"Fashion Reimagine", a journey of adventure and challenge [Ichiro Enoki's Akasatana Movie Vol.37]

The title ``Reimagine'' refers to re-imagining. Think again. Picture it again.

This is a documentary film that follows up-and-coming British designer Amy Powney as she launches her sustainable brand, ``No Frills.'' I just introduced myself as a ``designer,'' but the document says ``the creative director of the fashion brand Mother of Pearl.'' She won the British Best New Designer Award in 2017, so there's nothing wrong with calling her a designer, but after watching this movie, I think her work certainly doesn't fit into the category of a designer. Amy Powney, of course, draws designs and works as the designer we imagine, but more than that, she redefines "fashion."

As introduced in the movie, if the fashion industry were considered a nation, its CO2 emissions would be the third largest in the world after China and the United States. Chemical dyes also cause environmental pollution, and synthetic fibers are thought to be one of the main causes of microplastics spreading in the oceans. The trend of "fast fashion" has had the positive side of deconstructing social classes (low-income groups can also enjoy fashion), but on the other hand, it has made the number of collections ultra-large (before spring and summer, " "Pre-season" collections arose, and major brands began offering 12 seasonal lines a year), ushering in an era of mass consumption and mass disposal.

``Fashion'' has a terrible impact on the environment. That's the reality.

Amy Powney, her staff, and Chloe's journey begins. It reminded me of ``Bouken no Tabi'' a bit like Dragon Quest. What you do is really like Dragon Quest, where you talk to villagers, get information, and get ``buki''. They rethink the fundamentals of material selection and visit the countries where wool and cotton come from. You place a high value on traceability. You see, vegetables sold at roadside stations often have the producer's photo or name attached. That's what it feels like. If consumers want to know, they can trace where and by whom the sheep were raised, where and how the wool was made into wool, where it was woven, and what distribution channels it went through to become a product. They are not satisfied with the idea of ​​``organic materials'' in name only. We work hard to create product processes from scratch that we have seen and confirmed with our own eyes.

“Fashion Reimagined” (C)2022 Fashion Reimagined Ltd

I like the story where the two of them visit a ranch in Uruguay in search of high-quality wool. Natural scenery is nice in the first place, but both of them were laughing a little, thinking, ``I never thought I'd be here,'' or rather, they were in a really good mood. To use the Dragon Quest analogy again, two ``sustainable heroes'' travel to Uruguay, South America, for some unknown reason, in search of ``the future.'' I see, I think the Dragon Quest party may have had a few laughs as they traveled through various kingdoms.

Of course, in terms of the movie, the ending is ``After all the hardships and hardships, ``No Frills Collection'' is a great success, and Amy Powney is praised, but the charm of this movie is the process, the adventure, and the story. That's the challenging part of the journey. You can clearly see how serious Amy and her friends are, how little the world understands, and how they are changing that world. I just watched a folk crusaders movie called ``Bring Minyo Back'' this week, and it seems like there's a common mindset among people who are doing interesting things in this day and age. Rather than relying on large-scale capitalism, we will build trusted human relationships as small as possible. We resist commercialism and protect the size of handmade products.

That's why I have a very favorable opinion of "Fashion Reimagined," but I would also like to point out this. I said, ``The appeal of this movie is the process, the journey of adventure and challenge,'' and I think that could have been explored even more. Well, it's still interesting as is. It's a movie with a lot to say, so I think it would be better to edit it at such a fast pace. However, my sashimi goes too smoothly. I wish there was more hesitation from Amy and the others, and more joy when a path suddenly opens up. This documentary is very narrative. A ``highly conscious narration'' thoroughly explains the trajectory of Amy and her friends. I wanted to know the reality of what was being ``explained'' through Amy and her friends' discoveries and breakthroughs, rather than through narration. In other words, (in my opinion) he's a bit clever at making movies.

I was reminded of Takero Hayami's ``Food Leftists and Food Rightists/Japanese Divided by Food'' (Asahi Shinsho). It is very important to define the concept of ``food leftists'' who are conscious about choosing organic ingredients, and ``food rightists'' who prefer fast food such as gyudon, ramen, and hamburgers, and to consider their eating habits and behavioral patterns. It was an interesting book. If you go by that tradition, Amy and her friends' ``No Frills Collection'' is a highly conscious ``fashion left-wing'' style. So, I think the same criticisms as for the "food left" can be made. Achieving this will cost money. The only people who can cover that cost are high-income snobs, celebrities, intellectuals, etc.

That is right. "No Frills Collection" is a sustainable and high fashion brand. The price range is also high. Our customers are celebrities such as actresses and famous chefs. In the second half of the film, all of this is discussed as a success for the brand. This may seem like an unpleasant attitude to those who criticize it. ``Isn't this just the hobby of highly conscious snobs (who want to pretend about the SDGs)?''

I believe that Amy Powney's journey of adventure and challenge will continue to the point where she will change people's consumption behavior. It would have to be. We would like to penetrate not only the ``highly conscious type'' but also at least the ``ordinary conscious type''. So, this is a ``starting movie.'' That's how I saw it.

Text: Ichiro Enoki

Born in 1959. Born in Akita Prefecture. Debuted in a commercial magazine with ``Takarajima'' in 1980 while studying at Chuo University. Since then, he has serialized columns and essays in various magazines, and continues to this day. Also active on radio and television. Twitter @ichiroenokido

Reserve “Fashion Reimagine” now ↓

"Fashion Reimagine"

September 22nd (Friday) Human Trust Cinema Yurakucho, Shinjuku Musashinokan and other nationwide roadshows

Distribution: Flag

(C)2022 Fashion Reimagined Ltd