Dubai-based fashion and cultural entrepreneur May Barber looks at the impact Covid-19 will have on the creative industries and on our everyday “normal” life. Photo courtesy of May Barber
“As we are, for once, all together facing the same situation globally, it is important to look forward and try to imagine what the future will look like post-Covid-19. While we know that we can’t go back to normal, as that normal wasn’t functioning very well. That normal, though painted with our beautiful memories and happy moments, has a dark reality too. That normal entailed underpaid workforce, forests burning down screaming for help, kids taking their classes on a boat after their village flooded, unqualified people assuming positions of power and authority, fast food chains injecting their processed fats into our hungry bodies, mass following for people whose talent is showing skin and the art of contouring. The list goes on.
I am no exception to the above. I was part of the consumerism cycle that creates this cascade effect. The cycle that brought us Super Sales, Black Friday, 11/11, and cruise ships with 5,000 people on board. Consumerism of All-You-Can-Eat offers and Ramadan buffets. I watched politicians and people of influence rise, while occasionally falling for the fast-food fries trap. I checked the feed of unworthy people valued for their mass following and might have even envied them.
A factory in Vietnam. Photo courtesy of May Barber
2019 was a major year for me. I had completed my Executive MBA at HEC Paris with an honorable mention. Things were looking great. I had been living between two cities: Dubai and Paris. Always taking the 4 AM flight landing in CDG at 8 AM and negotiating with stubborn Parisian hoteliers an early check-in so I can change and get ready for my first meeting. I had conducted major research and fieldwork on sustainability, where I visited and inspected different factories and production facilities between China, Vietnam, and Portugal. I realized then how far we are in the industry, from what we call ‘sustainable’.
I recall being in Vietnam in January 2019, just before the factories close for the Chinese new year’s holiday. I had visited huge facilities with Clients such as Nike and Under Armor with high capacity reaching almost 2000 people. On other days, I moved slowly towards lower tier factories and small-run workshops. In one, I stepped into a completely outdoor tent-like place with around 20 women behind their sewing machines. The dresses they were making were, all the same, a basic midi dress with a print of little red flowers. I was invited for tea and when I sat down, I noticed the table cloth had the same little red flower print. I excused myself shortly afterward.
What I discovered from those trips is that sustainable factories do not differ radically from non-sustainable ones. In fact, Nike announced what they refer to as their Sustainable Manufacturing and Sourcing Index, where they grade their suppliers from red (Unsuccessful), to Gold (Leader). Their Impact report 2019 shows 93% of the factories are rated Bronze (meet the requirement). I believe that only a few are Silver or Gold. In Vietnam, the differences in the environment between sustainable-ranked vs non-sustainable factories were simple: in the former, there was natural light allowed. Ceilings were higher. Employees’ benches had back support. The place looked cleaner. I watched as it was 5 PM and time for them to leave. Masses of people flocked outside the gated facility hopping on their scooters.
“Sustainable factories do not differ radically from non-sustainable ones,” explains Barber. Photo courtesy of May Barber
From an environmental perspective, one leading factory specialized in ‘sustainable’ production told me they work only with organic cotton. I asked about the dying process. It still involves chemicals. UK mass-market retailer Primark recently launched a sustainable cotton program involving the training of cotton farmers to use organic techniques that would also improve yield. However, this initiative doesn’t mean the end of chemicals. My point is not to continue to criticize and discourage us from enhancing our processes towards integrating sustainable choices. I am simply aware that these changes are marginal. But making a Marginal improvement is good; it is certainly better than nothing. My rule is: let’s be as sustainable as it gets…
I had never been the ideal profile myself. I did not use to recycle often. I consume and wear clothes by luxury and premium brands. I ask myself, should we change our behavior or should the offer change, or both? I have always been against fast fashion, not only because of their supply chains but mostly because they often take the design credit from luxury and apply it to their products. As a creative myself, I value the importance of ownership when it comes to design. Beyond copyrights and lawsuits, to me, it is a matter of integrity. But I have started the ‘as sustainable as it gets’ rule. From the choice of brands, we work within The Cartel, who are creative entrepreneurs with transparent supply chains, to my choices as an individual. As an SME owner, I have always supported entrepreneurship and small businesses. Small restaurants over big chains. Designer-made has a different meaning for me. My choices aren’t always great, but I support ‘as sustainable as it gets’. I hope we all integrate some ‘as sustainable as it gets’.
“My rule is: let’s be as sustainable as it gets,” shares Barber. Photo courtesy of May Barber
The other aspect of the ‘Normal’ that I would like to change is the shortage of kindness. I work in an industry, that enjoys ganging and some superficiality much like any industry. On the positive side, I meet some extremely interesting intellectuals and intelligent individuals. Unfortunately, a lot of the ones who rise are the ones who have more self-PR skills than substance. They know how to literally dress to impress, who to complement, who to party with and where, and how to spread some love emojis on social media. We work in an industry that is more competitive than it is collaborative. The great collaborations we witnessed in the past few years were between the same people, all who share the initiative to work together. We see clusters but not communities. Many transactions but few relationships.
I hope as an industry, we emerge out of this crisis as more responsible individuals and companies with duties towards our environment and community. But most importantly, we emerge as kind individuals with greater authenticity, where we don’t have to plant a heart emoji everywhere as a daily chore to validate social media love. Where we value others for their values and talents. And most importantly, where we listen and allow people their right to speak and share. Let’s think about the possibilities we can achieve!
Earlier this week my business partner and I pitched to Dubai Culture an idea of a digital platform that connects all the creatives in Dubai. We called it ‘The Tinder of Creatives’. Swipe and you’ll find your Market Research Match or Graphics design match! Regulated pricing and fostered connections. That’s a great medium. But what the digital medium cannot offer is a tool called collaboration. Collaboration is a spirit that starts from within. To achieve one, you have to initiate one! It involves more than one partner! Warning, it can result in compromise. But it can make us stronger as we share both the risk and the rewards.
Let’s imagine this new post-Covid-19 future with more responsibility, consciousness, kindness, and cooperation. Besides the morning runs and happy hours we dream of, this new future would have stronger values and authentic emotions. Now, this crisis might as well be the best thing we needed to disrupt our lives. Let’s work (remotely together) towards the new normal…”
“I hope as an industry, we emerge out of this crisis as more responsible individuals and companies with duties towards our environment and community,” says Barber. Photo courtesy of May Barber
May Barber is an award-winning architect, art curator, and brand management consultant. She is the Founder of The Cartel Fashion Platform & The Cartel Brand Management and, Art Advisor to HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Hazza Al Nahyan. Barber curates local, regional, and international emerging designers and launches them into global markets. She is actively present in the international fashion weeks of Paris, London, Milan, and Copenhagen. Sustainable design is one of her biggest interests in fashion.
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