The Row is worth $1B. Why does that matter?
Buckle up kiddos, we’re not going to see eccentric clothing in the mass market for a long time.
In case you missed it, The Row is now a brand that has reached ‘unicorn’ status- in other words, the ultra luxury clothing line is now worth $1 billion. Good for the Olsens…..not sure how good it is for the rest of us who wear clothes or better yet, those of us who wear clothes and like variety.
I myself veer into the minimalist side of things- in fact a few years ago, just before the panDemi Lovato (still don’t know if using the real word suppresses your online content and we’re not taking ANY chances over here), I resolved to ‘transcend materialism’ after going down a rabbit hole of fashion’s supply chain and realizing that there is no good plan for the final destination of our clothing. I have always had a sustainable cycle for my clothes before I knew what that was- only buying things I really loved, taking good care of them, and reselling them when I had outgrown them aesthetically and/or literally. However, moving beyond materialism goes beyond my shopping ethos which is just practicing mindfulness in all honesty. I wanted to move beyond feeling like I needed to have anything at all. I would say my social experiment was largely successful, to the point where maybe I’m even a bit sartorially boring now. (If you are familiar with the TikTok account, you probably have noticed by now that I’m an outfit repeater.)
That said, I see the purpose of ‘boring’ but well made clothes, especially when you’re at a place in your life where you have moved beyond the need to feel seen. When I was younger, I used to go into rooms and wonder if the people there would like me; now, I go into rooms and wonder if I will like them. And I think the way I dress now is a reflection of that- my clothing is rooted in what makes me feel the most comfortable and what I think I will still want to own many years from now. I think that is the ethos of the brands that are seeing rise to popularity in the ‘quiet luxury’ boom- Loro Piana, Hermes, Brunello Cucinelli and a new contemporary, The Row.
The fashion industry looks a lot different than it did when these heritage brands took root. With the rise of ultra capitalists in luxury fashion, the consensus is to do what is most profitable and not what is most applauded by the designers. The incentives for clothing production are not what they used to be and the incentive for many is to be as profitable as possible. They will go where the money is and we can’t deny that the money is in quiet luxury. But for enthusiasts, we are all but guaranteed to be drowning in a sea of sameness with major luxury brands. And that will trickle down to other creative industries and it will reflect in public sentiments.
Even at the highest realms of society, homogeneity is a problem. Eccentricity even amongst the rich is dwindling. We have whole generations of people who are deeply informed by groupthink and who may see someone dressed differently and write off their differences in taste altogether. I truly think life imitates art and the art is all identical, just with varying degrees of quality control. The Row blazer is obviously more well made than the SHEIN blazer, but they’re both black blazers when it’s all said and done. We’ll obviously be able to tell people apart from the quality of the clothes and their lifestyle choices which is how people will separate themselves in the higher timelines (see my predictive video here) but at face value…..the future sounds kinda homogenous.
In short, I fear that the world is going to get a lot more boring.
TL:DR: The Row’s $1B valuation promises a world in which we will have to try a lot harder to find clothes that spark joy
-xoxo Jenn
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