I read an article once that claimed that if you ask college
graduates what they want to accomplish by the age of forty, most will reel off
the things they want to have as
opposed to what they want to be or hope to become as an individual. In other
words most will choose style over substance in a flash – which is not
surprising as we live in a world where style is everything and everywhere. Nothing
has made me more aware of this than living in the UAE. What amuses and astounds
me is that you cannot step out of your house here without coming across, within
a space of five minutes, a Louis Vuitton bag swinging gently on some well-toned
and tanned arm. Appearances here count
in a way like nowhere else - I have witnessed eco-warring, tree-hugging expats
here driving flashy, high petrol gurgling, carbon emitting 4x4s because that’s how its done here,
no one in their right mind consciously abandons style for any substance,
period.
But who says you can’t have it all? Why can we not have
style and substance? Most ethical designers,
whether they are in automotive industry, fashion or interiors are gearing their
designs to a happy marriage of style and substance – they are using materials
that are not stripping our planet bare,
or employing farmers or labourers or craftsmen who are not ripped off their rightful
share of proceeds from merchandise. It is up to us the consumers, to know the
ethics behind each brand of designer label and make the right choice and if we
have money to spend, spend it on things that will definitely elevate our style status but at the same time ease our conscience as well. Spending money is good, it makes the economy
grow, but spend it where it makes a bigger difference in the world.
I have vowed that my children will always be encouraged to
choose their own style but never be allowed to forget substance. For as the
article later revealed, it is the graduates who choose substance are the ones
most destined to become future leaders or leave a lasting impression in the
profession they choose.
