The Summer of Virtual Fashion Weeks
This summer, Europe’s most prestigious fashion events will be joining the rest of the industry’s temporary relocation to online platforms. Paris, Milan, and London Fashion Weeks have each announced the different ways in which they will be transporting their awe-inspiring shows to digital media. Interestingly enough, the sudden and mandatory switch to online spaces has actually compelled each Fashion Week to present their collections more creatively.
Going digital for the first time, London Fashion Week aims to be inclusive of both industry professionals and everyday fashion enthusiasts by making their shows accessible worldwide. As a result, this will also be the first London Fashion Week that merges womenswear and menswear, creating a gender-neutral showcase that will be less wasteful than those of previous years.
Following London Fashion Week is Milan Digital Fashion Week, which will be available through the National Chamber of Italian Fashion’s website cameramoda.it, as well as their many social media accounts. To further immerse viewers in the Fashion Week experience, there will be additional online features, including masterclasses and webinars led by industry experts. Remaining mindful of the pandemic, Milan Digital Fashion Week is an extension of the “China, We Are You With You” initiative, which began in February as a means of remotely keeping Chinese citizens who were unable to travel to this year’s event updated on its affairs.
Lastly, Paris Fashion Week will debut its new video format on July 9 through July 13. This Fashion Week is more traditional than the previous two, however, as the focus is more on the adherence to industry conventions and the display of collections rather than any digital innovations. Nonetheless, even this devotion to Fashion Week customs has the potential to elicit creative ideas for making audiences feel as though they are attending the grand event in person. Paris Fashion Week has yet to confirm its schedule or featured brands, but the fashion capital of the world will never fail to dazzle audiences during its most significant week, regardless of venue or format.
Report: Nia Hunt
At the rise of Covid-19 many of us first questioned the timeline of fashion week and would we see the regular calendar continue - the question weighed over many of us for months! It was refreshing to see design houses and designers across the globe take advantage of the uncertainty and plow into production mode - thus my interest in Jerri Reid New York - The Black Designer based in Brooklyn New York wow’d instagram with his latest collection paying homage to the Black Is King film which debuted earlier this year in July. I was taken aback at quick of a turn round the young designer produced and released his well crafted designs reflecting some of the films most memorable moments.