The fashion world can be a turbulent one. Every year there are tons of events that shock the industry and the rest of the world. Some fashion events keep the world on its toes with breaking headlines that vary from: outrageous fashion collections to tragic deaths to scandalous criminal trials. Here is a list of what we think are the top 5 most shocking events in the fashion industry so far in 2013. Warning: Be prepared to be shocked…
1.
Missoni Plane Crash
It was a worldwide surprise when on January 4, a small passenger aircraft disappeared shortly after it's departure from Los Roques, an archipelago and resort - about 90 miles outside of the international airport of Caracas, Venezuela. On board this aircraft were Vittorio Missoni, his wife, and four others -- including a pilot and copilot. Missoni, 58, ran the famed Missoni fashion house with his siblings, Luca and Angela. Neither sibling was on the plane.
After a nearly six month search, with much speculation over the whereabouts of the plane and it's passengers, authorities located the small plane that was carrying Italian fashion boss. The discovery of the wreckage ended an emotional journey for the Missoni family. The family hoped that the passengers had been kidnapped and were still alive, according to the New York Times Runway Blog article 'Missoni Plane Found' on June 27, 2013.
Two days after the plane disappeared, a mysterious text message sent from one of the passengers caused the family to believe that the passengers may still be alive. Passenger Guido Foresti seemingly sent a message to Foresti's son signaling that the phone was back in service after being switched off. Also, calls made from Italy to Foresti's wife's phone rang 10 times before automatically transferring through to voicemail, implying that her phone was also momentarily on or back in cell-tower range. The Italian press embraced the theory that Missoni had been kidnapped after Vittorio's sister, Angela, told reporters, "It's better to be kidnapped than at the bottom of the sea. We hope all four are alive and well. We also hope that the searches go in all directions."
The high-end fashion label known for its patterned knitwear and signature zigzag stripes, is located in Milan, Italy and has an estimated annual sales of between $75 million and $100 million. Stefano Tonchi, editor-in-chief of W magazine, called the Missoni's "one of the most important Italian fashion families." He credits their move to Milan in the late 1960s to helping make the northern Italian city the fashion hub it is today. Vittorio Missoni and his siblings took over the brand in 1996. After the death of their father in May of this year, Vittorio was rumored to become head of the fashion house. It remains unclear who will now become head of Missoni.
2.
Dolce and Gabbana charged with tax evasion:
Earlier this year, the news of Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, from the fashion duo of Dolce and Gabbana being accused of tax evasion shocked the world. But an even bigger shock was when the Italian fashion duo were found guilty of tax evasion by Judge Antonella Brambilla and sentenced to one year and eight months in prison.
According to Forbes, neither Dolce nor Gabbana appeared at the sentencing in Milan and have continued to deny the charges. The sentencing followed a very lengthy and public inquiry into the pair's financial affairs by Italian tax authorities. The official investigation began in 2007 and focused on the years 2004-2006. In 2004 Dolce and Gabbana sold their business to a Luxembourg-based holding company, Gado Srl. The holding company was under the control of the two, who reportedly undervalued the company at sale in order to avoid paying Italian taxes on the transaction. They have been accused of attempting to skirt tax on nearly $1.3 billion on royalties.
The pair has spent a number of years battling the charges, which initially appeared to be resolved in their favor. That decision was overturned by Italy's Supreme Court and the case went back to trial. In April 2013, a Milan tax court ruled in favor of Italy's tax authority, Agenzia delle Entrate, and fined the pair $439.70 million as restitution. In addition to the fines, the two were criminally charged related to the same business and faced up to five years in prison. The two join an increasing number of wealthy Italians facing scrutiny over their financial transactions, including Roberto Cavalli, Valentino, and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
3.
Schiaparelli returns to Paris Fashion
Shocking… that is the exact term Schiaparelli had in mind when the house existed and it is not strange the comeback would also be described as such. Schiaparelli even gave the name shocking to her signature color, a violent blue-toned pink which Yves Saint Laurent described as having "the nerve of red".
Schiaparelli has never been an ordinary fashion house. Designer Elsa Schiaparelli's clothes grew out of art. Salvador Dali described her studio in the 1930s as "the beating heart of Surrealist Paris".
The comeback of this fashion house was very unconventional due to the collection of outfits shown at the Musée Arts Decoratifs. The most shocking thing is that the outfits were created by Christian Lacroix, a legendary fashion designer, but one whose association with Schiaparelli is limited to only this collection. Another surprising aspect is that these clothes are for display only and not available to buy, at any price. This comeback is particularly interesting because six years after Diego Della Valle, owner of the Italian Tod's group, bought the Schiaparelli house and announced their intention to relaunch – there is no official confirmation of who the Schiaparelli designer will be, although it has been speculated that Marco Zanini of Rochas will be given the job.
This is, by fashion industry standards, an unconventional way to relaunch a brand. Another unorthodox aspect of this comeback, was that it is a double comeback. This was Christian Lacroix's first fashion week appearance since his label was forced to close four years ago. Lacroix has since enjoyed a grand career designing costumes for opera and ballet, curating exhibitions, and designing hotel interiors, and says to be happy to have moved on from the catwalk. Many in the industry, however, still mourn the loss of his vividly colored, richly evocative catwalk shows.
4.
Abercrombie and Fitch accused of discrimination:
AbercrombieIn the fashion industry looks and image are important, that is no shock. But when retailers openly say their clothes are only for the gorgeous and thin, this causes quite a stir. As CEO Mike Jeffries of Abercrombie and Fitch came to realize earlier this year. The CEO came under fire back when Author Robin Lewis claimed Jeffries didn't want fat customers shopping in his stores. Lewis cited an interview Jeffries gave to Salon, in which the CEO was quoted as saying: "In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids. Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don't belong [in our clothes], and they can't belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely."
This quote started an enormous riot on social media. The company never confirmed or denied the quote, but Jeffries went on to say, "Those companies that are in trouble are trying to target everybody: young, old, fat, skinny. But then you become totally vanilla. You don't alienate anybody, but you don't excite anybody, either."
Abercrombie and Fitch has received tons of criticism through the years for cheeky and suggestive ads. The retailer has also received huge criticism for having shirtless male models pose outside and inside its store. But just recently has the retailer come under fire again, this time for its allegedly discriminating hiring policy. A French rights group says it will launch an inquiry into discrimination at Abercrombie and Fitch, claiming its "models" are actually salespeople who should not be hired based on looks. The US retailer has a flagship store on the Champs-Elysées.
5.
Bangladesh Garment factory Collapses:
In April of this year a building in Bangladesh, housing several garment factories for European and American companies, collapsed into a deadly heap. This tragedy shocked the entire world and prompted leading multinational brands to pledge to work to improve safety in the country's booming but poorly regulated garment industry.
According to the New York Times article on May 23, 2013, Brig. Gen. Ali Ahmed Khan, Head of the National Fire Service, said that the initial investigation of the building collapse found that the building violated codes, with the four upper floors having been constructed illegally without permits.
The collapsed building outside Dhaka, killed 1,127 workers, making it the deadliest disaster in the history of the garment industry. The official report blamed the mayor for wrongly granting construction approvals. It also recommended charges against the building's owner, Sohel Rana, and the owners of the five garment factories in the building that could result in life sentences if they are convicted. The factory owners urged workers to return to their jobs despite evidence that the building was unsafe, the report said.
This disaster was a wake-up call for the fashion industry and consumers. It created global attention for unsafe work conditions in the garment industry in Bangladesh. The country is the world's second-leading exporter of clothing, trailing only China. Bangladesh has more than 5,000 garment factories, which handles orders for nearly all of the world's top brands and retailers. Bangladesh has grown to be an exporting powerhouse largely by delivering low costs, mainly by having the lowest wages in the world for garment workers.
H&M was the first company to agree to support a new plan to prevent fires and building collapses in Bangladesh apparel factories. The company's announcement influenced a huge group of international brands to also join in. Spanish brand Zara's parent company Inditex SA, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger owner PVH, along with Dutch retailer C&A and British retailer Primark all signed the agreement that promises to change the way health and safety is monitored in Bangladesh.
The plan that was created demands independent safety inspections and for companies to publicly report the findings. It is supported by IndustriALL Global Union and UNI Global Union, which represent workers in 140 countries. It also requires retailers to help finance fire safety and building improvements in factories they work with. The companies who signed the agreement will have to end business with any factory that refuses to make necessary safety upgrades.
BangladeshPVH was the only American company to sign the agreement. The company said it will commit up to $2.5 million to underwrite the program. C&A is pledging $6.5 million. H&M and Inditex have not indicated how much they plan to give.
Walt Disney has pulled all business out of Bangladesh. But corporations such as Wal-Mart, Sears Holdings Corporation, J.C. Penney, Gap, Joe Fresh and Benetton Group all say that they conduct safety audits and enforce the safety and health standards. The inspections these companies conduct are held by auditors the companies hire, and the results are never made public. Even though transparency is a huge obstacle for getting a clear picture of the safety within the garment factories, another big issue has been the auditors. The auditors are directly hired by the companies, creating a conflict of interest. To avoid disappointing the company who hire them, inspectors have been known to avoid reporting everything they find in order to stay in a company's good graces and retain business.
This tragic event sparked global interest from concerned consumers to governments. Nearly a million people have signed an international online petition that urged companies to make commitments to change the conditions of the factories. Outraged shoppers have blasted companies on their social media sites for not taking action. The European Union threatened to limit Bangladesh's duty-free trade access if it doesn't change the work conditions.
Rep. George Miller, a Democrat from California, said on the House floor that there is a greater role for the U.S. government and major brands to play in cleaning up safety conditions. "It is now time for the major U.S. corporations like the Gap, Wal-Mart and J.C. Penney to join [the efforts]," he said. Miller also had a few words for the companies who chose not to sign: "These companies' continued absence in joining this agreement is inexcusable [and]...shows a callous indifference to the death and suffering of their factory employees in Bangladesh." Most of the large U.S. retailers have declined to sign the agreement. Perhaps that may be the biggest shock of all.
As you can see behind the glamour and glitz of the fashion world lies a huge web of controversy and drama. Even Haute Couture cannot exempt them from the occasional scandal or tragedy. But no matter what, the fashion industry sure knows how to shock the world in style!
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