Interview with Guillermo García-Badell, CSDMM‑UPM

1. How would you define the current state of the fashion industry from the perspective of design and training?

They are two complementary but different concepts.

From the perspective of design, speed is the norm. In the early part of the century there was a focus on decades as trends (the 20s, the 60s, the 70s...), and there was speculation that these references would be consumed more quickly than the collections themselves. And here we are. This month's new idea is old hat next month.

So, we're in a difficult situation, because there are a great deal of products and images being generated and put forward, and it's often hard to distinguish between them. Everything seems the same, it seems that there is room for everything and, at the same time, I think that now more than ever design is what makes the difference.

From the perspective of training, we have to run to ensure we don't get left behind, so we're not irrelevant. The Technical University of Madrid (UPM) is fundamental to the structure of society, and we want to continue to be so in the future. But at the same time we have to remain calm, understand this context and gain enough distance from it to ensure that we can continue to teach the basics. Because in this world full of information, good judgement is in increasingly short supply.

2. What transformations do you think are taking place in how brands today conceive their collections? How has the process of creating a collection changed in recent years?

That's a difficult question to answer. The first reason is that we're generalising: brands come in all different shapes and sizes with very different approaches and distribution channels, for example.

But, returning to what I said before, fashion has always been a race, but now we're running it at breakneck speed. I think the concept of collection has completely changed. Summer and winter will obviously continue to exist, but no matter how big or small you are, you have to be continually designing (and producing) new items.

3. What can a fair like the upcoming edition of MOMAD in July bring to the fashion trade?

I think that MOMAD has taken a very big step forward, which we'll see in July, and more intensely going forward into the future.

I said that there are many different types of brands, companies, sizes, structures, marketing methods and approaches. They are all legitimate and all make up the industry. But fairs have to commit to something, because not everything can fit in the same space.

MOMAD has made that commitment. It's a commitment to quality. For those who come looking for long-term relationships. And so when you know who you want to come to the fair, it's easier to be like them. It's easier to design and build a space that is also based on that quality.

I think it's a good direction in which to head, and we'll see a coherent, well-organised and well-designed fair, where exhibitors who appreciate design and high-quality products can showcase their brand image.

4. What impact are factors like sustainability and artificial intelligence having on how collections are being designed and developed?

Sustainability means you have to be responsible, which is now practically a legal and conceptual obligation, while artificial intelligence means you have to focus on what is new, the future and opportunities.

Sustainability is necessary. We all know how many laws and regulations are coming into force to transform the industry. We also have to be concerned about the future, the future of our companies, our industry and the world we live in. However, with all these regulations and expectations, it is difficult to stand out in terms of sustainability, especially at the communication level, as everything tends to blend together.

Artificial intelligence will change everything. It already is. It's exciting, but also disturbing. We have to use it and make it into something truly useful. But we have to accept that, like with any change, it's very difficult to control the direction in which all this energy is being focused. I don't mean problems in terms of ethics, although there are significant concerns, but operational problems: we have to bear in mind that whenever we incorporate new technology, we're going to make a lot of mistakes. Once again, we have to use our judgement to know exactly what we want to find and how to focus the decisions we'll have to make.

5. From your perspective, where do you think the fashion industry is heading in the next few years?

There's no way of knowing. But within all this uncertainty, I would stress two factors: one at the macro level and the other at the micro level. The macro factor is geopolitics. The world is being reorganised and every industry will have to adapt to the new situation. The micro factor is related to the speed of design and production to which I referred earlier, and to the incorporation of artificial intelligence into our processes.

It's very difficult to predict what will happen, but I think that in both cases there will be room for coherent design that manifests not just in forms and fabrics but in terms of concepts.