characterized by deconstructionism, distressing, layering, and an emphasis on outerwear, the dark dystopian expression of “Apocalyptic Chic” is conveyed. Leading brands within this trend are Maison Margiela, Rick Owens, and independent label, Kepler London. Additionally, a permanently altered post-pandemic society saw stretchier, more casual outfits taking over the average wardrobe. As a result, designers within this new fashion season brainstormed new ways to transition from loungewear and leggings back into elevated fashion. Knitwear became the preferred method to achieve this progression and thus, the era of presentable and editorial athleisure began. In conclusion, the current course of fashion is boundary-pushing, innovative, and culturally reflective, featuring a multitude of innovative layering and patchwork, as well as interesting takes on silhouettes and pattern contrast. Elevated knitwear has a prominent place within new collections as the world transitions from working at home and living in athleisure to rediscovering the outside world. Because of the direct connection between fashion and culture, the newest outputs in fashion are either reminiscent of a dismal post-apocalyptic future, or “Chernobyl”, or appear to have arrived from a different, more optimistic dimension, or “Kaleido”.

Valued as a $28 billion industry in 2021, the second-hand clothing industry, or thrifting industry, has been exploding (2020 Fashion Resale Market and Trend Report, 2020). This has been aided by a myriad of technological advancements, social movements, and economic factors. The goal of this thesis is to uncover consumer behaviors leading to this growth across behavioral, emotional, perceptual, and belief factors. Additionally, this thesis aims to provide strategic implications for marketing professionals, create recommendations for brands to successfully enter this industry and target consumers. In this study, a Qualtrics survey was distributed to students at Arizona State University. The results were analyzed through Microsoft Excel. The results showed that in order to be successful in this industry, brands should: emphasize sustainability in marketing, increase brand awareness, highlight feelings of pride in products, uniqueness, and affordability, mitigate feelings of poverty, low quality, and lack of variety, understand the perceptual differences in shopping versus thrifting, and take advantage of branded fashion.

The 70s in the UK were a time of social unrest that turned many youth onto an attitude of rebellion. In stark contrast with the love ethos of the 60s, the 70s economic downturn left many outraged and with the need to express their dismay. This “anti” attitude would bleed into many aspects of culture like the emerging fashion of the decade. Youth subcultures were a place for young adults to find solidarity. Punk trends including leather, safety pins, distressed clothing and denim. The Sex Pistols rocked the music industry leading way for other like The Clash and Joy Division to join the scene. With records such as ‘God Save the Queen’, the Pistols cemented the new culture movement as politicized. As the decade continued Punk became more intensified; becoming its own subculture of both street style and high couture.