“Tomorrow comes Today” by Ylenia Selvaggia Carusi

Aspiring Stylist Ylenia Selvaggia Carusi, who will begin her academic career in Fashion Styling & Creative Direction, presented her project “Tomorrow Comes Today”. There, she explored the universes of Patagonia and Stella McCartney, two well-known brands that have embraced sustainability as the founding principle behind their identities, but also Avavav and the Indonesian brand Isa Boulder.

Ylenia Selvaggia introduced her project starting from the title “Tomorrow Comes Today”, quoting a song by Gorillaz, a band that has always used music to raise questions and encourage reflection on topical social issues.

I wanted to convey that if we want a future that lives up to our expectations, we must start building it today. This should not only be done by reaching new goals but also by preserving what we have already achieved and protecting what we have been given - our planet - without ever taking it for granted. The new generations have proved to be sensitive to the issue of environmental protection and aware of the importance of doing their part. The fashion industry is also responsible for the environmental impact of clothing manufacturing on the planet. Fortunately, consumers are starting to demand a more prudent environmental policy from companies”.

Ylenia went on with an analysis of two well-known sustainable brands. “Major sustainable brands include Patagonia, whose approach is based on a strong bond with nature, and Stella McCartney, showing how even a non-technical clothing brand can adopt sustainable production. However, emerging designers proved to be the best prepared to develop their collections while respecting the ecosystem. What I find particularly interesting is how, in most cases, this sustainable choice is implicit and not an element of brand marketing; this proves that adopting an approach with the least possible impact is not seen as a trend but as a prerequisite for the new generations”.

“A frequent cliché of sustainable fashion is that it somehow implies sacrificing design and that the collections will all look like each other. This is far from true. I have chosen two brands that implement sustainable policies but have very different approaches to product design. The first one is Avavav, an Italian brand based in Florence, which features clothes and accessories with futuristic silhouettes and bright patterns that combine inspirations from the natural world. I find their approach innovative and symbolic as it offers a creative representation of the encounter between trends and technological development and a renewed search for the link between humans and nature that characterises our era. Artificial and natural come together ideally and in a complementary way; they improve as dimensions that are not disconnected but in a dialogue with each other”.

Ylenia Selvaggia then chose a second brand, founded in Indonesia. “Isa Boulder’s collections have a more artisanal feel but they are still modern and in step with trends. I was struck by her approach to the rediscovery of manual work and the emphasis on the uniqueness of the product, no longer just an object created in series and devoid of spirit but the result of a process of which it still bears the marks. The time and attention of real people and their passion for what they do make the article unique and high in quality.

The future student concludes that “the fashion industry still has a lot of room for improvement for sustainable production, but it looks like a change is finally starting to take place. The key could be to rediscover fashion’s social and political aspects; no longer a simple form of clothing production but a reflection of social processes and changes in social sensitivity”.