Has fashion lost its emotional depth – or has our relationship with it changed?

In this feature by SHIFT London, I was asked by writer Sara Ojala on fashion’s emotional depth of today—how it has shifted from something once rooted in craftsmanship, storytelling, and cultural influence into a more immediate, fast-moving form of expression.

I also explore how our relationship with fashion continues to evolve in the age of social media, where visibility, accessibility, and constant consumption shape not only what we wear, but how we connect meaning to it.

Here’s a Sneak Preview

The past season was a shallow pit for some, others think it was one of the most riveting months yet, either way the debates following the recent shows were blazing. Designers hit the mark they said. The looks are buyable they said. After the musical chairs of creative directors, they created consumable, wearable and trendable pieces. Then we forget and move onto the next collection. Now, as we enter into the new year, I can’t help but wonder – in making fashion commercial, have we lost the lasting, life-altering effects this enchanting world used to have?

“I don’t think the artistry is completely gone, it’s more like it’s shifting and adapting to today’s world,” says Chrissy Baclagan, San Diego-based digital marketer and content creator. “But in today’s modern times there’s this pressure to just appeal to everyone, to be relatable, to be algorithm friendly. When that happens the fashion industry becomes reactive instead of expressive,” she says. That’s where the disconnect happens.