Fashion or Failure?
Fashion shows are typically viewed as luxurious events, with highly exclusive guest lists, once-in-a-lifetime experiences curated to showcase the best of the fashion world. However, they are also known to be highly exaggerated, often featuring many outrageous, seemingly unwearable pieces that are generally dubbed ‘weird’ or even ‘insane’ by the public. How can these designs, which barely qualify as clothing, be regarded so highly, and why is this type of show becoming more commonplace?
Simply put, it is because the designs displayed to the audience are not intended, in any capacity, to be sold or worn outside of the shows that they feature in.
They appear to be monopolising the fashion industry only because they create such an impact. In fact, most designers cannot afford to put on a fashion show and are limited to only opening a showcase room for their designs during fashion week. On the other hand, more commercial designers with large market shares, such as Calvin Klein or Tom Ford do throw entirely Prêt-à-Porter shows (only feature items that are ready-to-wear, made to sell). This is considered the first level of luxury fashion, which is most easily accessible to the public. The more public target audience for these brands means that they are generally viewed as less luxurious, as their designs are more saturated within the market. On the other hand, it does satisfy a gap within the industry, luxury fashion catering to those with a substantial, but not as significant amount of wealth.
The allegedly unusable designs that are depicted in other fashion shows, however, those that seem so bizarre when viewed for the perspective of the public, actually originate from designers using the show, and the overall medium of fashion, as an art form. They are entirely intended to be considered by those well within the industry.
The idea shares many similarities with modern art, which is also designed independently from commercial aspects, and not intended to be sold or used within a home environment. In the same way modern art is often an abstract concept, these fashion shows are meant to communicate the artist’s inspiration, and evoke a specific emotion, or embody a certain theme that will be the focus of the commercial collection. These looks will eventually be translated into simplified and more practical clothing to be sold, based largely on the feedback from the show. These shows exist as a means for designers to unveil their upcoming creations in a more striking way due to their exaggeration and may even give an insight into the possible direction of the designer’s future projects.
Instead of showcasing actual clothing, designers in these shows choose to focus on demonstrating their techniques and materials, as well as creating an impact to increase brand awareness. As such, this approach to luxury fashion depends heavily upon good media coverage, particularly that of journalists who include interpretations of the meaning behind the piece. By analysing the designer’s intentions, the audience will also consider the design beyond its physical appearance, providing reason for what first appears strange.
Some designers also use such shows as live performances, or social commentaries. An example for this is the Berlin Fashion Week 2024 collection ‘Fever Dreams of an Orphan Boy’, by Lennart Krause. It was intended as a satirical illustration of class-hierarchies. Another example is Beate Karlson’s ‘Fake it till you make it’, from AVAVAV’s 2023 Autumn/Winter collection. In this exhibit, pieces steadily became more damaged as the show went on. The designer stated the collection surrounded the idea of ‘keeping up a fake projection of wealth and the personal failure of losing face when this illusion crashes’ and was inspired by an obvious fear for designers: clothes breaking down on the carpet.
Overall, the main reason for the criticism of these outfits is the same as why the public are barred from the fashion shows themselves. They are not intended for the masses, but for a performance to those invested in the industry, as opposed to those of more commercial designers with a greater public audience. The bold statements made by designers through their work are expected within this setting, but can appear misleading and foreign when viewed by an outsider. It is the expectation that all designer’s intentions and goals are the same which causes these shows to appear so bizarre.
Image:
Free Vector | Hand drawn fashion show runway
Facts/Statistics:
https://renaudpetit.medium.com/why-are-fashion-shows-filled-with-unwearable-garments-c07bfa736cd0
https://www.hercampus.com/school/ecsu/whats-with-all-these-weird-fashion-shows/