12 Conversations The Fashion Industry Doesn’t Want To Have

It’s been a huge year for the fashion industry. Filled with designer shakeups (Lanvin! Gucci! Balenciaga!), the demise of Lucky, and, lots of bizarre drama involving none other than Dov Charney, the headlines gave us plenty to talk about over the past 12 months. But even though this is an industry that loves to gossip, there are a handful of conversations that consistently get swept under the rug. They span the spectrum from unhealthy models to blatant design ripoffs to geopolitical shifts — topics that, if really addressed, could change everything for the people who make fashion, sell fashion, and consume fashion (i.e. all of us).

These subjects aren’t really made for the small talk that occurs at a fancy store opening or second row at the Alexander Wang show. At industry events like these, the potential for uncomfortable chatter is exactly the kind of thing that makes fashion people squeamish. But who’s to say we shouldn’t talk about them now? Ahead, see the 12 topics that are making waves on the sidelines, but need to become mainstream.