The Fashion Industry 2023
Why some virtual experiences are successful but others turn into a virtual wasteland
JUST NOW'S MUST READ
- After entering virtual worlds like Roblox more than a year ago, fashion firms now confront a new challenge: retaining users as they work to convert their marketing into revenue.
- The difficulty for firms that hurried to capitalize on the fervor around the so-called metaverse and web3 is keeping people interested now that the hype and novelty have worn off.
- Brands like Alo Yoga and Vans are pulling a regular stream of people to the gaming platform Roblox with their enticing content and experiences.
- While some fashion players, like Claire's, want to convert their virtual endeavors into revenue directly, others still view the primary purpose of these places as brand-building.
Less Was More during Paris Fashion Week
PARIS — Post-pandemic More people are drawn to Paris Fashion Week than before. It is becoming increasingly necessary for those who want to play it serious and loudly to be here, ideally with the posses of shouting teenagers outside their venues in anticipation of seeing their favorite TikToker or K-Pop star. There is clear evidence that mainstream entertainment and fashion have merged. Prepare for anything from the huge
Joana Vasconcelos's installation at Dior and horses performing at Stella McCartney to Coperni's attempt to break the internet once more with robot canines to Harris Reed's camp gaffe at Nina Ricci (the problem wasn't the drag; it was sloppily executed). Contrarily, the more subdued concerts were the ones that shone out once the clickbait was removed.
Acts of reduction resonated most in a time of sensory overload. The original creator of the viral mega show and Balenciaga designer Demna went in a different direction, choosing a linear production with no theatrics other than the emotive show notes. While his design language is so direct and raw, his most endearing attribute is that he is romantic.
The shift of tone was predicted in the aftermath of a significant scandal over two of the brand's recent ad campaigns. When businesses weren't competing with one another for the best sites and fashion presentations were just fashion shows, Paris Fashion Week took held in the iconic Carrousel du Louvre, where the clothing was more or less the same.
At Off-White, Ib Kamara's molding of the brand name to suit his tastes garnered more attention than the enormous mirrored orb dominating the runway or the crimson lunar sand. The clothing stood out for its Alaa-esque hardware-infused strictness and totemic style of femininity, while the menswear continued to be street-inspired. Although there is still work to be done, the advancement was notable and in line with the present concerns of fashion.
In a Martin Margiela-esque approach from the 1990s, Dries Van Noten's strictness bordered on the somber, with a special taste for luxurious materials and exotic accents. If touched, the vertical silhouette with its peeling layers, broken fragments, and artistic contrast of the smooth and feminine with the dry and masculine felt gloriously completed.
Less is always more at The Row, whose shows in a private mansion on Rue des Capucines are some of the most intimate gatherings Paris offers. The Olsen twins have a powerful sense of simplicity that is all their own and yet glistens with memories of Yohji Yamamoto, Romeo Gigli, Zoran, and all the minimalist masters.
As such, The Row keeps growing in a magnificent niche of deprivation as a high privilege; luxury with a monk-like, utilitarian bent. Their offering is for women who have everything and can therefore do almost nothing. This season, the collection was particularly roomy, wrapping, and easy, with the added frisson of a sudden fold, long leather gloves in an off-kilter hue, and a beanie with an evening dress. It was a joy to behold: an expression of true refinement and taste, too often a forgotten notion
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Rokh was all about femininity emerging from mannish pieces in an office setting, but Uma Wang's study of texture and shape exuded the type of primal intensity that inspires emotion. Matthew Williams took Givenchy back to more compelling areas by using stylish severity.
Even ardent purveyor of seductive Peter Dundas buried his signature silk dresses beneath a veil of marine-inspired peacoats and greatcoats this season because the mood of severity was so widespread.
And at Palm Angels, there were lots of slinkies, brass-buttoned tailoring scattered with sweatshirts transformed into bibs. For the quickly expanding Italian company, this was their debut appearance in Paris. The production was massive, but the environment required a little more of the clothing, where growing out of streetwear could have been appropriate.
Fashion's current supplier of mind-narrowing reduction is Jonathan Anderson. Blurred recollections of pieces stamped onto immaculate satin dresses (midway between Martin Margiela and Gerhard Richter), items held together by a single pin, and imaginative use of flexible leather mark the top of Loewe's stripping down, which began with the men's collection in January. The effort seemed slightly sexy and incredibly compelling, and there was a tension between control and release that resulted in clothing that was strong despite appearing to be simple.
It was a fresh take on coiling, multifunctional designs with a resolute feeling of feminine strength at Y/Project. A certain seriousness was novel, but everything else was as anticipated. Glenn Martens has to step outside of his warped comfort zone, possibly now.
When it comes to pure creativity, Japanese designers continue to be in a league of their own among the energy of Paris Fashion Week. This season, Kei Ninomiya of Noir, who gave kawaii a dark, clubbing-influenced spin, grabbed the show with a marvelously surreal flowering of brilliant colors, shiny surfaces, and childlike forms.
The interpretation of packable clothing and desert storms by Junya Watanabe was a melancholy and spellbinding nomadic fantasy with a touch of Dune. At Issey Miyake, Satoshi Kondo continues to produce quality products. His work possesses an established and compelling energy and point of view, and this season it manifested itself in a creative detour away from the square.
The Japanese masters, on the other hand, continue to be masters and very much their own. Yohji Yamamoto delivered on his promise to provide black atop black, airy and lyrically deconstructed, yet the line had a certain svelteness that made it seem new. On the other side, Rei Kawakubo continues to be encased in enormous volumes and sculptural theatrics with little reference to reality.
Where has body positivity gone? Except for a few instances, it's suddenly nonexistent on the catwalks. Was it only a plot device or a sales gimmick? Not at Ester Manas, where the core of a brand that is beautifully imaginative and really inclusive—one of the most intriguing initiatives in modern fashion—is the body in all its non-conforming splendor.
Alber Elbaz had to pay attention to various body shapes, and AZ Factory still does. This season's guest designers were Colville's Lucinda Chambers and Molly Molloy, and their work was a deft combination of draping, ruching, and designs that coil and flow around the body. Even though it looked unrelated to current fashion trends, it was positive and inspiring.
PARIS — Post-pandemic More people are drawn to Paris Fashion Week than before. It is becoming increasingly necessary for those who want to play it serious and loudly to be here, ideally with the posses of shouting teenagers outside their venues in anticipation of seeing their favorite TikToker or K-Pop star.
There is clear evidence that mainstream entertainment and fashion have merged. Prepare for anything from the huge Joana Vasconcelos installation at Dior and horses performing at Stella McCartney to Coperni's attempt to break the internet once more with robot canines to Harris Reed's camp gaffe at Nina Ricci (the problem wasn't the drag; it was sloppily executed). Contrarily, the more subdued concerts were the ones that shone out once the clickbait was removed.
Giambattista Valli strikes a distinctive mix between being traditional and daring. The collection was once again a kaleidoscope of tweeds, feathers, and chiffons with an updated attitude and enduring elegance.
At Saint Laurent, the 1980s were back in full force with wide-shouldered blazers, pencil skirts, and shawls draped over the shoulders and fastened with rings. The outfit unmistakably brought to mind thoughts of Monsieur Yves in his latter years as a fashion icon; Anthony Vaccarello transformed the slightly sick inspiration into the pinnacle of cool.
For generations who had never witnessed anything like this, everything was exceedingly sophisticated and innovative. Vaccarello has quietly but gradually established himself as a writer of few but significant books.