The ‘taser skirt’ uses fashion as a form of protest
Beyond our need to cover our bodies both for modesty and survival, fashion can also be used as a medium to diffuse power. A protest can have multiple definitions, but all of them follow the same line. A protest could represent a strong opinion against any issue, situation, or even...
Current in Style
Is dopamine fasting a wellness trend actually worth trying?
Feeling nothing for a day in order to feel more later on is all the rage on TikTok, but does it actually work? Over the last decade, ‘wellness’ has become such a ubiquitous part of mainstream culture that in 2024, it’s pretty hard to imagine life without it. A term coined...
Should fashion brands make pro-Palestinian clothing for profit?
Fashion companies using the emblems or slogans of social justice movements to sell clothing is nothing new. With support for the Palestinian cause growing globally, are brands treating the conflict as an opportunity to make sales? What happens when supporting a cause becomes ‘cool’? More often than not, companies move...
Pre-loved luxury items grace London Fashion Week’s runway
Secondhand fashion is continuing to find its place on the catwalk at global events. This week, eBay will showcase pre-loved clothing collections at London Fashion Week – bolstering its presence in pop culture. This evening, eBay will stage the second round of its ‘Endless Runway’ campaign at London Fashion Week. This...
Could nature be the antidote to dehumanisation?
According to recent research, spending time in nature can enhance our perception of others’ humanity. It suggests that this commonly accessible experience could be hugely beneficial for the reignition of healthy social interactions in an increasingly isolationist world. If you know me, then you’ll know I’m an absolute sucker...
Opinion – social media can never do enough to protect users’ body image
YouTube is the latest platform to make bold claims about restricting young people’s access to content that promotes harmful beauty standards. In light of other online spaces’ failure to address the increasingly concerning impacts of diet culture, however, will this actually have any effect? On September 5th, YouTube announced...
Tesco is introducing a ‘product passport’ for its clothing
The high street giant is taking steps to ‘boost supply chain transparency with new sustainability rules’. According to reports, British supermarket Tesco is introducing digital ‘passports’ for all of its clothing products. With a simple scan of a QR code printed on each item, users can access detailed information about a product’s materials, manufacturing process, and - most importantly - environmental impact. The initiative arrives as the EU prepares to...
Shein reveals child labour cases at suppliers
Fast fashion giant, Shein, reports that it found two cases of child labour in their suppliers last year. Fast fashion is already a hot topic of controversy, with it being a massive contributor to unnecessary trends and having immense climate impacts. The industry has the second-biggest consumer of water. Concerns of fast fashion exceed its poor climate contribution, however. A complex yet massive question is whether fast fashion is ethical...
will I ever heal my relationship with my body?
though I’d vehemently deny it if you ever brought it up, I cannot remember ever caring about my physical appearance in a way that could be considered ‘healthy.’ I’ve always wondered what it would be like to look in the mirror and feel optimistic about what’s in front of me. Saying that, I strive to avoid my reflection at all costs these days, to ward off the chastising that otherwise runs...
Is MDMA about to become medicine?
In 2021, a clinical trial uncovered the impressive efficacy of the club drug in treating post-traumatic stress disorder. Three years later, and the F.D.A. is scheduled to make an announcement on whether it’s ready to move forward with approving Ecstasy for therapeutic use. In what’s poised to be a watershed moment in the nascent field of psychedelic medicine, MDMA-assisted therapy is facing an imminent F.D.A. decision. A decades-long campaign to legalise...
