Menkes at the 2009 Sustainable Luxury Conference. Photo: coutorture.com
Those lucky enough to find themselves at Morgan auditorium this afternoon were treated to a last minute audience with one of fashion's most famous figures (and certainly fashion's most famous writer): Suzy Menkes. Menkes, who has a son living in the Bay Area, took time out of her visit to share her industry insider experiences and answer audience questions about the future of fashion as we know it.
Looking smart in a purple and magenta Pleats Please dress and coat, Menkes kept the discussion focused on two of fashion's hottest topics today: the future of online fashion journalism in all its user-generated glory, and the concept of sustainability and what it really means to consumers, designers, and apparel producers today.
Having recently participated in the 2009 Sustainable Luxury Conference in New Delhi, Menkes spoke to growing concerns that today's fast fashion is hurting our planet far more than it's helping our wallets. She did share some uplifting news on the somber topic, though. Apparently, growing awareness has high fashion houses like Balenciaga and Hermès rethinking their stiletto-clad carbon footprints.
On the topic of social media platforms and blogging, Menkes was authoritatively decisive, and why not? With decades of experience covering the world's most influential fashion shows, few know how to better spot a trend than the veteran fashion journalist. Although she still writes almost excluseively for print, Menkes sees a lot of potential in online publications.
"I think it's terrific that there are bloggers," she said, citing the internet as a relatively nacent addition to the fashion writing family, "But you have to keep up with the standards of fashion journalism today." No stranger to those rigerous standards, Menkes understands that while web writing may be a boon to the fashion industry, it should also be taken with a grain of salt, adding, "Not everyone's writing is equal."
In the end, Menkes remains optimistic about the future of fashion, despite environmental and economic concerns, and encouregess aspiring designers and writers not to lose heart. Her advice? "Be curious and be accurate." Surely her work as a global fashion icon will continue to inspire us to be both.
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