In any other year, news would buzz on the different brands and sneak peaks of Fashion Week. But we’ve all experienced much more than a typical year recently. This event in the fashion industry gives a platform for the latest collections and trends to emerge into the public. Many have made a commentary regarding how Fashion Week will run this year and if it’s going to continue in the future.
Packed runway shows used to be the norm but some say Fashion Week could possibly become another online video festival. Although it has a wide range of viewers, the event has provoked a lot of thought in recent years regarding diverse representation, sustainability, and the imprint it leaves on society.
Reality of Fashion Week
Fashion Week is more than professional models strutting along the runway or celebrities admiring catwalks while sipping their champagne. A lot of the action occurs behind the scenes executing the events. There are several components that come into play when executing a runway show. From schedulting to casting and seating, a great deal of a runshow is the planning itself.
However, unlike previous years, “This is not a full-blown fashion week”,nor does it, “mass audiences.” As stated by Caroline Rush who is currently the chief executive at British Fashion Council, organizer of the London Fashion Week. Many believe that instead of Fashion Week itself ending, what we know of it will. To further iterate, new approaches of emblazing clothes will appear. There are so many different styles and ways of showing clothes that haven’t even been thought of yet.
Environmental Impacts
Prevailing discussions have induced reevaluations of the current dynamics of the fashion industry business. Including how bi-annual fashion weeks fall under the traditional calendar and the overall organization of the events. Despite the opulent and lavish events that elevate the platform that designers have. It also gives them the opportunity to connect with both consumers and global retailers. It is through this and the unyielding pace of Fashion Week that contributes so heavily to the environment, and not in a beneficial way.
There is an unnecessarily carbon footprint that is contributed during the production of the upscale attire some people only dream of wearing. This just continues the unsustainable cycle of what is called: overproduction. The pandemic has given a time of reflection regarding important topics like these. Studies have revealed that just one hundred companies and corporations are responsible for 71% of global emissions and the world’s greenhouse gases. And because many of the participating brands of Fashion Week are major high-end brands, it’s no doubt that people question their impact on the world.
Influences of the Pandemic
Many brands have taken the virus outbreak to ruminate and rebrand their whole mission. For many, it has been a time to experiment with technology and understand it better. Brands have also used it to broaden their audiences online and open up different sectors of engagement. This led to plentiful inquiries asking if fashion shows should even go back to having models strutting across the runway.
Michael Kors and Marc Jacobs both have decided to change up the dates of their collection releases. While Michael Kors is setting their new production schedule to only start in October; Marc Jacobs is stepping out of the season in entirety. These larger brands aren’t the only ones who have resolved in delaying the manufacturing of their releases. Evidently, the global pandemic shutdown has made its impact on the fashion industry as well.
Especially in Europe, the virus outbreak has hit the fashion world hard. Many countries have had a fluctuating number of cases with a handful presenting surges in cases. During a time like this, not many people are as quick to splurge on a luxury Chanel bag or resume their planned large events. To the extent that global luxury good sales are predicted to drop between 20% to 35% just this year.
Without a doubt, Fashion Week and the fashion industry as a whole has certainly made its impact throughout the world. From Paris, Milan, London, and to New York, the global impact Fashion week has made is universal. Nonetheless, there might be different ways of presenting the event. Current circumstances have engaged in more discussions regarding more unique and creative strategies besides the on-going version we have today. Nonetheless, Fashion week continues to evolve and diversify alongside society itself.
