What did you expect from the SS23 fashion shows?
The fashion month is over, and the idea of changing it vanished among global hysteria.
From NY, London, Milano and Paris, the Spring/ Summer 23 runways favoured the physical format plus streaming. But some brands opted to reveal the digital version later, not without leaving a certain perplexity. Because this way of looking for an angle, being the cool ones who pull themselves out, seemed more like a step backwards in a digital era.
However, there were so many outfits on the runways, most of which were ugly and just a few interesting concepts. And stealing designs, now the norm killed brands’ identity. But if you expected a different approach, you would be disappointed. The wind of change, so much discussed during the last two years, is gone. Disappeared. Evaporated!
The industry is back to normal!
And in case you were one of those afraid of a back to normal during the pandemic, there we are! Totally there! 100% there! The countless number of outfits put together in every show was impressive. Such an endless overconsumption pattern has nothing to do with change. And nothing to do with sustainability.
Furthermore, one of the most popular shows sent out a model in underwear, and then someone sprayed on her body. From an engineering viewpoint, it can be interesting, even if McQueen did it first in Spring 99. But it doesn’t seem to be sustainable. Indeed the material sprayed contains plastic, so it sounds like they are promoting single-use plastic.
Even though facts did not correspond to words, all the big groups claim the sustainability umbrella.
Fashion lacks consistency
The fashion industry seems like an enormous bandwagon with no courage or maybe no real will to change. And the reason is simple. Changing the pattern leads to degrowth, which means lower budgets. And so, lower profits.
But if brands are so interested in showing their sustainable standards, why was there no trace of it in their fashion shows? Do we still believe that using a sustainable material or building an eco-friendly atelier makes a brand sustainable? No, it only builds up a facade.
As revealed through this fashion month, this industry, which relies on a polluting and exploiting system, has no intention to change.
So please, forget all the talks you may have heard in the last two years! Industry players just had a reactive moment because they worried about losing everything. Now that the fear is gone, so is the will to change!