For the next generation
Challenging an entire industry
First things first: I’m over the moon to finally be able to present you with another issue of J’N’C Magazine! As a fashion publication, we are also constantly adapting and responding to the latest challenges, which resulted in us cautiously sending our beloved magazine into a Sleeping Beauty-style slumber last year. But now we’re back – and better than ever!
And with everything that has happened in the meantime, we certainly haven’t run out of things to say. Issue No. 81 invites you to immerse yourself in all the progress that has been made and all the many new, inspiring and exhilarating aspects of our wonderful industry, which is proving that it’s more than willing to learn and make the necessary changes. Prepare to be inspired by the euphoria of the newcomers to the scene, the valuable experience of more established brands and the promising innovations of the denim industry. Andrew Olah encapsulated it perfectly in our Kingpins24 review starting on page 40: “I am so proud to be a member of the denim industry right now.”
Check out the latest developments from the denim textile world in our Denim Special from page 42 – from Bossa and Calik to Isko and Candiani down to Orta Anadolu and Kilim Denim. They are not merely facing the changes head on, but challenging them too. And if there’s one thing we have learnt in the past few months, then it’s that change is anything but easy. It demands a lot from us and yes, it can be daunting, but we should never lose sight of who we are doing it for: THE NEXT GENERATION.
And we certainly owe it to them. Now that sustainability has become an integral part of the fashion industry, there seems to be a lot of action happening, but the efforts aren’t always heading in the right direction – #greenwashing. And ‘Sustainability’ is meanwhile an overused buzzword. To make sure you’re not misled by false environmental claims, our editor Cynthia Blasberg is providing a few useful tips from page 50. ‘Circularity’ is another term that’s currently on everyone’s lips: in our ‘Circularity – Closing the landfill loop’ article from page 52, we are explaining why this approach could mark the end of a one-way street of neverending mountains of waste. And we’re not only asking ourselves the question of how much is being produced, but also how much we are consuming. The resale business is booming: to find out why ‘second-hand’ is now being rebranded as ‘pre-loved’ and why sales are increasing as a result, read our article from page 54. And on page 62, we are asking whether we should be consuming so much more than we actually need to.
Yes, as I already mentioned: change is tough. But it will make us better, if not more inclusive. In that spirit, let’s ensure that we are making room for all forms of inclusion and gender-neutral language, opening up our horizons and learning as we go. Inclusion, after all, is a win-win for everyone involved. Mob Industries, a young label from Austria, is leading by example here. Head to page 74 to discover more. And in our in-depth examination of virtual fashion, you will see that it’s not just a vision for the future but an opportunity for today. But to what extent is it opening up another path on the sustainability journey? Our author Karolina Landowski is explaining all from page 76.
So, on that note, I hope this latest issue of our magazine has been worth the wait and that you enjoy reading what we have to say!
Cheryll Mühlen & team