Passion Disregarded
"When a bigtime movie star or politician dies someone like Tom Brokaw has always been there to help put it into perspective.
If it was a sports star, fans would talk about it for days on talk radio.
However, for someone that loves fashion Alexander McQueen is just gone and no one seems to be able to make sense of it." - The Sartorialist
Alexander McQueen, one of fashion industry's irreplaceable talents of all time, passed away on the 11th of February - when I first googled the news and found out that it was true, I couldn't help but feel this little bit of emptiness inside. People will laugh as they read this, but go ahead.
McQueen was always one of the few designers I always respected; he was never afraid to create what he strongly felt about. His creations clearly showed that he didn't design for the people, but did so because he simply loved it.
After reading what The Sartorialist posted, I couldn't agree more. I continued reading on as one link led to another, and ended up chancing upon anti-fashion blogs.
More often that not people's perception of fashion careers makes individuals like I, sometimes feel insignificant and unnecessary. I don't love and want to work in this industry because its cool. Its not shopping in a mall - its passion for a certain art form, that so happens to be apparent in our commercialised society. Fashion isn't necessarily always a piece of clothing. It unfortunately only seems so because of the way celebrity culture today abuses such things for their self conscious needs, and it is as a result belittled and stereotyped to be something lame. In the early 1930s, Coco Chanel wasn’t labeled as trash because she made clothes.
I won't deny that this is definitely not the most noble-worthy career one can have. Fashion cannot compare to medicine... savings lives is undoubtedly more respectful than making clothes. However it ultimately boils down to the same thing: we do what we do because we love it.
One thing I relish throwing back in many faces, is that they forget something: fashion does in fact, play a substantial role in most of your lives. For many out there style is who they are, what shapes them - with much thanks to designers who create these things for us, and get criticized at at the same time for being who they are. Talk about irony.
We don't purchase that shoulder jacket because we need it - we just want look, feel and be a part of the whole thing.
This also reminds me of how some of my friends, and my parents felt when E wanted to dance for the rest of her life.
"Who do you wanna dance for..."
"Dancing is useless it doesn't do anything!"
"Its so risky, why put yourself in that position when you can have a stable 9-5pm desk job?"
"Passion cannot put rice in your bowl..."
"...no point."
I can't help but feel so fucking angry, and at the same time, a little sympathy for those who don't understand what passion really is.
Don't diss fashion because its lame. You do that to hide the inferiority you feel deep down inside.
RIP, Alexander McQueen.