Virtual Runway
Fashion weeks get “phygital.”
A wave of digital fashion weeks has swept Paris, London, and Milan recently where all eyes were on the production, and not so much the fashion. As COVID-19 risks continue to loom globally, the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode continued with the Paris men’s shows in a digital-only, single platform manner. While a digital livestream has long been the accessible complement to the physical show, i.e. “phygital,” the engagement at what effectively became more of a Paris short-film week was rather dim.
The virtual feature was not lost on all fronts, however. Without the intense travel schedules and competition for resources on the ground, men’s week saw record participation, with 68 designers showing over five days, including many smaller names that otherwise would not have been able to participate. The format also allowed more buyers to access the shows. Paris’s multiple fashion weeks historically generate some US $1.35 billion for the local economy each year. And while these local economies who rely on traffic from fashion week lose this year, also lost are the negative environmental impacts of an already wasteful industry. Gabriela Hearst’s fashion week video narration about sustainability created waves in this mindset for the future.
All in all, digital fashion weeks completed their job to keep fashion alive this summer. While novel, creative features will continue to have a growing place within the fashion calendar, like the Jacquemus show that took place in wheat fields outside of Paris. With a select group of socially distant guests and drone livestreaming, the presentation showed a glimpse of a completely phygital future.
Sources: BoF (July 5, 2020) | Vogue Business (July 15, 2020) | Image: Laura Pittaccio