Covid-19. That’s probably a name we’re all familiar with at this point. This pandemic has affected all our lives in more than one way, and the brunt of it will remain long after its demise. The negative impact of this virus has been felt by many industries, from hospitality and tourism to cinema, and fashion is no exception. Back in March, amongst all of the uncertainty and new social distancing regulations, the fashion world questioned its future. Since fashion week as we know it may not be back for an indefinite amount of time, how will brands continue to communicate their new collections to customers? Even more importantly, how will they remain influential in setting trends?
During the first two months of “quarantine”, some of the major fashion houses abandoned their creative pursuits to focus on combating the virus. Gucci provided 1,100,000 surgical masks and 55,000 medical overalls to Italy; Ralph Lauren pledged $10 million to Coronavirus relief in America, Prada financed the I.C.Us for three major hospitals in Milan, and French luxury conglomerate LVMH used its manufacturing facilities to produce hydroalcoholic gels instead of perfume.
The past six months has forced most fashion houses to transform not only their way of doing business but shows as well. Gucci created an online experience for its Resort 2021 collection, which created major buzz in the industry because of its artistic views and connection to current times; while Hermès, Chanel, and Dior Men were some of the first to host virtual fashion shows after The Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode first announced the dates for online Paris Fashion Week. Virtual shows may fail to capture the atmosphere and detail of personally being there, but this is how the general public has been accessing fashion week for years. A transition into online shows primarily changes the means of communication between designer and critics.
Celine’s long-awaited menswear collection “The Dancing Boy” was another popular virtual show. Filmed in the deserted Circuit Paul Ricard, a well known racetrack in the South of France, and with no audience, Hedi Slimane pays an ode to this generation of internet culture and online activism. Silmane’s obsession with youth has been apparent in most of his past collections, but never as explicit. Paired with the TikTok hit song “They Call Me Tiago (Her Name Was Margo)” by Canadian artist Tiagz, the show makes a direct reference to how teens and young adults alike use the social media platform as a form of entertainment but also as a way of protesting for what’s right.
Slimane’s use of internet culture and youth crazes brings up an interesting point about the flow of trends in this age of technology. Whereas before brands set trends for the general public, today we see both the public and brands following a crowd of “internet influencers.” Many see this as a weakness for big fashion houses, and it could potentially pose as a major threat in the future; however, technology always fosters a more innovative environment, and it is up to brands to leverage their capabilities to not only stay ahead of influencers but to also predict future trends and remain prominent within the mainstream.
Moving on from Celine, Pierpaolo Piccioli of Valentino is another designer that amazed viewers with his hybrid virtual/physical Fall/Winter 2020 Couture show, set in the dark void of a Cinecitta Studios movie lot. The show had a small local audience, but the virtual experience was made perfect with just the right lighting and an unreleased track from FKA twigs, transporting all its viewers to a fantasy realm. With only 16 looks, Piccioli’s goal is to capture the tough circumstances of lockdown while also drawing inspiration from the 1920’s silent drama film A Knight in London and other early cinema. Watching this reminded me why I started to love fashion so much and how inspiring and powerful it can be, in the right hands.
Some brands did decide to take the riskier path and host socially distanced in-person shows. Jacquemus was perhaps the most successful in this, holding a show in his usual French fields but with only 100 guests. Although the fashion house recently reduced its number of shows to only two per year (a decision praised by many), Simon Jacquemus himself said that in-person fashion shows are something he cannot change about his brand. It must be noted, however, the inconsistency between his diverse cast of models and all-white crew, which brings up the question as to whether brands see diversity as just a storefront. Demanding more BIPOC inclusion in fashion does not end with just casting a few black models in a show but rather by including their talents in all aspects of the industry.
A few brands decided to come to a full halt until things return back to somewhat normal. Virgil Abloh announced that his spring collections would have to wait until January 2021. Considering his usual lack of creativity, there was no surprise here.
With everything happening in the world recently, we certainly cannot wait to see what else designers have up their sleeves. These times call for creativity and originality more so than any other, and who better than fashion designers to use this disruption to come up with innovative designs?
Bella Niavarani
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