fashionanalysis

Fashion week frontier

Which medium will survive

General Fashion Week Playbook
Over several decades, the fashion industry has evolved in so many ways.
The female silhouette has transformed from lung crushing corsets and 19th-century victorian buns to genderless streetstyle and avant-garde designs.

Brands have progressed in their method of garment innovation. Yet since the first catwalk show by Lady Duff Gordon in 1901, runway innovations have only advanced in the context of event design. Designers and brands had decided to keep the mediums of runway shows and video promotions completely separate.

Runway shows are so 2019

If we normalize sustainability, why is the mass waste of a fashion show not considered as a drastic factor taking part in unnecessary waste?

After seeing most daily activities turn to the remote medium, why is a runway show one of the only things left behind for deep discussion and debate?

Just because something from the past was so universally enjoyed, doesn’t mean it’s required to remain the same and be the exception to a painfully corrupted system.

The new Fashion Week medium

Fashion premiered through short films

As a matter of fact, we are in a society where creative innovation is crucial. And not only for progressing as a population but for general survival.
Aside from the world of technology, the fashion industry hosts some of the most innovative and open-minded thinkers of our lifetime.
There is no satisfaction in sedimentary and placid thinking. Consistent change is expected and embraced.
So why have we suddenly decided to halt our experiments here? At a time when it is most vital for the progression of an industry.

We are now entering a new industry era of fashion trailers. Short films, produced to showcase a designer’s newest collection in a way that emphasizes the brand image and what future they’d like the consumer to expect.

Of course, many are hesitant about this idea.
This era will be the test that determines who are the true lovers of design and creativity. And who participate just to gain social media followers and views.

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A piece written by Gavriel Ewart. An American girl studying fashion and communication at Cattolica university in Milan and interning for suite123

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Mass production or “mess” production?

Quality VS Quantity

Mass production is an ongoing global phenomenon. Fast-Fashion, is no doubt, all about mass-production as you think.

Yet, even in the luxury world, high brands nowadays are attempting to produce more than ever to reach a broader range of consumers. Why? Because this is how they maximize profit. Speed and cost are everything they now prioritize. Indeed it’s a matter of speed and greed.

Where do we find artisanal values?

Charles Frederic Worth, an English fashion designer in the early 20th century, is today known as the father of Haute Couture.
His dresses required some fifteen yards of fabric and could take three to four hundred hours to embroider. For one client, the dress even needed a team of thirty seamstresses working full time because everything was entirely made by hand.

Yes, the handmade takes time, but do we still find or do the luxury brands still even care about such craftsman values?

Where are the values which we used to appreciate in the past?

Mass or “mess” production?

Luxury brands are now mass-producing their products to market mass consumers. Targeting a larger audience means bigger profits, they believe. However, their mass production has undervalued the noble past of fashion and diminished the true aesthetic.

They care only about profit, no longer the values.
It is such a “mess production” – in fact.

Resizing and reducing, not maximising

By having in mind the idea of Couture as a meaningful business model, brands should produce less and target a smaller audience. Therefore, selecting the right individuals who are capable of appreciating these values.

A rigid selection is what the brands need to do. They need to select whom to create rather than create for everyone.

“Less” is such a big keyword for luxury brands today, but there is something that should be “more”.
Time. More time for quality.
Because quality takes a lot of effort, patience and creativity. And so more time is a must.
Yet, that is the only way the true values of fashion can be revived.

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A piece written by Kotono Sakai, a Japanese girl studying history and fashion at Cattolica University in Milan and interning for suite123

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Decoding the sexy trend

From New York to Milano and Paris runways, the sexy trend was one of the most prominent themes for next Spring/Summer 22.

Cut-out tops and pants, catsuits, ultra-mini skirts, mid-riff – covering the body just enough and leaving little to the imagination. If still there’s something to imagine, considering the quality of images shared on social media. In that context, the appreciation of freedom stops at the possibility of showing themselves naked.

Ironically, we first wondered if designers knew that, during the pandemic, people put on weight. But don’t feel sad, if you want to wear your catsuit you have about four months to get in perfect shape!

However, keeping irony aside, let’s analyse the meaning of the style proposal that came out as the designers’ favourite.

Fashion journalists reported this trend as an expression of joy, a celebration for a much-awaited return to social life. After more than a year in lockdown, people mainly wore jumpsuits or pyjamas. Now they are eager to enjoy dinners and parties. So the night out mood is on.

SS22: the sexy trend and its meaning

Although we understand the desire for sociality, we believe the sexy trend hides a much different motivation. The way a designer can portray evening style doesn’t necessarily imply promoting a hooker outfit.

We disagree with this pre-packed story. And so, we try to see it from a different socio-cultural-economic perspective.

We read the sexy trend as the trite vision of a woman dressed up to have a hold on a man. Does it sound new to you? To us, it seems so status quo.

It is old as the story of the universe. And, what’s more? It sells!
Indeed marketers use sex to sell everything. Furthermore, at this specific moment, the urgent need is to make money to cover the economic losses caused by the pandemic. Money, easy and fast.

So, here you are, served with the sexy doll. The same old perpetuated stereotype. As the most accessible short-term benefit.

What a breath of fresh air, we might say!

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