How fashions change
Here at off the wall, we like to take a look at how fashions affect different segments of the clothing and sports industry, and it always amazes us with things the can go out of fashion one year can come back into fashion a few years later, with very little changes in the way the product is produced and presented.
Of course, the fashion industry very much relies on this being the case, because there are only so many possible ways of designing something, and if we didn’t allow it to come back into fashion in a few years time, we would’ve run out of products to sell and fashions to push. Take your jewelry for example – you might think that your 2012 Christmas jewelry was something new and exciting which had never been tried before, but if you take a look back through the history of jewelry fashions, you’ll discover that people in the 1980s were buying exactly the same fashions. That is not in any way to detract from a particular year’s fashion, but it’s worth noting. That is why it always make sense to consider hanging onto things that have “gone out of fashion,” because the chances are they will come into fashion again very soon.
Sports fashions are a little different, because usually there are ongoing technological innovations that change the way a particular product looks and works, whereas – to use the example we’ve given earlier in the jewelry business – there been very little technological innovations in the way jewelry is made over the last few years. There have been a few admittedly, such as developing better ways of setting gems without using a clasp. In fact – things haven’t changed much – especially when you compare that industry to the sports industry, which is undergoing constant technological changes and improvements.
Stagnant or a new fashion?

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The reason for this is that synthetic fabrics provide a home for bacteria that lead to stinky clothing. Merino, on the other hand, has totally natural antibacterial properties that help keep bad smells down.

