Fashion is going through a lot right now. The top-down model traditionally used to sell us clothing has been turned on its head. Many brands have adopted a social media first approach, with runway inspiration coming from user-generated platforms such as TikTok. The birth of microtrends taught us that style is secondary to fashion, and the easiest way to look the part is to replicate what you saw your favourite influencer wearing on their morning coffee run, which has been carefully archived on their feed and curated based on what will look best in the photos. Getting the look is also more obtainable than ever thanks to applications like ShopMy and the affiliate link economy. And if ever you can’t afford the tank top that virtually hangs in their online shop, you can trust dupes to get you the same item at a fraction of the cost. The fashion gates are open, the gatekeepers long gone. Being trendy is now easier than ever, but the accessibility of fashion has left a void in style. And for those of us that truly care about the signs and signifiers that come with the material objects they surround themselves with, this accessibility has left us looking for new ways to signify our tastes.

There has been a noticeable shift in fashion’s cultural zeitgeist that parallels its identity crisis; an expansion to include furniture and other design objects. Perhaps most obviously seen in SSENSE’s launch of their “Everything Else” section in December 2020, which was right around the time that we were all confined to our homes, sitting around and thinking ‘do I actually live like this?’. Even with this attempted shift, the fashion giant couldn’t keep it together, filing for bankruptcy protection after it trained consumers to wait until items were on super sale to buy anything; another huge nail in fashion’s cultural capital coffin. Since that first shift, many other fashion tastemakers, at every scale, have begun including designer objects and homewares to their repertoires. Take Laura Reilly, fashion editor and Founder of Magasin who recently launched Interiors with Xavier Donnelly, taking her grasp on the fashion-intellectual landscape to new heights. 

Access to our homes used to be reserved for ourselves and the privileged friends that we invited for dinner. Now everyone can take a peak, with each full length mirror selfie posted to Instagram giving followers access to the objects that we surround ourselves with in private. Our homes are now sites of expression to be taken more seriously. Things that used to have little significance now hold cultural meaning. Jasmine Mint Marvis toothpaste with a matching purple Lavatori A Mano toothbrush now tells the world as much about you as the brands you’re wearing. 

The singularity of these objects means being selective with your choices, infusing each decision with intention. Where fashion is all about having more, frictionless buying, and constantly keeping up, design lets you slow down. The items we surround ourselves with at home have to be more thought out, more researched and more loved than any piece of clothing could be. It’s nearly impossible to be frivolous when it comes to objects because you probably only need one. While a seemingly infinite amount of shoes can fill your closet, the couch in your living room stands alone. This is how design replaces fashion in our lives. With some research and care, the creation of a beautifully curated space can do as much good for ourselves as our Instagram feeds. And while we’ll never escape the fashion cycle - we’ll always have to get dressed - there’s comfort in knowing that there’s a meaningful alternative out there, or inside.