The man who wore Dior now wears Zara. Should we be happy?
John Galliano returns to the atelier. But the collaboration with the Spanish giant Inditex raises questions that the press release hasn’t yet answered. In January 2026, in Paris, a women’s dress designed by John Galliano for Dior sold at auction for € 637,500. A few weeks later, the same designer announced he would be working for Zara. Not for a six-piece capsule collection to be photographed on Instagram—for two years, with seasonal collections, drawing on the Spanish brand’s archive. If you had a strange feeling reading these two sentences one after the other, that’s understandable. It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s wrong. It means it’s complicated. And complicated things deserve to…
Gucci, Chloé, and Loewe sanctioned by the European Commission: what this means for sustainable and ethical fashion
On October 14, 2025, the Commission fined three major luxury brands—Gucci, Chloé, and Loewe—a total of €157 million (approximately US$182 million) for restrictive practices regarding retail price revaluation. According to the Commission, the three brands imposed conditions on their independent retailers that limited their pricing autonomy (both online and in-store), defining maximum discounts, predetermined sales periods, or even prohibiting certain discounts. Gucci received the highest fine (approximately €119.7 million), Chloé about €19.7 million, and Loewe €18 million. The fines were reduced thanks to the brands’ cooperation with investigators. Why it matters For the first time in the luxury fashion sector, the Commission highlights that price-control practices can constitute a violation…
Luxurywashing: Does luxury rhyme with ethics?
If we were to ask those who buy designer clothes worth thousands of euros whether they believe these products are more sustainable, many would likely say yes. The high price is often interpreted as a guarantee of quality, traceability, and respect for labor rights. However, the recent scandal involving Loro Piana—a historic Italian cashmere brand under investigation for labor exploitation—undermines this belief. And it’s not an isolated case. Max Mara, Dior, Armani, Valentino are among other luxury brands recently implicated in cases of poor labor conditions. It points to a deeper issue. In this article-podcast, we explore the phenomenon of luxurywashing—the construction of a “green and ethical” image that masks…
Injustices in sustainable fashion: what does it want to “sustain”?
“Before finding solutions, perhaps one should first ask: What do we want to sustain in fashion? Such a question may at first seem abstract and idealist. But without questioning the basic framework under which the work toward sustainability occurs, the risk is of sustaining unintended dynamics in fashion. Sustainability risks becoming a cloak under which to hide how injustices are made permanent, suffering made invisible, while maintaining social conflict and systemic inequities, rather than boosting the democratic principles the industry suggests it desires to sustain. Much everyday brand-initiated discourse on sustainable fashion is an excuse for keeping up the status quo, implementing surveillance regimes on goods and labor, and effectively…
Cocò vintage and second-hand: the love for the search for quality items and garments that continue to be used
Italiano/English below pictures Puoi ascoltare qui l’articolo: Audio-à-porter – Cocò vintage e secondhand A Bollate, comodissimo se arrivate con il treno da Milano, c’è un negozio consigliato a chi ama il vintage. Con Sara Freddo, un’amica che mi fa conoscere questo posto, ci divertiamo moltissimo a provare abiti di ogni epoca e ad ascoltare Concetto Serranò, il proprietario, che ci parla della sua attività.“È nato come negozio second-hand, ma la mia passione è sempre stato il vintage. Così quando qualche anno fa si è liberato lo spazio affianco e ho avuto il posto necessario, ho potuto realizzare l’abbinamento con il vintage. Piano piano sono arrivate anche le fiere, i mercatini…
