Popularizing Functionality and Sustainability in High Fashion: Marfa Stance (Designer Research)
Utilitarian, functional, ageless and seasonless, it's what Georgia Dant, the founder of Marfa Stance is aiming for through the brand she established in 2019. Inspired by the problem she faced during her trip to Texas, she found packing is challenging with the frequent changes in climate which needed her to bring different coats and jacket for rain, cold and warm weather. This is what lead her to came up with the ideas of one piece clothing that could be wear five different ways so you only need to pack one coat. "Georgia envisioned a wardrobe solution that could meet the needs of the global traveller across different climates, seasons, and occasions for longevity, through an intelligent and creative system of reversible garment and modular accessories" (Marfa Stance, n.d).
What's more interesting is Marfa Stance's innovative way to promotes sustainability by creating signature customizable pieces that can be build, reverse, adapt, allowing customer to personalized their clothing to suit their lifestyle and needs (LFW, 2021). Furthermore, Dant believe that longevity and durability is the key to a more sustainable way of consuming clothing. The longer it last, the less you need to buy. This is why Marfa Stance is choosing Italy to be their based factory because Italy have some of the best factories in the world that is known for its durability and longevity in clothing.
Another things that fascinates me is that Georgia Dant aim for ageless and genderless vision for her label, which is not commonly found in the fashion industry especially when trends is changing rapidly. This unique concept of ageless and genderless are clearly visible in all of their clothing piece with the dominant use of neutral color and unisex design. I personally think that it added bigger value to their brands and a unique feature that sets them apart from other luxury brands.
The main reason I choose to explore about Georgia Dant's label is because I'm still unfamiliar with utility and military aesthetic in fashion. And through this research, I got the ideas of how I can incorporate utility and functionality into my design. Marfa Stance aim for unisex clothing piece that can be worn by anyone, however in my collection I still want to express the femininity and masculine feature subtly in my womenswear and menswear collection, therefore I will revised my previous sketch, and make some more design ideas before finalizing my final collection.
Exploring about designer brands that turn their vision to life through innovative concept like Marfa Stance, expanded my insight and perspective of how fashion brand could contribute significantly to sustainability and at the same time also promotes timeless style.
Broaden their target market so their clothing can be wear by anyone regardless of their age or gender must be a challenging concept to actualize. Although it's surely is an ambitious vision but Marfa Stance prove that it's possible. Previously I thought that when constructing the collection's concept, the target market should be detailed and specified to a certain age group and gender, elaborating their lifestyle, occupation, and fashion style, but Marfa Stance's vision expand my view of specifying target market. I do agree that in order for our label or collection reach it's desired consumer, we need to have a clear vision of who is our target market, but on the other side having a wide market like Marfa Stance is also possible if they have their unique selling point that make them stands out from the rest.
References:
Finnigan, K. (2019). Subscribe to Read | Financial Times. [online] www.ft.com. Available at: https://www.ft.com/content/23734444-f97e-11e9-a354-36acbbb0d9b6 [Accessed 14 Feb. 2025].
Holt, V. (2024). The Rise of Functional Fashion: How Utility Wear is Influencing Luxury Trends - The Arcadia Online. [online] The Arcadia Online. Available at: https://www.thearcadiaonline.com/the-rise-of-functional-fashion-how-utility-wear-is-influencing-luxury-trends/ [Accessed 14 Feb. 2025].
Lei, A. (2023). Marfa Stance Is Making Functional Dressing The New Quiet Luxury. [online] Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/angelalei/2023/07/03/marfa-stance-is-making-functional-dressing-the-new-quiet-luxury/ [Accessed 14 Feb. 2025].
LFW (n.d.). London Fashion Week - Marfa Stance. [online] London Fashion Week. Available at: https://londonfashionweek.co.uk/designers/marfa-stance [Accessed 14 Feb. 2025].
Marfa Stance (2015). Our Story | Marfa Stance® Official Website. [online] Marfa Stance. Available at: https://www.marfastance.com/pages/our-story [Accessed 14 Feb. 2025].
Theaficionados (2019). Marfa Stance. [online] Theaficionados.com. Available at: https://theaficionados.com/journal/makers/marfa-stance [Accessed 14 Feb. 2025].
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