The Easiest Way to Change the World is to Change the Way You Dress
New York, London, Delhi, Shanghai, Paris, Milan…No matter where you travel these days, it’s the same brands, the same styles, the same stores, the same colors. New looks appear on the internet as soon as they hit the runway, and the cost, inconvenience and enormous carbon footprint needed to travel to trade shows makes their attendance seem more of a bother than an exciting opportunity for unchartered discovery. Moreover, the majority of labels, even premium ones, are manufactured in developing countries, with only the marketing and design offices left in the home economy – destroying handed-down heirloom traditions of regional craftsmanship, as well as jobs. Let’s face it: Global Megabrand Fatigue is taking its toll.
The Local Label Lookbook is here to help bring artisanal designers and independent retailers together in order to revitalize the main-street shopping experience and foster a grassroots sense of community and mutual support in the fashion sector.
Shopping has lost the fun and glamour it had known in previous generations. Decimated by online sales, showrooming, ubiquitous brand names, fast fashion and the never-ending sales cycle, it is harder than ever for independent retailers to stand out and succeed against Big Shopping. As for artisanal labels, it can be difficult to get the word out, as traditional advertising in the major trade and consumer press is prohibitively expensive, and the same goes for participating in a trade show. Sure, online social networking and getting written about on blogs is free, but it is also time-consuming and difficult to gauge the true level of engagement with your target audience.
The Local Label Lookbook is the highly-targeted method for artisanal designers to increase their visibility, as well as for retailers to find amazing, fresh designers and unique products that cannot be found elsewhere. It is also a way for artisanal labels and retailers to work together in order to create exciting personalized services and products that a big, monolithic brand can’t, such as: one-of-a-kind couture pieces; in-store appearances; limited-edition collections based on the particular demographic needs of a certain store; or custom-made items for a shop’s clientele.
The Local Label Lookbook helps you get to know a designer, not just their products. Each garment tells the story of a designer's inspiration and the entire network of talented people they work with and source from – and we will share these stories with you. We also help retailers find designers that are committed to sustainable slow fashion and eco-friendly materials, as well as sourcing and manufacturing locally.
Maybe the easiest way to change the world is to change the way we dress. If everyone started to express their true individuality and personality through their clothes, imagine what a colorful, vibrant, dynamic world we we would live in. The entire momentum of society could literally change with very little deep effort or cost – aside from the courage for each individual to stand apart visually from everyone else.
By working together, we can invigorate the industry from the bottom up. Fashion, at its best, should be incessantly playful, expressively individualistic and mischievously rebellious – those are the qualities that attracted most of us to the industry to begin with. By acting as a conduit between retailers and the new design talent that deserves to be recognized, the Local Label Lookbook hopes to start a conversation and synergy between the creator and the retailer, where they can inspire and support each other on the road to greater success for all.