Where do you look for new ideas or voices in fashion?
I surround myself with enthusiasts who occupy vastly different niches. Being in constant conversations with them allows me to expand outside my peripheral understanding of fashion, opening my eyes to new ideas and voices in fashion I never would have dreamed of.
What is the most significant change you are seeing in fashion right now?
I’ve come across a handful of digital projects over the past few years that organise and contextualise fashion information in ways we’ve never seen before. I believe that this is due to the technical limitations of dominant platforms such as Instagram, Discord, and Reddit. This, paired with the oversaturation of fashion information and content, has sparked a collective desire to create something new.
In what ways is AI impacting the quality of information in fashion?
The explosion of fashion content sparked by the Covid pandemic, paired with people leveraging their knowledge for social or financial gain, has led to a surge of questionable fashion information. Much of this content can be unreliable due to poor research and failing to cite original sources — and AI only exacerbates this.
How essential is heritage and/or a distinctive identity in contributing to a brand’s success?
It depends on the brand’s definition of success. However from a cultural point of view, it’s almost imperative for a brand to tell its story in relation to both its past and present. This can be a tricky balance to get right, but a keen understanding and respect for the archives, together with a desire for something new, can synthesise into a vision that resonates in the present moment.
Why did you decided to start Fashion Wiki?
The Fashion Wiki is co-founded by me and Elia Orsini, and is a natural extension of Archive.pdf’s mission: to democratise fashion information for and by the community. We draw inspiration from fashion forums that fostered communities and facilitated the sharing of information without expecting anything in return — a stark contrast to today’s online fashion landscape. Based on conversations with both seasoned enthusiasts and newcomers alike, the community not only yearns for projects with this kind of authenticity and value, but specifically a project like the Fashion Wiki. The foundations for the Fashion Wiki are now in place, and we’re excited to see how the pieces come together to form a platform with unlimited potential.
Do you think that showing the new generation the pre-digital past of fashion would improve their interest and passion?
Absolutely, and we’re seeing many instances of this today as well. Learning from the pre-digital past not only aids the new generation in putting the present into perspective, but equips them with the knowledge to shape fashion’s future.
This interview has been lightly edited.
