Killer fashion, the dark side of our history of glamor

As fashion month gets into its stride, will the industry’s dark side upstage the glamor? Will PETA stage protests outside the shows of designers still stuck on using fur? Will Extinction Rebellion make headlines emphasizing the damage our industry continues to inflict on the planet? Currently the plight of the fashion industry’s “victims” forms a critical part of runway reports. History records that the term “fashion victim” was first coined by Oscar de la Renta to describe those branded or logo-laden hypebeasts who simply must have the latest sneaker collab or wait-listed handbag. These same individuals might swooningly describe Jacquemus’s teeny Chiquito or Bottega Veneta’s Pouch as “to die for.” But fashion’s dance with death isn’t always so playful and our industry’s dark side hasn’t always been so openly addressed. Historically fashion is strewn with hidden victims, silent casualties of society’s most decadent desires.