A Stitch in Time

Sometimes change blows into fashion at unexpected moments. Back in September, just as the stock market began to plunge, fashion designers, journalists and buyers were taking in the fall 2009 runway shows in Paris and trying to rationalize what they were seeing. Even at its most frivolous, fashion always reflects the moment, so how would designers interpret the collapsing Dow and skyrocketing unemployment? Clarity came for me at Junya Watanabe’s poetic show, a tribute to African style expressed in hand-blocked prints paired with recycled-denim skirts. As the first model appeared, a hush of recognition settled over the audience. It was a true fashion moment, one that defines the changing times. Suddenly, references to Africa were everywhere—from Marc Jacobs’ chunky jewelry at Louis Vuitton to Dries Van Noten’s stylish turbans. Back in New York, I heard about Max Osterweis, an American with roots in Kenya who had set up Suno, a clothing company that employs seamstresses in Nairobi and uses African fabrics. Osterweis felt the need to do more than just write a check to an African-based charity, and many in the luxury business share his commitment to give back. Even in the fine-jewelry business, designers are taking the long view, using reclaimed gold to save one of our most imperiled natural resources. This special supplement to TIME is dedicated to answering the imperative question, What’s next? Thanks to creative forces like Watanabe and Osterweis, global luxury has a whole new directive.