Our Conversation with Dimitris Theocharis about COVID-19, Changes in the Fashion Industry and more
The Greek American Fashion and Portrait photographer Dimitris Theocharis has seen his work in many leading publications including Vanity Fair, Harpers Bazaar, ELLE and Vogue. Currenlly based in South London, the innovative, award-winning photographer talks exclusively to our Editor in Chief about the life after quarantine, all the changes in fashion, and a lot more.
REY: Hello Dimitris and thank you for accepting our invitation. How are your days during quarantine? Has the lockdown changed a lot from your daily routine?
Yes and no…my days are full, just as before, I have redirected my energy and focus on different aspects of my career and life. Apart from the obvious physical limitations of not going out, or taking on new projects, there are a plethora of ways to stay busy and be creative.
For example, I've started cooking again, so no more food deliveries and a good part of my day revolves around the food and the quality of the food I am going to make. I am lucky to have set up a small gym at my place so I can continue with my fitness routine with the addition of mediation, tai chi and cycling.
I socialise with my friends and family regularly over FaceTime and have had few zoom parties..
The list goes on, we are fortunate to live in an age that we can still conduct our lives with a good level of “normality” during these difficult times.
Work wise, I am focusing on archiving and editing past material in the hope to create a retrospective book of some of my work. I am still in the process of putting a magazine together….(need to find the time for this) as well as finding the time to kick start a couple of business ideas I’ve had for a while.
REY: Do you think that our ‘everyday life’ and routine will change after covid-19? Or actually are we going to change as people?
Whilst this pandemic has been hyped as doomsday by the media, in reality it is one of many in a long history of pandemics (and by now it looks like we have managed to contain it to a certain level).
I don’t think in the long run Covid-19 will change radically or notably the progress or the path of life as we know it. Until we have an effective treatment we will be living with uncertainty…. we will be facing the same issues as we do now, home schooling, working from home, closures, lockdowns, the economy shrinking and sadly loss of life.
Nonetheless, I hope that this situation brings some positive changes to humanity as we unite to resolve this crisis and will give a push to science and technology to come up with solutions and methods of preventing or containing outbreaks similar to this one in a more effective, efficient and humane way.
From investing more money in medical research, modernising the health care systems of each and every country, improving aviation conditions, restructuring public transportation and office spaces and even the way we run entire cities etc but again Rome was not built in a day… or even in a few millennia….
However I fear that we are not mature enough to see the bigger picture and we will end up focusing on all non vital things and once again waste our energy in trivial matters.
On an individual level, people tend to fall back into their habits however good or bad these are, so yes undoubtably life for some people has and will change, because they have been directly affected by this virus, maybe some of us will think twice about handshakes or travelling, maybe some will continue to look after themselves as intensely as they have during this period, but as I said I doubt major changes will take place or will come abruptly or exclusively because of Covid-19.
Covid-19 could be the catalyst, or fast-forward changes that had to happen.
REY: COVID-19 has affected the world's economy and the fashion industry is one of the sections which has been affected the most. What, in your opinion, could help Fashion to bounce back to the level it was before?
First we need to ask why? Why should fashion bounce back? What has fashion got left to offer? What is the role and significance of fashion in 2020 when we are facing a pandemic?
When we are facing a global crisis, people spend on essentials or on low risk secure investments. I don’t think anyone was worrying about stockpiling in Hermes scarves in the early days of this pandemic but instead they went for toilet paper. Retrospectively you can reuse a scarf… so maybe it wouldn’t have been a bad idea after all. (No disrespect to Hermes or to toilet paper).
Jokes aside, the fashion industry needs to evolve, it’s been riding on aggressive marketing strategies for a few decades with little “real” innovation. In essence, it has been focusing and capitalising on style over substance.
This symbiotic relationship of creating a false need for a constant update of our style/clothing with the continued supply of new products/collections has contributed to hyper consumerism. This has resulted in constant revenue growth for the fashion industry with a 14% jump in 2019 making it $2.2 trillion industry (including footwear and jewellery).
It’s an ingenious but highly flawed system.
Fashion is not essential, but clothing is, so when the times get tough non essentials take a secondary role.
REY: Does this mean that the 'fashion bubble' (which lasted for years) is about to burst?
Burst no. Temporarily shrink? Yes, like many industries will. The fashion industry needs to go into survival mode and some sort of damage control strategy has to be implemented whilst we are facing this pandemic.
From brands hibernating for a season or two, to investing on online-virtual/augmented reality shopping experiences, to diversifying product range, to utilising stock from previous seasons, to introducing rent and resale strategies, to reduction in prices - there are always ways to entice and cut corners but still make revenue.
Heritage luxury brands: whilst some may thrive (as in the case of Hermes after the 2008 economic crisis) will take a small hit as their product can be translated as a “low risk investment”. Items that are not defined by season, are made to last and hold their value are always a safe buy.
High street fashion: will take a hit, but because they form the main staple of peoples apparel, their product can be considered as essentials and thus it will recover quickly.
Sadly, I believe the ones that are going to be affected the most are the vulnerable brands, the ones that fall in the in-between category; new brands and startups, that haven’t yet established a loyal client base, cutting edge experimental brands and so on. However in some countries government funding is in place to help businesses through these difficult times.
I believe this recession will be a short lived one, and fashion will continue its economic growth. But to what end…?
Slowing down could be the way forward, when it comes to environmental issues.
REY: Yes, I have to admit that we have seen changes happening during the last years, especially with thesome big fashion houses. For example, Gucci is working on its collections every season in order to create a continuity between them. So let's say if you have bought a piece in 2016 you can definitely combine it with a piece from 2020's collection . Other fashion houses have started presenting only two collections per year instead of four (cutting out the pre-collections).
True, some houses are adapting to the new reality.
Nonetheless this is a great opportunity for introspection and true innovation in both design and production chains. Covid 19, may be the necessary break that the fashion industry needs in order to refocus, re-envision, restructure and solve its bigger issues.
Sustainability, ethically/ environmentally conscious production chains and transparency are the flaming issues of this industry.
Creating tanseasonal, long lasting garments could be one of the solutions to the environmental issues we are facing. Certified and recycled fabrics are available and already few brands are finally adapting to this greener reality.
REY: Yes, we have seen some changes and recycled materials coming into use. Prada for example, has presented new techniques for its Linea Rossa collection and the directors have presented the ReNylon collection using recycled nylon. The brand admits that it will use only recycled nylon material and it hopes to roll out this approach across the board in the next few years, a goal that would see all 700,000 meters of nylon used every year by the company go green. All the above and many more will be part of the Sustainability deal that Prada signed and it will be complete in the next 5 years. (€50 million sustainability term loan with Crédit Agricole Group)
Nonetheless changing consumer’s attitude towards fashion is another issue.
For decades fashion has pushed the “I’d rather die than be seen twice in the same outfit” mentality… and now we are facing the consequences of this propaganda.
We consume fashion faster than ever before so we produce more fashion than ever before and vice versa.
Blaming high street giants is not the answer, when the reality is that this mentality was created and is still maintained by the constant creation of new collections, trends and more invasive marketing strategies by the high end fashion corporations.
Reshaping consumer mentality is a key part of this process. Becoming environmentally conscious about our buying choices can speed up the shift towards sustainability.
It is the responsibility of the brands to communicate their ethos and transparency of their production chain to their customers, so the consumer can make informed choices.
But where is the importance and vision in the fashion industry? Is it a mere rehashing of patterns or decorating fabrics? Why not create a Prada or a Primark garment that can protect you from environmental pollutants and viruses whilst it is polymorphic, doesn’t stain, it’s adaptable to temperature, it can change colour to fit your mood, has zero emission in its production and you can recycle or compost?
New fabric research and new technologies should be at the forefront of the industry, we all know cotton is the most popular but one of the most thirsty in production fibbers, whilst water scarcity is a reality for two thirds of the world’s population.
For an industry that claims to be trendsetting, cutting edge, progressive with liberal sensitivities, it still feels stuck in a self indulgent stage. These environmental issues have been known for decades…. finally some in the fashion industry are taking action.
REY: Would Covid-19 speed up this process?
I hope so, but I doubt it. After Covid-19 I think more invasive marketing strategies will be the main focus as brands will try to regain some of their losses, whilst funding research on new materials and technologies will move to the bottom of the investment agenda.
Thankfully as highlighted by the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action which was created in 2018, clear targets and timetables are set out for the industry to meet in the foreseeable future.
It is a difficult and complex conundrum, but it must be solved quickly.
I really don’t want to demonise or diminish the recent initiatives and progress on environmental issues by some in the fashion industry, its cultural contribution and importance for the global economy, or the creativity and the craftsmanship that often characterises fashion i.e the love and care that goes into the construction of a haute couture garment. It can be and it is art at its purest forms.
Nor do I want to diminish the industry’s applaudable response, humanitarian and fund raising efforts during this pandemic.
These are the aspects of the Fashion Industry that need to be preserved, cherished, celebrated and respected.
Thank you for having me.
