JOANNE watkinson
FASHION FORWARD
THE First Fashion Week was held in New York in 1943 in response to fashion buyers being unable to travel to Paris because of the Second World War.
It’s amazing to think that such innovation came out of such a tragic event.
Here we are, 77 years later, and the fashion industry is facing a similar problem, the pandemic has left many international buyers unable or unwilling to fly.
Fashion Week is primarily a trade event, to sell clothing and generate publicity. Just a couple of decades ago invitations were extended solely to buyers, fashion directors, journalists and celebrities. Shows were held behind closed doors and images were drip-fed to us, the public, carefully edited. Then finally they would appear in the glossy magazines in time for the collections to hit the shop floor. Elitist? A little. But it was an industry event for professionals that created anticipation. Fast forward to 2019 (as 2020 is a write-off) and things were a lot different. The internet has changed everything, fashion week is no longer an industry event, the rise of bloggers and influencers as content creators means pictures of the shows are on social media the second they happen.
We want to experience the shows live as they stream. And no wonder, when Chanel ships in Icebergs to Paris we want to see them.
But there is a big downside, the shows were originally a selling tool for buyers to purchase the collection for the season ahead, the clothes wouldn’t actually be available for the public to buy for another four months.
The high street designers are the only ones who benefit from this long lead time, they use those months to copy the trends in order to create low-cost versions. In 2016 Burberry, then still under the helm of Christopher Bailey, who was always streets ahead in innovation, made the decision to make the brand available to buy off-runway, providing the instant gratification customers wanted.
Store buyers will have seen and chosen the collection ahead of time, so the business side was out of the way, but the spectacle and pizzazz of the show was saved for Joe-public and the PR that generates leads to immediate sales – everyone is a winner. I wonder how many will follow his lead now?
Jellyfish print shorts £8, George at Asda
BOSS Bodywear camo shorts £55, flannels.com