Trouble at Tesla and Protests Against Trump’s Tariffs Suggest Consumer Boycotts are Starting to Bite

Demonstrations against Elon Musk and boycotts of his Tesla electric cars are growing worldwide. Cover picture of the new Pucci Marmo SS25 collection by Camille Maceli, photographed by Drew Vickers.

By Erin O'Brien, Griffith University and Justine Coneybeer, Griffith University

When the United States starts a trade war with your country, how do you fight back? For individuals, one option is to wage a personal trade war and boycott products from the US.

President Donald Trump has said no nation will be exempt from his tariffs, and this includes both Australia and New Zealand. His tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports, in particular, could hurt the sector in Australia, while New Zealand’s meat and wine exports to the US could also feel the effect.

So far, political leaders have responded differently. Canada, Mexico and the European Union have imposed reciprocal tariffs on the US, while Australia has indicated it will not retaliate.

But whether governments choose to push back or not, citizens in those and other countries are making their own stands. This includes artists such as renowned pianist András Schiff, who has cancelled his upcoming US tour.

Most notably, collective outrage at the US president has led to a growing global boycott of Elon Musk’s Tesla due to his role in the Trump administration. Sales of new Tesla vehicles are down 72% in Australia and 76% in Germany. The share price has dropped by more than 50% since December 2024, with calls for Musk to step down as chief executive.

Some governments are even encouraging consumer boycotts. The Canadian government, for example, has urged citizens to “fight back against the unjustified US tariffs” by purchasing Canadian products and holidaying in Canada.

Canadians are clearly embracing this advice. Road trips to the US have dropped by more than 20% in the past month and US liquor brands have been removed from some Canadian stores altogether.

This rise in calls for boycotts of American brands and companies is unsurprising in the Trump 2.0 era, where the lines between government and corporate America have become increasingly blurred.

Political change by proxy

When people want to protest a government policy, but have no political leverage because they’re not citizens of that country, boycotting corporations or brands gives them a voice. These actions are sometimes called “surrogate” or “proxy” boycotts.

This form of “political consumerism”, where individuals align their consumption choices with their values, is now one of the most common forms of political participation in western liberal democracies.

When France opposed the war in Iraq in 2003, US supporters of the war aimed boycotts at French imports. Consumers in the US, United Kingdom and elsewhere have boycotted Russian goods over the invasion of Ukraine, and targeted Israel over its military action and policies in Gaza and the West Bank.

Most famously, protests against the apartheid regime in South Africa from the 1950s through to the 1990s helped isolate and eventually change its government.

The current boycotts are not just protesting Trump’s trade war, of course. They are also about the role of unelected leaders from the corporate world, such as Musk and the heads of the Big Tech and social media companies, and their perceived self-interest and influence.

Trump has responded angrily to consumer boycotts, calling the actions against Tesla “illegal”, which they are not. Indeed, political leaders like Trump often argue that consumer action, rather than government regulation, should be relied on to ensure corporations conform to social expectations.

Ukrainians demonstrate in front of the Lukoil headquarters in Belgium over European imports of Russian fossil fuels, 2022. Getty Images

How to wage a personal trade war

Consumer boycotts do create change under certain conditions – typically when there is a contained problem that the targeted corporation has the power to solve.

For example, consumer boycotts against Nestlé in the 1970s over false and dangerous marketing of powdered milk for infants led to changes in the firm’s marketing approaches. Boycotts of Nike products over sweatshop conditions for workers had a direct impact on the company’s bottom line and led to improvements.

Things may still need to improve at Nestlé and Nike, but these boycotts show consumer pressure can catalyse corporate action. However, it is much harder – though not impossible – for boycott campaigns to succeed when the target is a government.

Consumers boycotting American products can amplify the impact of their protest by also lobbying retailers. For example, if enough consumers stop buying a bottle of soft drink from the US, major supermarkets like Woolworths and Foodstuffs will stop buying thousands of bottles.

There are also other ways to “vote with your wallet”. People can engage in “political investorism” by using their power as a shareholder, bank customer or pension-fund member to express their political views.

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, for example, investors sought to divest from Russian companies, and superannuation funds were pressured by their members to do the same.

As consumers and investors, individuals can wage a personal trade war, sending a clear message. Trump may not be willing to listen to the leaders of allied nations, but if consumer and investor pressure is sustained and spreads globally, he may yet hear the voice of corporate America.

Erin O'Brien, Associate Professor, School of Government and International Relations, Griffith University and Justine Coneybeer, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Government and International Relations, Griffith University

Fast Furniture is Terrible for the Environment: Here are Five Ways to Spot It

Most fast furniture cannot be recycled or reused with millions of pieces sent to landfill every year. 

By Katryn Furmston, Nottingham Trent University

The UK spent more than £20 million on furniture in 2024, predominantly for bedrooms and living rooms. Many of us are aware of the problems with fast fashion, including the problems caused by dumping this cheap, low-quality clothing in landfills. But there’s a similar issue with furniture, with more than 22 million pieces sent to landfill every year. Unfortunately, most of this will be fast furniture, as it can’t be recycled or reused.

Fast furniture is classed as being made, bought, consumed and disposed of quickly and cheaply. Its flimsiness is due to the materials used and how it is made. The companies making it are often chasing fast-changing trends in interior design.

Unlike fast fashion, though – which lasts up to a year, sometimes only being worn once – fast furniture will last a maximum of five to seven years, if you’re lucky. This makes it a burden on our waste systems, especially when furniture should ideally last ten to 20 years at least.

Of course, it can be enticing to kit out your house quickly and on the cheap, especially if you’re moving into somewhere unfurnished. But if you have the time and the money, you really should avoid fast furniture as much as possible.

So, if you want good furniture that lasts long, looks good and isn’t going clog up the planet, here are five simple ways to help you spot fast furniture.

Low cost furniture often means

poor materials and build quality 

1. If the price seems too good to be true …

The biggest giveaway of fast furniture is the price. It tends to be pretty inexpensive and very accessible. Unfortunately, the low cost is often thanks to poor materials or build quality, which means the piece is unlikely to last you very long.

For example, an £89 sofa from a fast furniture company might seem like a good deal when you consider that a good quality sofa will cost you in the region of £800 to £1,500. But while £89 might seem great now, it probably won’t last long and will end up costing the environment and you more as you’ll have to replace it sooner rather than later.

2 . Always check the materials

Companies are supposed to list all the materials in the furniture. If you see a mix of MDF (medium density fibreboard), plastic and chipboard, this is often a signifier that the piece is fast.

For cabinets, shelves, wardrobes and items with a backboard, a key signifier that it’s fast furniture will be that the backboard is made of taped-together sheets of hardboard that you have to nail in place. You will often find that this backboard starts to come away after a while and sometimes separates at the joins.

A mix of MDF, plastic and chipboard 

are signifiers of cheaply made pieces

3. Does it require an Allen key?

If the answer is yes, it’s probably fast. What are the fittings like when you put it together? Do they come in a little bag all jumbled together? If you are using standardised fittings like dowels and bolts with pre-cut holes, known as knockdown fittings, to put the piece together, it will likely be a fast furniture piece.

These fittings are cheap and easy to use, plus companies can easily provide you with an Allen key or small screwdriver in the kit. Unfortunately, these fittings don’t last very long, either separating from the material they are fixed to or snapping from too much load.

4. There’s only one image online

Don’t you just hate it when a company only gives you one view of an item and no way to see any of the details? It’s often not available to view in real life, and the item is either set in a room and looks like a sticker, or is just on a white background.

Similarly, is the image a photograph or a 3D render? You will likely know because renders either look too perfect or just a bit strange.These things can mean that the company hasn’t had the time or money to do a proper photoshoot. It can also mean that the product you receive may not look exactly like the image, or that the parts might not fit together properly.

5. Look at the piece’s finish

If you don't want to contribute to fast

furniture, consider second-hand items

Does it have plastic edging strips? Are the finish choices white, black or wood effects? Is it easy to wipe clean? All of these are signifiers of a fast furniture item.

In short, go and look at the piece before purchase, and also look after whatever you choose as this will also make a big difference to how long it lasts.

With the rise of television programmes like BBC’s Repair Shop, we are seeing an increase in furniture repair and upcycling. However, this hasn’t stopped us Brits from continuing to buy new.

While these are a few ways to spot fast furniture, at the end of the day, the decision to buy is yours. Not everyone can spend a lot of money on new pieces but if your budget is smaller and you really don’t want to contribute to fast furniture, consider looking at second-hand items on Facebook Marketplace and in charity shops. Also see if you can repurpose something you already own. The planet will thank you and you will have pieces which will live with you for a long time.

Katryn Furmston, PhD candidate in sustainable furniture, Nottingham Trent University

AI Does Not Really 'Learn' ~ Knowing Why Will Help You Use It More Responsibly

AI systems that most people use like ChatGPT do not learn once they have been built.

By Kai Riemer, University of Sydney and Sandra Peter, University of Sydney

What if we told you that artificial intelligence (AI) systems such as ChatGPT don’t actually learn? Many people we talk to are genuinely surprised to hear this.

Even AI systems themselves will often tell you confidently that they are learning systems. Many reports and even academic papers say the same. But this is due to a misconception – or rather a loose understanding of what we mean by “learning” in AI.

Yet, understanding more precisely how and when AI systems learn (and when they don’t) will make you a more productive and more responsible user of AI.

AI does not learn – at least not like humans do

Many misconceptions around AI stem from using words that have a certain meaning when applied to humans, such as learning. We know how humans learn, because we do it all the time. We have experiences; we do something that fails; we encounter something new; we read something surprising; and thus we remember, we update or change the way we do things.

This is not how AI systems learn. There are two main differences.

Firstly, AI systems do not learn from any specific experiences, which would allow them to understand things the way we humans do. Rather they “learn” by encoding patterns from vast amounts data – using mathematics alone. This happens during the training process, when they are built.

Take large language models, such as GPT-4, the technology that powers ChatGPT. In a nutshell, it learns by encoding mathematical relationships between words (actually, tokens), with the aim to make predictions about what text goes with what other text. These relationships are extracted from vast amounts of data and encoded during a computationally intensive training phase.

This form of “learning” is obviously very different to how humans learn.

It has certain downsides in that AI often struggles with simple commonsense knowledge about the world that humans naturally learn by just living in the world.

But AI training is also incredibly powerful, because large language models have “seen” text at a scale far beyond what any human can comprehend. That’s why these systems are so useful with language-based tasks, such as writing, summarising, coding, or conversing. The fact these systems don’t learn like us, but at a vast scale, makes them all-rounders in the kinds of things they do excel at.

AI systems do not learn from any specific experiences, which would allow them to understand things the way we humans do. Rido/Shutterstock

Once trained, the learning stops

Most AI systems that most people use, such as ChatGPT, also do not learn once they are built. You could say AI systems don’t learn at all – training is just how they’re built, it’s not how they work. The “P” in GPT literally stands for “pre-trained”.

In technical terms, AI systems such as ChatGPT only engage in “training-time learning”, as part of their development, not in “run-time learning”. Systems that learn as they go do exist. But they are typically confined to a single task, for example your Netflix algorithm recommending what to watch. Once it’s done, it’s done, as the saying goes.

Being “pre-trained” means large language models are always stuck in time. Any updates to their training data require highly costly retraining, or at least so-called fine-tuning for smaller adjustments.

That means ChatGPT does not learn from your prompts on an ongoing basis. And out of the box, a large language model does not remember anything. It holds in its memory only whatever occurs in a single chat session. Close the window, or start a new session, and it’s a clean sheet every time.

There are ways around this, such as storing information about the user, but they are achieved at the application level; the AI model itself does not learn and remains unchanged until retrained (more on that in a moment).

Most AI systems that most people use, such as ChatGPT, also do not learn once they are built. Ascannio/Shutterstock

What does this mean for users?

First, be aware of what you get from your AI assistant.

Learning from text data means systems such as ChatGPT are language models, not knowledge models. While it is truly amazing how much knowledge gets encoded via the mathematical training process, these models are not always reliable when asked knowledge questions.

Their real strength is working with language. And don’t be surprised when responses contain outdated information given they are frozen in time, or that ChatGPT does not remember any facts you tell it.

The good news is AI developers have come up with some clever workarounds. For example, some versions of ChatGPT are now connected to the internet. To provide you with more timely information they might perform a web search and insert the result into your prompt before generating the response.

Another workaround is that AI systems can now remember things about you to personalise their responses. But this is done with a trick. It is not that the large language model itself learns or updates itself in real time. The information about you is stored in a separate database and is inserted into the prompt each time in ways that remain invisible.

But it still means that you can’t correct the model when it gets something wrong (or teach it a fact), which it would remember to correct its answers for other users. The model can be personalised to an extent, but it still does not learn on the fly.

Users who understand how exactly AI learns – or doesn’t – will invest more in developing effective prompting strategies, and treat the AI as an assistant – one that always needs checking.

Let the AI assist you. But make sure you do the learning, prompt by prompt.

Kai Riemer, Professor of Information Technology and Organisation, University of Sydney and Sandra Peter, Director of Sydney Executive Plus, University of Sydney

Five Tips to Find What Brings You Joy Outside of Work

"Joy exists in the present, so therefore we need to be 'there' to experience it." Cover picture by Andrea Heinsohn of Issey Miyake AW25 in Paris for DAM

By Alison Bishop, University of East London

Not long ago I attended a concert. It was a band that I had been waiting a while to see and so I was excited to be there in the crowd. Part way through, they played my favourite song and I noticed that I felt something different.

It felt like a pinnacle moment where the emotion of joy felt expansive and unstoppable. In that moment, I felt more alive with all my senses of my surroundings heightened and yet so much more connected to the core of who I know myself to be.

I first set out to write about finding joy, as if joy was out there in the world waiting for us to find it. However, the story of the concert shows us that this is not the case.

Not everyone likes the band that I saw and not everyone in the concert had the same experience as me. This tells us that joy is more personal, an inside job, rather than something to find outside ourselves.

The psychologist Chris Meadows suggests that joy is a feeling that comes from viewing an event in our lives as being meaningful to us or good for us.

Joy is not just a singular experience, there are different types of joy, according to Meadows. In his study of joy he writes about the muted experience of “serene joy”, which aims at restoring or maintaining equilibrium in the body. Then there is “excited joy”, which is linked to pursuing goals.

“Individuated joy” is felt while alone while “affiliative joy” is shared with others. Meadow’s study into the phenomenon of joy suggests that social experiences of joy occur more often than solo ones and result in what we know as bonding experiences.

“Anticipatory joy” occurs when the fulfilment of a goal is imminent and then “consummatory joy” happens when the goal has been achieved. There is also an element of feeling blessed or that what has been achieved has exceeded expectations.

In addition to the thought processes that lead to joy, there are many other elements that need to be in place. Safe, familiar surroundings are key in enabling us to be present in the moment to support relaxed equilibrium. When we feel safe and relaxed, we are more able to laugh and play and explore new ideas.

Playfulness that’s aimless but results in fairly predictable outcomes, allows us to switch off our inner critic and focus on the good feelings of being in the moment with joy. This brings a sense of ease in that whatever happens, requires very little effort on our part.

Here are five tips on how to find what brings you joy in its many forms:

1. Be present

“Be in the moment” is easy to say but harder to do.

Joy exists in the present, therefore, we need to be there to experience it. This might mean that sometimes we need to ditch the phone and not video something to post or watch later as doing that prevents us becoming immersed in the here and now. This is about making our own experience more important than the “likes” of others.

2. Listen to your inner voice

Next, turn up the volume on your inner voice.

As joy is unique to each of us, we need to hear our own voice to find out what will bring us joy. To do this, it helps to create specificity around the goals that we aspire to in the future so that we are clear about what we want to achieve.

Does your joy come from completing a goal? Being specific with that goal can help you finely tune your sense of joy. Like playing a piece all the way through without missing a note. GoodStudio/Shutterstock

I love the theme tune for The Pirates of the Caribbean and want to be able to play it on the piano. To make this goal specific, I need to decide what my success criteria is. It might be, I want to play to the end without stopping, or I want to get to the end without stopping and to play all of the notes on the sheet music without mistakes. Only I can know whether I would feel more joyful by achieving the second goal over the first.

Being specific means we will clearly know when that goal fulfilment is either imminent or achieved. So, the more specific we are the better. The same goes for looking at the experiences that have brought us joy in the past. By reflecting on these experiences, we can learn things about ourselves that lead to us being able to create more joy.

3. Don’t listen to your inner critic

It helps to switch off your inner critic, or at least turn the volume on this down.

It is not possible to be playful and feel safe and free, while we constantly are censoring ourselves. So, tell the inner critic that it is OK for you to be you.

4. Find your tribe

These are people who enjoy the same things as you. Being with other people who are like us enables us to feel freer to express ourselves in ways that are congruent with who we are.

5. Tune into the little things

Finally, pay attention to the little things, as they actually are the big things. Joy comes from the most unexpected places. By noticing when we feel joy we can create more of those experiences in our lives so that we can truly experience that joie de vivre (the joy of living).

Alison Bishop, Lecturer in Positive Psychology Coaching, University of East London

Meet Maria Clementina Sobieska, the Defiant Queen Who Pulled off a Jailbreak to Secure the Jacobite Legacy

Maria Clementina Sobieski, 1727/8, by Martin van Meytens (after), Scottish National Gallery. Cover picture of Issey Miyake AW25 in Paris by Andrea Heinsohn for DAM

By Darius von Guttner Sporzynski, Australian Catholic University and Aleksandra Skrzypietz, University of Silesia in Katowice

Maria Clementina Sobieski is one of only three women buried in the famous St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City, alongside an estimated 100 or so popes. She lived a life of extraordinary defiance and determination.

Born in 1701 in Oława, Poland, Maria Clementina was the granddaughter of King John III Sobieski of Poland, who was famous for his victory in the 1683 Battle of Vienna against the forces of the Ottoman Empire.

While this ancestry provided Maria Clementina her status as a princess, it also came with significant challenges, by placing her at the centre of 18th century European dynastic politics.

At just 17 years old, she was betrothed to James Stuart, the Jacobite claimant to the British throne. This match, which held immense political and religious significance, was agreed to by her father, Jakub, after negotiations with Stuart.

But her journey to marriage wouldn’t simple. It required a daring escape from imprisonment in Innsbruck, where she was held by Emperor Charles VI in a bid to prevent her union with Stuart.

Francesco Bertosi’s painting, ‘Princess Maria Clementina Sobieska, 1701–1735. Wife of Prince James Francis Edward Stuart’, 1719. National Galleries of Scotland

A high-stakes abduction

The marriage between Maria Clementina and James Stuart was a direct challenge to the Protestant king George I of Great Britain.

James Stuart, also known as the Old Pretender, was living in exile and sought to reclaim the British throne that was his by birthright. His marriage to Maria Clementina, which was endorsed by Pope Clement XI, would symbolise Catholic unity against growing Protestant dominance.

Recognising this political threat, George I asked Emperor Charles VI, his ally, to order Maria Clementina’s detention in Innsbruck while she was en route to her wedding.

Her confinement was intended to coerce her family into annulling the engagement. However, Maria Clementina, bolstered by her unwavering faith and determination, refused to capitulate.

Anton Raphael Mengs’s painting, ‘Prince James Francis Edward Stuart’, circa 1740s. Wikimedia

The perilous escape

Maria Clementina’s imprisonment at the hands of Charles VI lasted six months. During this time, she kept her spirits high through correspondence with James Stuart and her father, Jakub. Meanwhile, plans for her escape were set in motion by Charles Wogan, an Irish Jacobite loyal to Stuart.

The princess disguised herself by switching clothes with the servant of one of her rescuers, Eleanor Misset. She then slipped past imperial guards with a small group posing as a travelling family.

The escape involved avoiding imperial agents and enduring significant physical hardship, including traversing the harsh and mountainous Brenner Pass in the Alps.

In one instance, after a carriage axle broke, Maria Clementina and Eleanor Misset were forced to walk a considerable distance to find shelter. Despite the gruelling journey, Maria Clementina demonstrated remarkable resolve, earning the admiration of her companions.

Reaching safety and marriage

After crossing into Italy, the group arrived in Bologna, where Maria Clementina rested and prepared for her new role as James Stuart’s wife. Her wedding took place on May 9 1719 in a modest ceremony.

Although James Stuart was absent (not unusual for high-profile dynastic alliances at the time), the marriage formalised their union and reinforced the Jacobite claim to the British throne.

Maria Clementina wore a white dress to symbolise mourning for James Stuart’s late mother, Maria Beatrice d’Este. The ceremony was attended by Jacobite activist Charles Wogan and other members of the escape team, including Eleanor Misset.

And so Maria Clementina became the titular Catholic queen of England, Scotland and Ireland.

Agostino Masucci’s ‘The Solemnisation of the Marriage of James III and Maria Clementina Sobieska’, circa 1735. National Galleries of Scotland

Motherhood and family challenges

Maria Clementina’s bold actions ensured the continuity of the Jacobite line. On December 31 1720 she gave birth to her first son, Charles Edward Stuart, later known as Bonnie Prince Charlie.

He was baptised within the hour by Father Lawrence Mayes, the same bishop who officiated his parents’ wedding, and his birth was widely celebrated by Jacobite supporters.

Maria Clementina’s second son, Henry Benedict Stuart, was born on March 6 1725 and was later made Duke of York.

A monument in St Peter’s Basilica dedicated to the royal Stuarts, James and his sons, Charles and Henry. Wikimedia, CC BY-SA

While the birth of her sons brought joy and hope to the Jacobite cause, Maria Clementina’s relationship with James Stuart grew strained.

As one household observer remarked:

their tempers are so very different that though in the greatest trifles they are never of the same opinion, the one won’t yield an inch to the other.

James neglected Maria Clementina. The pair also clashed over their sons’ education, further straining the marriage.

The later years

By the end of 1725, Maria Clementina’s frustrations with her marriage reached a breaking point. She left James and took up residence at the convent of St Cecilia in Trastevere, Rome, leaving her young sons behind.

For two years she embraced a devout lifestyle, focusing on her own welfare. Her return to James in 1728 was marked by a withdrawal from court life, and she spent much of her time in seclusion at Rome’s Palazzo Muti.

John Pettie (1834-93), ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie Entering the Ballroom at Holyroodhouse’, before April 1892. Royal Collection Trust, CC BY-NC-SA

Despite her struggles, Maria Clementina’s legacy as a mother was significant. Charles Edward Stuart and Henry Benedict Stuart carried the Jacobite cause forward, their lives shaped by the resilience and determination demonstrated by their mother. Her commitment to their futures ensured the Jacobite line endured, even as political realities shifted.

Maria Clementina died on January 18 1735 at the age of 32. She was given a royal funeral in St Peter’s Basilica, where she was interred with honours befitting her status as queen. Her heart was enshrined separately in the church of the Twelve Holy Apostles in Rome.

Darius von Guttner Sporzynski, Historian, Australian Catholic University and Aleksandra Skrzypietz, Professor of History, University of Silesia in Katowice

How the Face Magazine Redefined Culture, Music and Style

The Dark Knight Returns, Alexander McQueen, by Sean Ellis, 1998/The Face. Masthead cover picture by Andrea Heinsohn of Issey Miyake AW25/26 in Paris for DAM

The Face magazine had a revolutionary impact on contemporary culture. The legendary “style bible” launched in 1980 was known for its bold design, iconic covers and trailblazing photography, writes James Clifford Kent

Jean Paul Gaultier featured on this iconic

cover of The Face magazine in December 

1988, photographed by Jean Baptiste 

Mondino.

AS Sabina Jaskot-Gill, curator of The Face Magazine: Culture Shift at the National Portrait Gallery in London, observes, the Face was “not just documenting the contemporary cultural landscape, but playing a vital role in inventing and reinventing it”. This capacity to both document and actively shape cultural movements highlights the magazine’s enduring influence.

Art director Phil Bicker explains how the Face was “a catalyst that challenged and changed broader culture,” pioneering an approach that democratised information, anticipated cultural trends and inspired its readers. This ability to forge, rather than simply reflect shifts in music, fashion and youth culture, underscores why the Face remains so influential today. This is particularly so in an era dominated by digital and social media.

The exhibition features prints, magazine spreads, film and music. It uses portraiture to explore how the cult publication championed innovative photography, enabling image-makers to disrupt culture and redefine the spirit of the age.

Iconic magazine covers are on show featuring the model Kate Moss, the designer Alexander McQueen, the singer Kurt Cobain, electronic duo Daft Punk and many others. Among these are lesser-known images from the magazine, some exhibited for the first time. These pictures from the Face’s vast archive represent some of the most arresting photographs in this exhibition.

As a teenager, I was obsessed with the Face, drawn to its radical style and images bursting with energy and youth. Each issue felt exciting and unpredictable. I’d tear out pages, pin them to my bedroom wall, and paste them into sketchbooks and mood boards – a practice I’ve continued throughout my career. The exhibition was a reminder of how much the magazine informed my understanding of photography before I ever picked up a camera.

Style bible for a new generation

A young Kate Moss on The Face, 

shot by Corrine Day in July 1990, 

The Face’s founder, Nick Logan – former NME editor and Smash Hits creator – recognised a gap in the market for a monthly in which art, fashion and music converged. From its earliest issues, the Face challenged the conventions of publishing.

It combined innovative editorial strategies with cutting-edge social commentary. Writing in The Story of The Face, journalist Paul Gorman describes how the so-called “style bible” propelled cover stars into the national consciousness, becoming a must-have publication for art directors around the world.

Far from occupying the margins, it became a core reference for those tracking 1980s and 1990s fashion trends. The Face fostered a collaborative culture that elevated photographers, stylists and designers.

It also spearheaded an experimental visual storytelling that shaped fashion, music and youth culture without traditional editorial constraints. This encouraged groundbreaking approaches that infused cutting-edge fashion with the raw energy of subcultures like punk, hip-hop and acid house.

Photographer Janette Beckman recalls a 1984 shoot with rap group Run-DMC in Queens, New York. After dialling a number she had been given, she ended up at Jam Master Jay’s mother’s house and captured a portrait of the American group whose stripped-back sound was about to revolutionise hip-hop.

As rap and rave culture thrived, the magazine’s raw, black-and-white photography by Corinne Day, Glen Luchford and Juergen Teller rejected high-fashion gloss in favour of authenticity. Stylists like Melanie Ward promoted casual youth style, launching a new wave of seemingly unconventional models, including Kate Moss (“the anti-supermodel”).

Ward later revealed: “We wanted to achieve an emotional response from the models … these were not cold hard fashion photos … I remember going to appointments with my book and them saying ‘These aren’t fashion photographs, these are documentary.’”

The Face was synonymous with Britpop’s rise and the hedonism of Cool Britannia in the mid to late 1990s. A visual language, crafted by photographers and stylists, defined the look and feel of a generation.

One striking example is Juergen Teller’s 1995 snapshot of music producer Goldie, slumped on the floor of a living room beside a TV set, a stack of VHS tapes and a Roman bust. A few years later in 2001, Gemma Booth photographed Ms. Dynamite for the Face just as the British singer and rapper exploded onto the UK garage scene.

Another picture from 2003, taken by Neil Massey, shows Girls Aloud sitting in a Paris cafe during the promo tour for their song Sound of the Underground. He told me: “They’d just gone platinum yet struck me as normal girls who’d been thrust into the limelight.”

Portraits such as these encapsulate the raw, unfiltered aesthetic of the time. They are visual records of cultural shifts, documenting artists who defined their eras and paved the way for future generations.

(Re)invention in the digital age

Fashion designer Phoebe Philo

as Catwoman, photographed by 

Vincent Peters in September 2002.

In the 1990s and 2000s, the Face embraced the shift from analogue to digital, developing a bold, hyperreal aesthetic that pushed the boundaries of photography and design.

Under art director Lee Swillingham, photographers such as Norbert Schoerner and Inez and Vinoodh experimented with emerging digital tools like Quantel Paintbox and Photoshop, blending photography with graphic design in a cinematic, futuristic aesthetic. This era marked a return to glamour but with a high-tech, avant-garde edge that transformed photographers into image-makers.

Sean Ellis’s The Dark Knight Returns (1998) also powerfully illustrates the magazine’s visionary approach. This is a darkly menacing portrait of Alexander McQueen, styled by fashion editor Isabella Blow. The dramatic lighting and theatrical composition captured McQueen’s rebellious spirit while reflecting the Face’s evolving visual identity, merging art, fashion and technology.

In the mid‑1980s, Logan considered closing the magazine, convinced he had reached the end of an era. But it was not until 2004, amid fierce competition, declining sales and shifting ownership, that the magazine eventually ceased publication.

Despite its closure, the Face remained influential and was revived as a print-online hybrid in 2019. Building on its legacy, the magazine continues to push visual boundaries and raise up emerging image-makers.

This timely exhibition celebrates the Face’s generational impact, highlighting the importance of authenticity, human connection and the radical potential of image-making.

The Face Magazine: Culture Shift runs at the National Portrait Gallery, London, from 20 February until 18 May

James Clifford Kent, Senior Lecturer in Latin American Studies & Visual Culture, Royal Holloway University of London

Paris Fashion Week: The Art of the Unexpected Issey Miyake's Sculptural Autumn/Winter 2025-26 Collection

The new collection of Issey Miyake presented during Paris Fashion Week. Photograph and masthead cover by Andrea Heinsohn for DAM

The Issey Miyake Autumn/Winter 2025-26 collection, presented at the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris, blurred the boundaries between fashion and art, embodying the storied Japanese label's exploration of the nature of clothing. Under the creative direction of Satoshi Kondo, the show, titled [N]either [N]or, explored the aesthetics of ambiguity, challenging preconceived notions of form, function, and wearability, writes Isabella Lancellotti. Photography by Andrea Heinsohn and Elli Ioannou

Performance art and 

fashion at Issey Miyake

OPENING the new Issey Miyake show at Paris Fashion Week was a performance piece inspired by Austrian artist Erwin Wurm’s One Minute Sculptures. The models adjusted the garments in unusual ways, highlighting their transformative potential. 

A shopping bag became a dress, knitwear was wrapped and knotted to create shifting silhouettes, and oversized outerwear subverted expectations of proportion and volume. This performative element set the stage for a collection that sought to redefine how we interact with clothing.

At the heart of the collection was the concept of garments that exist between states: neither purely functional nor purely decorative, nor entirely structured nor entirely fluid. 

The use of unexpected fabric manipulations reinforced this philosophy. Open-weave knits expanded and enveloped the body, puffer tops were layered with undersized T-shirts to exaggerate form, and oversized blazers were skewed asymmetrically to disrupt conventional tailoring.

Pockets played a significant role in the collection, extending beyond their traditional function. Dresses featured deep pockets large enough to accommodate an entire arm, while horizontal placements created a sense of restriction or self-imposed restraint. The interplay of constraint and freedom mirrored the broader theme of ambiguity, questioning the limitations often placed on clothing design.

At the heart of the collection was the concept of garments that exist between states: neither purely functional nor purely decorative, entirely structured or entirely fluid 

Brilliant monochromatic

colours with sculptural 

draping were highlights

Color and texture further emphasized the collection's conceptual depth. Vibrant hues punctuated monochromatic ensembles, while pleated fabrics, signature to the Miyake house, took on new dimensions through layering and sculptural draping. 

Some garments appeared weightless, with delicate folds and twists creating the illusion of movement even in stillness. Others embraced heft and structure, evoking the architectural precision of Wurm’s sculptural works.

Beyond aesthetics, the collection made subtle references to societal themes. The repurposing of shopping bags as garments could be interpreted as a commentary on consumer culture, while the subversion of familiar wardrobe staples suggested a world where clothing need not adhere to rigid definitions.

Issey Miyake's menswear and womenswear collections for Autumn/Winter 2025 have both embraced immersive experiences that extend beyond traditional runway presentations. 

Earlier in the season, the Fly with IM Men exhibition at the Réfectoire des Cordeliers invited audiences to reconsider the intersection of clothing and space. Similarly, the womenswear presentation encouraged a dialogue between fashion and art, reinforcing the notion that garments are not static objects but evolving forms of expression.

As Satoshi Kondo took his final bow to a standing ovation, it was clear that his vision for Issey Miyake remains deeply rooted in innovation and experimentation. By embracing ambiguity and challenging convention, this collection offered a compelling glimpse into the future of fashion where boundaries dissolve, and creativity reigns. 

Scroll down to see more highlights from the Issey Miyake Autumn/Winter 2025-26 collection in Paris

Issey Miyake, [N]either [N]or Collection, Autumn/Winter 2025-26, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn

Issey Miyake, [N]either [N]or Collection, Autumn/Winter 2025-26, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Elli Ioannou

Issey Miyake, [N]either [N]or Collection, Autumn/Winter 2025-26, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn

Issey Miyake, [N]either [N]or Collection, Autumn/Winter 2025-26, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Elli Ioannou

Issey Miyake, [N]either [N]or Collection, Autumn/Winter 2025-26, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn

Issey Miyake, [N]either [N]or Collection, Autumn/Winter 2025-26, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Elli Ioannou

Issey Miyake, [N]either [N]or Collection, Autumn/Winter 2025-26, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn

Issey Miyake, [N]either [N]or Collection, Autumn/Winter 2025-26, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Elli Ioannou

Issey Miyake, [N]either [N]or Collection, Autumn/Winter 2025-26, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn

Issey Miyake, [N]either [N]or Collection, Autumn/Winter 2025-26, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Elli Ioannou

Issey Miyake, [N]either [N]or Collection, Autumn/Winter 2025-26, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn

Issey Miyake, [N]either [N]or Collection, Autumn/Winter 2025-26, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Elli Ioannou

Issey Miyake, [N]either [N]or Collection, Autumn/Winter 2025-26, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn

Issey Miyake, [N]either [N]or Collection, Autumn/Winter 2025-26, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Elli Ioannou

Issey Miyake, [N]either [N]or Collection, Autumn/Winter 2025-26, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn

Issey Miyake, [N]either [N]or Collection, Autumn/Winter 2025-26, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn

Issey Miyake, [N]either [N]or Collection, Autumn/Winter 2025-26, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn

Issey Miyake, [N]either [N]or Collection, Autumn/Winter 2025-26, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn

Issey Miyake, [N]either [N]or Collection, Autumn/Winter 2025-26, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn

Issey Miyake, [N]either [N]or Collection, Autumn/Winter 2025-26, Paris Fashion Week. Photograph: Andrea Heinsohn