So close yet so distant. On the one hand, they have been close to each other while welcoming (and interpreting) the phygital model in fashion runway shows. On the other hand, they have been distant as they have been separating (or not) men’s runway shows from women’s ones. The big 4, who played a leading role in the fashion weeks, wondered about the future of runway shows during a talk event arranged by Launchmetrics. Let us introduce these players then: Steven Kolb for New York, Pascal Morand for Paris, Caroline Rush for London and Carlo Capasa for Milan.
The future of fashion runway shows
Paris and Milan, which are the most successful events with a profitable market for menswear, are going to keep men’s runway shows separated from women’s ones. Conversely, London and New York are planning to arrange single fashion shows. As reported by WWD, Capasa claimed it was important to keep markets separated (“brands ask us to do it that way”): however, it would be feasible to present men’s collections during a women’s fashion week. Rush (London) backed up the concepts of inclusivity and genderless: “To split them means being old-fashioned”, she pointed out. As regards Morand (Paris), in his opinion the successful formula of the fashion week is not to be modified. In contrast, Kolb (New York) thinks that “putting together men’s runways shows and women’s fashion shows… makes sense, considering that the New York men’s fashion week is not that consolidated”.
Phygital forever
Kolb himself has also remarked he is confident that fashion weeks will keep going despite heavy upheavals brought about by the pandemic. Yet they will succeed by implementing digital experience, which led fashion to “enhance creativity”, according to the definition provided by Morand. He carried on by illustrating that “the previous format is outdated, yet, at the same time, digital models will not replace everything”. According to Kolb, the combination of digital and physical is going to be “difficult”, while Capasa claims it “must be improved”. They asked the President of CNMI to point out how physical and how digital the Milan fashion week is going to be on its next editions. He answered by saying: “It will depend on the pandemic”.
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