Museums and Justice

Museums and Justice

Sunday 23 September 2018

Design Ethics in the Post-Factual Era: Is there Anything left that We are not Aware of?




It's been a while that societies become increasingly aware of the methods, strategies, ways and policies major organizations, (entreprenneurial, public or in-between the two) engage themselves into- in order to reach objectives, attain goals, guard assets or accomplish missions. In the labyrinth of the latest decades (when good was interlacing with evil, and mainstream was miggling with the uncanny in terms of their social and financial impact on entire sectors), the economic crisis of the last ten years re-established a new Value Discipline Model, liaising directly with Transparency and Sustainability. It seems that Truth is better that the Product itself, no matter what it is. The fact that Millenials acquire the entire knowledge of the Process in the Making more that the Result of the Process itself, clarifies the entrance to a new period in production and everything that surrounds it- laws, schemes, rights, currencies, methodologies and documentation.
The thirst of the people to know everything behind closed factory doors and the easy access to that through the instant power of the Social Media and the Smart Technologies every individual can use effortlessly nowadays, result to one basic, new rule: Unhypocriticism of the industry is a major factor to success from now on and unless you are willing to stop pushing your dirt under the carpet, you can hope for a kinder response on behalf of the consumer for any type of service, product or idea. 

The use of furnaces in the luxury industry, especially in fashion, is not exactly breaking news. Whispers in the headquarters of major fashion groups by executors with strict confidentiality clauses in pamphleting contracts  back in the '00s, made the shocking "secret" of luxury houses burning the collections' remnants, publicly known. The fear of dispersing the elaborate architecture of the avant-garde pattern cutting and the investments of millions on new textile technology, all leaking to the competitors rooted in the high street (the multinationals taking over small cities for cheap labour in Asia-based clothing factories)- forced the ambassadors of high-end creativity to extreme solutions. The panic of the moment in the years of extreme austerity though, had to redirect corporate spirits to more socially appealing commercial adaptations ex. Burberry and its recent decision to stop burning unsold clothes, instead it promised more sustainable practices for the environment and the community.

People want to know where the product comes from, meaning where it was actually manufactured. If it was made in a Sweatshop. If the product is (more) eco-friendly or not, its exact materials. If the product complies with the recent legal framework about intellectual property and copyright. If the product is conceived and manufactured within a company that is facing serious previous penalties for money laundering, power abuse and criminal acts such as corruption. If the product is conceived and manufactured within a company that is participating in a benevolent activity. How many work hours it takes for the odd finished product to reach the specific target market.

People want to know everything before they purchase (or not) and it takes less than three clicks to find out. That is the colossal, undisputed fact of living and businessing in the Age of Truth.

Best/ Stay 3 clicks away from the Facts
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