MA History And Culture Of Fashion
PAST AS PRESENT: THE REVIVAL OF LUXURY HERITAGE BRANDS IN THE HYPER/LIQUID WORLD Between 2006 and 2010, a series of luxury heritage brands were simultaneously revived by autonomous entities after years of idle dormancy. The trend, characterized primarily by Cacharel, Carven, Halston, The House of Worth, Irfé and Vionnet, could initially be dismissed as a mere coincidence. Upon closer inspection, however, the phenomenon is a peculiar and unprecedented development in fashion. Taking into consideration the type of brands being revived, including their history, reputation and following, plus the overall timing of their parallel resuscitation suggests something far more complicated than a slight twist of fate. To dismantle and expose the significance of this phenomenon, Past As Future: The Revival of Luxury Heritage Brands in the Hyper/Liquid World, looks beyond the boundaries of fashion to demonstrate how growing societal anxieties have influenced the industryâs overall direction. Grounded within hypermodernism and liquid modernity, Past as Future proposes the revival of luxury heritage brands is the result of societyâs eroding confidence in forward-orientated progress. Plagued by perpetual anxiety, uncertainty, temporality and ânowism,â the hyper/liquid world has become pervasive, casting the fashion industry and its participants into a constant state of flux where present-day gratifications are unremitting. As a result, the hyper/liquid state of fashion has forced the industry to collapse upon itself, rendering it incapable of projecting itself forward. With the future acting as a source of anxiety rather than a site of refuge, fashion has returned to its past to create its future. ABOUT MELISSA WUSATY Melissa is a strategic communications and branding professional working exclusively within the fashion sector. Using her extensive academic background studying hypermodern consumption, Melissaâs core professional expertise rests in devising digital brand experience. Interested in how modern consumers build emotional connections with brands, she pursues what is on the forefront of communication and technology. After completing her Masters dissertation on the revival of luxury heritage brands at the London College of Fashion, Melissa turned her sights to the various unexplored tactics available to dormant brands seeking contemporary relevance - taking a special interest in Halston. Not one for idle moments, Melissa also occupies the helm of Conglomerate Magazine. Consolidating her interests and professional background, Melissa founded the niche market publication to bridge the gap primarily between emerging designers and international buyers. Armed with her entrepreneurial instinct, she successfully brought the magazine into acclaim bestowing its first year with an Applied Arts Magazine award in 2010. Melissa currently splits her time between London and Calgary, Canada