Former Vogue Editor in Chief Carine Roitifeld " Today's fashions don't let people dream like they used to."

Former French Vogue Editor in Chief Carine Roitifeld gives an honest look on the current state of fashion her interview with Speigel International. I really appreciate her candidness in this interview, a lot of people see the glamor and glitz of the fashion industry but have no idea how tough this business really is especially in the modern world where trends cycle globally twice as fast as they did decades ago before blogging and the internet.


An excerpt of the Speigel Interview: 

SPIEGEL: Does this world of vanity, in which fortunes are spent on trivial things, corrupt people?
Roitfeld: The fashion industry certainly has its obscene sides. The cost of a coat can be obscene. So can the cost of a photo shoot if you're working with a really good photographer. But when I see how good the photos have turned out or even how well the coat was made or how many people worked on it, it's not quite so obscene anymore. Of course, it's not like we're working in a hospital; we don't save lives every month. We just make decisions about skirt lengths, about an inch more or an inch less. That's all.
SPIEGEL: Did that ever seem pointless to you?
Roitfeld: For 10 years, it was a hell of a lot of fun. But, toward the end, it unfortunately got less and less fun. You used to be able to be more playful, but now it's all about money, results and big business. The prêt-à-porter shows have become terribly serious. The atmosphere isn't as electric as it once was, and they now have about as much charm as a medical conference. But it takes just one good fashion show to get things exciting again.
SPIEGEL: If fashion can tell us anything about the age it's created in, what do you think current fashions tell us?
Roitfeld: Today's fashions don't let people dream as much as they used to. Twenty years ago, fashion was a promise -- something that was part of your life and perhaps enriched it, something that reflected a particular era. If you look at advertisements these days, all you see are handbags. They aren't about dreams anymore; customers are buying objects now, not dreams.[Speigel]

If you get the chance read through the entire interview, its actually quite interesting and really gives and honest view of the fashion industry from someone who has spent 20 years working in it.