Social Cache.
A Nemo blog. Dealing with uncommon cents.

For New York Fashion Week, at least half of the 200 labels that are showing have been around less than 10 years, with a quarter being less than five years old.

Though, the seemingly endless wave of fresh and brilliant new fashion talent may be slowing down. The economic downturn has many stores cutting fall orders by an average of 20% and smaller designers without financial backing are bracing for a turbulent year.

The New York Times reports that the fallout could be even more severe after Fashion Week has wrapped. Once the fall orders have been placed, it will be clear who survives (and who does not). The more stores that close, the more labels will fold.

In these trying times, designers are feeling the burden of small stores and boutiques who are taking twice or even three times as long to pay for their orders. Even worse, some stores that have gone out of business are leaving behind clothes that were ordered and produced, but never paid for.

To cut corners this year, designers are upping cost-cutting measures that include bypassing runway shows for more intimate showroom gatherings, using fabrics stockpiled from previous seasons and sharing pattern makers. The cuts and closures are mounting with no end in sight….

Kim Gordon via The NY Times

The original queen of indie cool and and member of both Sonic Youth and Free Kitten, Kim Gordon is back on the fashion scene with a new line called Mirror / Dash. The clothing will debut exclusively at Urban Outfitters on February 16th.

Of the line, Gordon says that “The challenge for us is doing something that’s not strictly Urban (Outfitters) in that we want it to appeal to someone a little older than a teenager or college student, but still have enough youth appeal to belong in the store.” Her focus is on creating solid basics that are timeless and flattering with an image of 60s era Francoise Hardy in mind.

No doubt that she’ll succeed since she’s paired up with friend Melinda Wansbrough and fashion veteran Jeffrey Monteiro, who has worked with Jane Mayle, Derek Lam and Sari Gueron.

Some people just aren’t shopping at all and it has nothing to do with the recession. GOOD Magazine has just profiled five groups of anti-consumers that includes:

1. The Amish: With an estimated population of 232,000, they have a strong commitment to simplicity that includes traveling by horse and buggy, sewing their own clothing and cooking on wood-fired stoves.

2. No Impact Man: Blogger Colin Beavan has vowed to produce no trash whatsoever. Even more amazingly, he pulls this off in New York City with his wife and daughter in tow. A life without toilet paper sounds challenging….

3. The Church of Stop Shopping: 20,000 members strong, the church has members in every continent but Antarctica. They have vowed to do anything to stop ‘The Shopocalypse’ including marching down Disneyland’s Main Street and even releasing a documentary called What Would Jesus Buy?

4. The Compact: A group of friends from San Francisco teamed up and vowed to buy nothing new for an entire year. They allowed themselves to buy food, health and safety items (and underwear), but everything else was off-limits. Now close to 10,000 people strong, The Compact hosts monthly meetings.

5. Freegans: Most freegans are middle-class and well-educated, but choose to dumpster dive instead of contributing to an economic system that holds profits above everything else.

Read more on these groups here.

The Gap’s New York City concept store on 5th Avenue is adding a pop up shop of merchandise including t-shirts in an array of Pantone shades. Additionally, Pantone office supplies, books and accessories will also be available. Hurry up though because the shop will only be open through February 18th!

A few years ago, a nonprofit group called the Center for a New American Dream conducted a poll in which 81% of respondents felt that Americans were too focused on shopping and spending, while 88% agreed that our nation was too materialistic. And, this year, consumer spending declined for the first time since 1991.

In his Consumed article for the Times Magazine, Rob Walker discusses how consumer spending is finally slowing down. The recent decline has many people assuming that there is a direct relation to a new focus on personal values. Some observers feel that since people are buying less, they must be searching for a deeper meaning in life beyond the spoils of material goods.

Instead, Walker argues that it’s way too convenient to conclude that consumers have suddenly morphed into thoughtful, frugal shoppers with redefined values. He conveniently points out that at the same time spending shrunk, access to easy credit also evaporated. Home equity loans and the barrage of low interest credit cards have dramatically decreased; could this be partially responsible for the decline?

While it’s true that more consumers are bargain hunting, they’re still buying stuff. And, if they seem to be spending less, it’s probably related to fear over the volatile market, not because they’ve shifted into a more frugal mindset.