How Can Fashion Shows Become Memorable Again?
Every Fashion Week, brands compete to catch and keep the spotlight. But at a time when nothing remains, what’s the key to making a lasting impression?
When I was listening to the (really good) first episode of Kerwin Frost Talks last month, these words from A$AP Nast hit me: “Fashion Week is just slowly, slowly but surely dying off, […] because a lot of these brands are like in ‘influencer wars’. […] It’s no more about just actually going to see a beautiful and amazing show.”
Fashion shows used to be mainly aimed at professionals, especially journalists and buyers. Now, with films, live streams, dedicated platforms and social media, the experience is no longer limited to the real world, and the audience has dramatically expanded. With numbers that are turning heads. According to Vogue Business, Pharrell's debut Louis Vuitton show brought some 1,750 guests to the Pont Neuf but was seen by one billion people across social platforms.
The very purpose of the audience, whether physical or digital, has simultaneously changed. Guests don’t always come to see, but to be seen, while fans observe the ballet of guests outside the venues or behind their screens. The clothes end up being overshadowed by the halo of celebrities. With hundreds of formulaic presentations, at the same locations, with the same settings, the same faces and the same body types, it is those sitting front row who often do the show.
At the same time, in a saturated media space where the lifespan of a fashion show is about the same as an IG story, many brands seek to manufacture buzz to get people talking and hold attention a little longer. Besides celebrity-packed guest lists, gimmicks help them achieve virality. But prioritizing likes, comments and shares over design, substance and authenticity is not a sustainable solution. Brands need to create moments that are both memorable and meaningful.
Why, months later, am I still randomly thinking in the middle of the night about the latest John Galliano’s Maison Margiela Artisanal show (you too?)?
It was a one-of-a-kind, mind blowing art performance. A suspended moment, out of time, that transported the audience into the fantastical atmosphere of an abandoned Belle Époque-like Parisian bistro, under the Alexandre III bridge. Introduced by a live performance by Lucky Love and a cinematic prelude, the performance unfolded like a play. In the same way as silent movie actors, models interpreted a gallery of characters, through theatrical gestures imagined by movement director Pat Boguslawski. Adding to the drama, the glazed glass skin effect created by makeup artist Pat McGrath transformed them into dolls. Here, the staging gave full meaning to the designs, elevating them into another dimension – Couture was at the heart of the spectacle, celebrated in its most refined and poetic form. At the finale, feet were stomping on the ground, hands were clapping loudly, voices were hollering and eyes were filled with tears.
Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner were in attendance that day but, for once, they weren’t the ones who grabbed the most attention.
Sparking strong emotions that are still palpable today, the show became instantly cult and the number one topic discussed by fashion people. Man, that felt good to thrill again that way. A flashback of Galliano’s greatest years at Dior, but also the overall golden age of fashion shows, marked by iconic collections such as Thierry Mugler’s Les Chimères, Alexander McQueen’s No. 13 or Hussein Chalayan’s After Words.
In the 90s/early 2000s, these masterful fashion metteurs en scène brilliantly combined emotional and narrative power with outstanding design, to offer unforgettable experiences. Let’s call that the END approach: E for Emotion, N for Narrative, D for Design.
Emotion
Lee McQueen didn’t do advertising. He believed that creating emotionally intense moments through his runway shows got him more media coverage than a simple campaign. He wasn’t wrong. Whether they arise from joy, aesthetic appreciation, awe or wonder, emotions are the most powerful communications tool, especially when being felt live. Designer fashion brands have that ability to mesmerize and provoke strong emotional responses, empowering them to bond with their audience and create devotees. More importantly here: emotions play a critical role in how the brain memorizes moments. From a neurological standpoint, emotional experiences are more likely to be converted into long-lasting memories because they activate the amygdala (the region of the brain associated with emotions) and the hippocampus (the region of the brain associated with memory) at almost the exact same time (yes I did my research). What a beautiful thing.
Narrative
Today, very few designers are carrying on the legacy of the great fashion storytellers. Colm Dillane aka KidSuper is one of them. He variously staged a claymation runway show, a fake art auction, a comedy show and a circus with the Cirque du Soleil (reminiscent of Elsa Schiaparelli’s circus in 1938), that made a mark and put him on the map.
Stories are notoriously one of the best hacks for memorability. When carefully crafted, they have the power to captivate and forge an emotional connection, by embarking the audience on an immersive journey through an evocative, timeless world. The venue is the canvas on which the story unfolds – it doesn’t necessarily have to be spectacular (though it helps) but to create a unique atmosphere, allowing to paint the full picture. For example, way before he had the resources to build a giant pink runway in the middle of lavender fields or privatize the Villa Malaparte in Capri, Simon Porte Jacquemus caused a sensation by presenting his La Piscine collection at a public swimming pool in Paris, with models sporting wet hair and Arena slides.
Careful, stories have to be easy to grasp to be impactful. Despite its complexity, the narrative woven by Galliano for the Margiela Couture show was understandable by all, even those who (like me) didn’t have the historical and artistic culture to catch every reference.
Design
If you want to build a reputation in the long term, stage effects should never be used as a means to fill a creative void or distract from a design weakness. They must emphasize, not disguise.
When Chalayan or McQueen integrated technology into their presentations, it not only supported the narrative, but it truly served the clothes, giving life to singular and magnificent creations – an element that, according to some people (okay, me), was lacking in Coperni’s recent spray painting and robot-dog performances.
Many brands sacrifice genuine innovation and creativity on the altar of virality, forgetting about their true essence. When devoid of substance, attention-grabbing stunts can create ephemeral online chatter but not an emotional and lasting impact.
As obvious as it sounds, it’s still worth recalling: fashion shows should always lean on solid designs, and aim at exalting them.
The END approach doesn’t always involve bombast and extravaganza.
Sometimes, the best way to make noise is to be quiet. For the Alaïa Summer/Fall 2024 show, Pieter Mulier cut through the clutter by getting rid of the superfluous and concentrating on the essential. It’s about intimacy, about reducing to an essence. […] It is a decision, a choice, not to minimise but to focus. Entirely crafted with a single wool yarn, the collection wowed the fashion world thanks to its beauty and technical achievement. Alaïa managed the feat of being on everyone’s lips by giving the pieces center stage, while, everywhere else, the focus is usually on anything but. It forced the audience's attention on what really matters. And guess what? It is when we are attentive that our mind captures and retains a moment the most.
By Marine Desnoue.
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Great insight, super excited for what's next! Need more voices like this in the industry.