Not long after Bay Area News Outlets reported that Ayesha Curry concludes her sweet July shop in Oakland: “In order to prioritize the security of customers and workers”, the story in publications that the town is so overrun, nationally of publications which might be shown by the town. Crime and chaos that triggered one among its hottest celebrity entrepreneurs.

Perhaps Curry, a protracted -time advocate of the town, has unintentionally contributed to the negative narrative, because the Daily Mail describes “Lawless Oakland”. This doesn’t sit well with some residents and business owners who say that the town made positive changes last 12 months With a registered 33% waste in violent and ownership crimes in 2024 from the previous 12 months.

You also wonder if Curry's Uptown Home Goods Store and Cafe needed to struggle for other reasons as crime and “security”, including what they are saying, was an absence of customer support price on the twenty third Street location between Broadway and Telegraph Avenue.

“Just because (the sweet store in July) does not mean that it has something to do with crimes,” said Ken Houston, managing director of the non -profit beautification council, the areas around warehouse. “It could be financially. It could not work (only). Just because she is a curry does not mean that her business was financially viable. “

“Things change, but people like the negative one because they have to have an ugly duckling and try to make Oakland an ugly duckling.”

The entrepreneurial woman of the Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry opened the flagship and the Café in Oakland in 2021 for its sweet July retail brand. At that point she said that the inpatient space was her “love letter” to the “love letter” to the “” love letter “to the” city that hugged and supported and supported it. “The cookbook creator, restaurateur, TV chef and lifestyle influencer also explained that the name of the brand dates from the month of their wedding to Steph Curry and the month during which three of their 4 children were born. In an interview, Curry said that she selected a store front in a two-block corridor between Broadway and Telegraph because other firms were black women within the region. She aimed that her business is a life-style “hub” and “community” and offered products and concepts “for the house and the self”, on quite a lot of topics, including “food, beauty, wellness, faith, style, Female authorization and entrepreneurship. “

But 4 years later, the Oakland Storefront Dream from Sweet July ended when the corporate announced on Instagram that “the difficult decision had made the location” From February ninthBecause of “security concerns”. The post says: “We loved being a part of Oakland and are grateful for the community that opened her arms and hugged us. It was an honor to serve them. “

Representatives of Ayesha Curry and Sweet July did not respond to a request for information on certain incidents that carried out security concerns. The Oakland police reported an incident, a slump in October 1, 2022, in which a thief smashed a glass window and took several objects out of the store. The statistics of the Oakland police at the end of 2024 or 51%.

In the meantime, it seems that Curry apparently apparently be one to open her second sweet July café. She opened a café in the luxury regent hotel in Santa Monica. Essence registered.

The Store Closeure has stimulated a number of reactions, online and in response to queries of this news organization. Some complained of this crime or what they perceive as a lack of support in the city would have played a role in closing the business. “Your beautiful room was an urgently needed light light in the town of Oakland,” said one person.

Clothing designer Taylor Jay expressed sympathy for the situation of the business, as she said Two break-ins Forced her to close the inpatient location of her brand in Rockridge in 2024. She said that the loss of Sweet July and other nearby shops in black ownership on Broadway represent more than economic losses. “They are cultural losses and strips of Oakland from precisely the essence that has made it into such a energetic and communal city,” said Jay.

While Jay recognized that the departure of top -class companies creates perception that the city is “a lost thing”, she said that this narrative was not the entire picture. She opened the doors at her Broadway location, about a block from Sweet July, “not only as a business, but also as a pillar of resilience for the community. I believe in this city and I know that thriving here with the right support is still possible. “

Others expressed trouble that the sweet July falsely blamed the town for its suffering. A critic said that that they had operated two successful retail stores in Oakland for nearly twenty years and wrote that Oakland is “a great city with an incredible business”. This person also said: “Shame about @Sweetjuly because he beat up our city!”

In interviews with this news organization, several individuals who live or operate shops nearby saw the neighborhood as insecure, even with a close-by camp for courted people. “It's a beautiful community,” said Nanette Mervin, the owner of Cord and society Vintage furniture store on the corner of twenty third Street and Telegraph. “We had our problems, but I didn't see a rise in crime. I just have the sensation that the media shout away the people in front of Oakland. “

Isaac Pena, the deputy community director of Gallery 459, who manages several residential buildings in the area, including one next to the sweet July, said that he had not noticed anything “outside of the peculiar” crime. In fact, Pena said that he thought Sweet July spoke to his concerns by regularly publishing security personnel in business.

A sales and marketing manager who has lived in the same block as Sweet July since its opening, she never had the feeling that the business tried to integrate into the neighborhood. She has accused the business of not always running regular business hours and calculating “ridiculous” prices for some goods such as 130 US dollars for a hoodie with the sweet July logo. She added that Curry didn't seem to be a big presence and only reminded that she turned up when the shop relaxed the street so that she did a photo shoot.

Sweet July has not shared whether other factors played a role in deciding to close, including challenges that many inpatient retailers had. Journalists have also recorded how the connection of a company with a famous name does not guarantee success, reports on a over -saturated global market for stars sponsored brands and found that even Gwyneth Paltrow, the original Celebrity Lifestyle Guru, has struggled in recent years Discharges and closures of the warehouse in their Goop Company.

Others wonder whether Curry is so much on an abundance of industries in a wealth of industries. She is known for her cookbooks, TV appearances, the international smoke restaurant partnership with chef Michael Mina and her philanthropy with Steph Curry on behalf of the Oakland Schools. In the meantime, their sweet July brand includes a production company, a publisher, a quarterly magazine and A Skin care products. Haute Beauty registered in January That she might want to act something. Two days after the sweet July, the business announced that she and her sister-in-law were Sydel Curry-Lee presented in bon apetiteBalancing with the luxurious domain curry Winery.

Critics also pointed out that Curry's shops are not always successful, with her and Minas International Rowing Imperium Five locations have been closed since 2016. T.The latest closure on the MGM Grand was in Las Vegas Announced at the start of this monthOnly leave the San Francisco restaurant.

Originally published: February 5, 2025 at 1:05 p.m. PST

The US healthcare system leaves much to be desired.

It is convoluted, fragmented, complex and confusing. Experts have also pointed this out Concerns about qualityAnd Inequalities are widespread. And in fact it’s excessively expensive – way over in every other developed country. Given these shortcomings, it will not be surprising that Americans do that dissatisfied with their healthcare system.

Than that public response The assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson highlighted that many Americans, nevertheless, could also be most dissatisfied with their health insurers. In fact, only 31% of Americans have a positive opinion of the medical insurance industry, in keeping with a 2024 survey.

However, in light of recent tragic events, as Health policy scientistI feel it will be clever to take a step back and think concerning the universal healthcare system and the way the US got thus far.

Many causes of frustration in healthcare

Few individuals with personal experience or expertise would describe U.S. healthcare because the gold standard of healthcare systems.

For plenty of historical and political reasons, it’s hardly a “system” but moderately a posh patchwork with countless different approaches to health care cost recovery, including cost sharing Individuals, employers and governments.

Governments also extensively regulate health and health care and although they play a smaller role today, act as providers of care through state and regional hospitals and the Veterans Health Administration.

The result’s a a regulatory amalgam of countless units. The Reforms to the Affordable Care Act It simply added additional layers of laws and regulations to an already complex framework.

But even beyond this general structure, Americans face many challenges. In fact, No other healthcare system on this planet is dearer. However, there are also costs for medical services also extremely high administrative costs. Pharmaceuticals are only one example of the excessive financial burden Americans face.

For many Americans, these costs are too high with an estimated 530,000 medical bankruptcies per yr.

And despite this high price, concerns remain Quality and access.

Furthermore, the system tends to highly unfair and subject to countless inequalities This makes it difficult for a lot of poorer, rural and non-white Americans to access health care.

The role of insurers

In the United States, insurers play a vital role in connecting patients to – and sometimes disconnecting from – the care they need.

They are also on the forefront of most of the worst frustrations Americans experience—even those for which they usually are not directly responsible. While medical providers and pharmaceutical firms demand the very best prices on this planetIt is usually as much as insurers to inform patients how much they’ll still need to pay or that their treatment is not going to be covered. Insurers are also those who resolve whether a drug will not be covered or whether a physician is “out of network,” meaning patients cannot receive the particular treatment or care they need.

Certainly, insurers usually are not just the messenger – additionally they contribute to most of the frustrations patients experience on daily basis. For example a patient could have to travel very far or wait an extended time for an appointment if their provider network is accessible too tight or just doesn’t have enough providers. Additionally, the directories and searches insurers use to indicate which providers are “in network.” could also be inaccurateas they are rarely updated.

For many individuals this may mean delayed or neglected carewhich has a big impact on their health and funds. For some, it may even result in preventable deaths.

Some of the practices for which insurers are particularly notorious, corresponding to revoking coverage due to minor office problems and denying coverage for pre-existing conditions, were ended by the ACA. But a few of these problems could arise again with the brand new Trump administration seeks to repeal a number of the ACA's protections.

Still called that today short-term, time-limited health plans promise good coverage at lower premiums, but even basic items will not be covered. For example, many plans don’t cover prescription medications or hospital emergency room visits.

Blame the system, not only the insurers

Why do insurers behave this manner? For many, the reply could appear easy: earn a living. That's natural rings true – Insurers within the USA rake in billions of dollars. However, while she are inclined to be profitabletheir margins are generally only between 3% and 5%.

But the story is more complicated. With government power limited, insurers often is the only force within the U.S. health care industry attempting to contain rising costs in a health care system where everyone wants to maximise profits.

This implies that insurers tackle the role of bad police and, for instance, restrict access to certain treatments or doctors. However, there are several reasonable reasons for this; For example, it’s in the general public interest for insurers to not cover medicines which have proven to be ineffective or of poor quality. And ultimately, this keeps premiums lower than they’d otherwise be. Naturally, Insurers and their CEOs profit significantly included. And sometimes, Their methods are ethically and legally questionable.

Ultimately, many if not a lot of the healthcare frustrations Americans experience stem from a poorly designed system that’s wildly inefficient and offers limitless opportunities for profit. But insurers are just one – perhaps essentially the most visible – a part of this broken system.

Presidents are blamed for nearly every thing—especially during an election season. When the 2024 presidential debates begin, the blame game will certainly be a part of the spectacle. But presidents aren't really accountable for as many things as voters, journalists, or political opponents need to accuse them of.

For the primary time since 1912 former president is the likely candidate of a celebrationwho’re running against the incumbent. Both men – Donald Trump and Joe Biden – have a record from their time within the Oval Office of actions they took or didn’t take and problems they were blamed for, whether or not they’d any control over them.

In My Within our own discipline, political science, there’s something of a cottage industry that attempts to predict presidential elections by considering quite a lot of aspects which can be rightly or wrongly associated, attributed, or blamed on the president, including the performance of the stock market, the unemployment rate, consumer sentiment in regards to the economy, and a number of other metrics related to economic performance.

But these scholars, like most people, try to evaluate a candidate's performance largely based on aspects over which the president has little or no control.

Making guarantees means taking the blame

The public demands motion and the candidates promise it, however the presidency is an not possible office. It combines excessive expectations – which the presidents themselves have accepted by Election campaign because the voice of the entire country – with maximum restricted political force in a system that’s currently characterised by Traffic collapse.

At the debates, each Trump and Biden will likely speak about their past accomplishments and make guarantees about what they’d do of their respective second terms. But those goals will likely be largely unattainable without congressional support. Typically, that requires a celebration to have each a majority within the House and a majority within the Senate that stops a filibuster. That's an unlikely end result for either Biden or Trump.

The public pays little attention to the world where presidents have probably the most direct authority: Foreign Affairs.

Is it due to the economy?

The state of the national economy will undoubtedly play a task in the present election campaign. But the image is complex. Unemployment is lowThe the stock market is doing wellAnd Inflation may very well be under control.

But voters are concerned about higher prices. According to Gallup polls, the high cost of living is much from The biggest financial problem facing Americans. An April 2024 survey found that 41% of respondents cited the high cost of living as their most vital financial problem, up 6 percentage points from the identical query in 2023. Housing costs are a distant second.

In recent years, the associated fee of living has barely been present in Americans’ minds. From 2010 to 2021, the share of Americans who cited inflation as their most vital financial problem was in the only digits. This percentage rose sharply in 2022 and continued to rise from then on. These economic turbulences may already be behind us, but way more expensive food remained on the shelves.

Recent findings suggest that Consumer confidence is on the rise. But this alteration has not helped the incumbent president, because the general public has not translated that to a more positive view of BidenIt seems that Americans are cautiously optimistic in regards to the future and that they’re still shaken by the value increases in 2022.

Presidents can influence the economy without with the ability to control it. They can take a spread of fiscal and regulatory actions and appoint Federal Reserve governors to oversee monetary policy, including probably the most far-reaching actions the federal government can take, including adjusting rates of interest.

In addition, presidents' responses to crises at home and abroad also can influence people's attitudes toward the economy.

While some studies have found that the Economy is developing higher under Democratic presidents, the mechanisms are unclear. One study concluded that the Party political differences in economic performance didn’t result from different political approaches but relatively aspects equivalent to oil price crises, rising defense spending and stronger economic growth abroad.

This imbalance between voters’ expectations and the limited powers of the president underscores the vital role of Presidential rhetoric and the media in linking presidents to the economy. Presidents often feel that their economic successes are undermined by the media. In December 2023, Biden will Reporter pleaded “start reporting properly” when asked in regards to the economic outlook.

What happens locally can influence people’s views

Voters don't just have a look at the situation on a national level. Many people form their opinions based on what they experience of their day by day lives.

A decade ago, a colleague and I discovered that gasoline prices, foreclosure rates, and native unemployment rates in a voter’s community Influence on their perception of the national economywhich in turn has an impact on the election of the president.

In other studies, I actually have shown that aspects equivalent to local unemployment, Federal spending in your individual community And Federal response capability after a natural disaster to realize support for incumbent presidents within the affected communities.

This study helps explain why there may be little consensus amongst Americans about how well their country is doing.

Some expectations are obviously unfounded

Voters – and experts – don't at all times agree on the connection between government policies and actions and concrete consequences in the actual world. Did Trump's immigration policies help the country recuperate? Or Biden's? These questions will not be easy to reply. Citizens depend on many sources, but especially the media, to determine the connections and consequences.

Voters also change their opinion of presidents due to events which can be far beyond the president’s control – equivalent to when an area college football or basketball team wins a game just before an election and even the occurence one Natural disaster.

One study even found evidence that voters blamed President Woodrow Wilson for shark attacks off the coast of New Jersey in 1916.

Other studies show that Voters ignore long-term trends and as a substitute base their votes totally on events that immediately precede an election. For example, the country may experience significant economic gains during a president's four-year term, but when growth slows or reverses before the election, the president may not give you the option to reap the electoral advantages.

And party-political polarization signifies that some voters put aside their very own knowledge and experience and blame the president or a candidate for nearly every thing.

Random events can reveal leadership strength or lack thereof

Election Day falls during hurricane season, and political news may be impacted by a significant storm.

In 2012, Superstorm Sandy hit the East Coast in late October, because the presidential election campaigns were of their final stages. The storm gave incumbent President Barack Obama a probability to burnish his image each in big ways—by coordinating federal responses—and in small ways—by supporting affected communities and meeting with Republican and Democratic leaders. Some research shows that Obama received votes based on his response to Sandy.

Presidents don’t have the facility to regulate the weather or to bring a couple of natural disaster in a specific location. However, they do have control over the political response to the event. As my research shows, demonstrating leadership and, now and again, even engaging in bipartisan cooperation can Disclose information in regards to the quality of an elected official and potentially influence votes.

This just goes to point out that the election may very well be influenced more by an accident of nature within the autumn than by the debates in June.

From Redding to Indio, firefighters in California battled fierce fires Tuesday as dry, sunny weather and wind combined with abundant dried vegetation created ideal conditions for wildfires to start out and spread.

For the primary time in two years, Cal Fire activated its top-level response teams for 3 of the fires: the ten,000-acre Sites Fire northeast of Clearlake, the 5,400-acre Aero Fire within the foothills east of Stockton and the 15,700-acre Post Fire in Southern California.

“It's significant that we've had three fires in quick succession this year,” said Cal Fire spokesman Isaac Sanchez. “It's indicative of what we're facing right now. Conditions are favorable for large fires to impact communities.”

Two wet winters in a row and the tip of the drought have caused the grass to grow thick and tall in lots of parts of the state. “It's like gasoline, it burns very quickly, it burns very intensely,” Sanchez said.

California's fire season exploded earlier this month with the Corral Fire, which ravaged 14,000 acres near Tracy. This time last 12 months, the state had seen just one wildfire larger than 1,000 acres – this 12 months, there have been 14. As of Tuesday afternoon, Cal Fire crews across the state were battling 11 wildfires of 300 acres or more.

Dangerous fire conditions began moving across the state Friday as a dry low pressure system took hold, bringing winds and low humidity that made fires more prone to start and helped existing fires spread, said Brent Wachter, a fireplace meteorologist with the U.S. Forest Service. Windy conditions from the low peaked Sunday and Monday, while Monday and Tuesday saw “unseasonably low” humidity, Wachter said.

Sunshine also contributed to the intensification of the wildfires over the weekend and early within the week, Wachter said. The intense rays created air movements that would push drier air toward burning areas, Wachter said.

“This really contributes to the spread of fires,” he said.

Rising smoke from wildfires in Northern California prompted the Bay Area Air Quality Management District on Tuesday morning to issue an air quality warning for the region until no less than Wednesday.

“Expect smoky, hazy skies and the smell of smoke outdoors,” the agency said, adding that the air outside may very well be unhealthy for sensitive groups of individuals.

Two fires in Northern California that broke out Monday spread extremely quickly — as did the Corral Fire — burning nearly 2,000 acres in a matter of hours. The Aero Fire within the foothills east of Stockton prompted emergency responders to order evacuations in nearby Copperopolis. By Tuesday afternoon, 2,000 acres had burned and the fireplace was 20% contained. The area had not seen a big fire since 2003, and the flames engulfed grass and oak forests, Cal Fire said.

“It was very intense. It looked scary,” said Larry Aderman, owner of Frog's Tooth Winery outside Copperopolis, who was evacuated Monday evening. “The flames were about 300 feet in the air.”

The Sites Fire, which broke out in Colusa County on Monday, burned 10,000 acres and was 15% contained as of 12:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon, up from 0% three hours earlier.

The 1,200-acre Point Fire, which broke out Sunday near Healdsburg in wine country, was 40% contained as of Tuesday afternoon. Cal Fire said two structures burned and one firefighter was injured fighting the fireplace and brought to the hospital. Evacuation orders affected nearly a dozen wineries within the Dry Creek Valley and Healdsburg areas.

“We really made great progress here overnight,” Cal Fire spokesman Will Powers said Tuesday.

Lauren Fremont, executive director of Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley, said Tuesday that some wineries on the north side of Dry Creek Valley were affected and a few roads were still closed. However, many of the valley's wineries gave the impression to be operating as usual, with little smoke noticeable. Ferrari-Carano Winery, which was within the evacuation zone, reported Monday evening that “our team, our vineyards and our winery are currently safe.”

“This is a huge relief for the wineries and the land there,” Fremont said.

In Butte County, the Junes Fire, which broke out Saturday, had burned 10 acres and destroyed one constructing by Tuesday afternoon, but was 98 percent contained and never spreading. Full containment is predicted by the tip of Tuesday, based on Cal Fire.

Cal Fire's Santa Clara unit, which covers Santa Clara, Alameda, Contra Costa and western Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties, has sent “response teams” of 5 fire engines each to the fires in Aero and Sites, said Cal Fire spokeswoman Chelsea Burkett.

California's largest fire of the season up to now, the Post Fire in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, had burned 15,611 acres of land as of Tuesday morning. The fire that broke out Saturday afternoon in Gorman was 24% contained as of Tuesday afternoon. An evacuation order remained in effect for the realm, extending south beyond Pyramid Lake, and Cal Fire said the fireplace continues to burn in that direction.

However, California's fire weather is predicted to ease on Wednesday, helping firefighters, Wachter said. Winds died down Tuesday afternoon, giving method to localized breezes through no less than Friday, and humidity is predicted to progressively increase Wednesday through no less than Saturday.

The decline in wind will probably be a key consider firefighting, Wachter said.

“The wind is king,” he said. “It always has been.”

The fashion industry couldn’t exist without storytelling. Compelling and aspirational stories conveyed across runways, campaigns and social media are the stuff that makes garments fashionable and inspires a robust desire to be seen wearing them.

Fashion stories can spread positive messages about issues that affect us all. In 2020, Stella McCartney's Paris show featured models wearing cartoon animal costumes. This humorous stunt highlighted a serious aspect of the “eco-friendly” brand promise not to make use of leather, fur, hides, feathers or animal adhesives.

However, the darker and more uncomfortable truth is more often that storytelling in fashion results in overconsumption. And it defines unrealistic beauty expectations that exclude many by perpetuating Western standards of what’s normal and acceptable.

As a cultural historian who studies fashion, I consider the industry must do more to create change, and this might be achieved through stronger, more inclusive and responsible storytelling.

Fashion and world problems

According to the present fashion industry Reports, Storytelling is becoming increasingly essential as brands look to reveal their social responsibility by constructing deeper relationships with consumers. The increasing importance of storytelling in fashion might be linked to 2 themes which have dominated the social and political debate in regards to the global post-COVID recovery: the self and the society.

Consumers want more meaningful experiences that allow them to explore their identities and connect with others. Especially in times of social and political unrest, fashion is the best medium for this. The industry's global reach implies that visual cues and messages conveyed through clothing campaigns might be easily shared and understood.

The report from The Business of Fashion, The state of fashion in 2024, links the increasing importance of storytelling to consumers “being more discerning when it comes to authenticity and relatability.” People wish to buy brands that share and support their values.

The consumer group most concerned with aligning their lifestyle decisions and beliefs with the businesses that clothe them is Generation Z – people born between 1996 and 2010 – who “value being their own to pursue unique identity and value diversity.”

The increasing importance of storytelling in fashion can be related to the worldwide importance of the industry and the associated social responsibility. Organizations just like the UN are increasingly clear that the style industry will only help address the worldwide challenges highlighted by COVID if it uses its influence to alter consumer mindsets.

The unequal social impact of the pandemic highlighted long-standing inequalitieswas a wake-up call to take motion on many global problems, including climate change, overconsumption and racial discrimination. That's what the style industry does contributes 2% to global GDPa malefactor, but in addition a possible advocate for change.

The British Fashion Council Fashion Diversity Equality and Inclusion Report, published in January 2024, highlights “fashion’s colossal power to influence, provide cultural references and steer social trends.” Likewise the UN Fashion Communication PlaybookThe study, published last yr, calls on the industry to “use its cultural reach, persuasive power and educational role to both raise awareness and drive change towards a more sustainable and equitable industry”.

To achieve this, the UN report calls on storytellers, image makers and role models to alter the narrative of the style industry. They are asked to coach consumers and encourage them to alter their behavior if this will contribute to positive change.

The latest stories of fashion

Since the pandemic, there’s evidence that the style industry has begun to alter the content and type of the stories it tells, particularly by putting a human face on current global challenges. Big, deep-rooted societal problems are examined through real-life stories. This may help people understand the issues they face and their role in working to beat them.

One example is Nike Move to Zero campaigna worldwide sustainability initiative launched through the pandemic in 2020. Instead of infinite statistics and apocalyptic warnings of a dire climate emergency, Nike encourages people to: “Update“Sports equipment with maintenance and repair. Old Nike products which were recreated by designers are sold through pop-ups. When rescue isn't possible, Nike gives people options to accomplish that Recycle and donate old products.

By promoting relatively small changes that adapt a product's life cycle to consumers' on a regular basis lives, Nike's campaign challenges the standard idea of ​​clothing as latest, immediate and ultimately disposable by making change its goal.

Narrative hangers

While some fashion brands are rethinking the stories they tell, mine current bookHang-Ups: Reflections on the Causes and Consequences of Fashion's Western Centrism, explains that a few of fashion's strongest and damaging stories are deeply rooted.

Concepts defined within the 18th and nineteenth centuries – civilization, anthropology, sexology – still influence the way in which the style industry treats age, gender, race and sex. Its pursuit of newness and the way in which it pushes the concept that buying expensive brands robotically brings status can be based on traditional Western societal values ​​that fit poorly with twenty first century perspectives and priorities.

The persistence of centuries-old attitudes can be evident in Nike's Move to Zero campaign, nevertheless well-intentioned it might be. Although the initiative is clearly designed to positively influence consumer behavior, it doesn’t fundamentally address what the style industry is and does. But at the very least it’s accepted that fashion works through high consumption and the sense of status that owning and wearing a brand provides.

Throw all the pieces out

One of the important thing points I make in my book is that effective change is more likely after we understand how the industry evolved to what it’s today. This requires bolder storytelling that critiques notions of normality, acceptance and inclusivity.

An example is the Swedish brand अववाव, which is committed to “creative freedom driven by humor, entertainment and design development.” In February 2024 the brand can be Milan fashion show ended with models having trash thrown at them. This experimental performance examined dominant social media narratives by denouncing online trolls and highlighting the harm of hate speech inside and out of doors the style industry.

Of course it’s caused a stir and was covered extensively within the media. A ploy perhaps, but it surely got people talking and drew attention to designer Beate Karlsson's message about online hate. It's clear that compelling and progressive storytelling has the facility to alter minds and behavior.

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