Looking for the good — enchanting efforts from fashion’s top creative houses
Earlier in September, thanks to Zoom magic, I watched Vanessa Friedman interview a panel of designers and luxury fashion executives to debate: How Fashion is Meeting the Moment. The role of shows and presentations was discussed and how the pandemic reality has forced us all to live in an increasingly digitalised world.
The virtual round table included Virgin Abloh and Antoine Arnault and their diverging opinions intrigued me. I began to eagerly await Paris Fashion Week to see how they would indeed, each in their own way, meet the moment. I was even hoping for some inspiration.
I was not disappointed. By the time Paris Fashion Week rolled around, some of New York, Paris and Milan’s most prestigious houses raised the bar with ingenuity as they unveiled collections. I would even go as far as saying the fashion world has succeeded in enchanting me, something which is most welcome when the news is so bleak.
From Hermès’ new fine jewellery line, Moschino’s puppet-fashion-show, Tom Brown’s Lunar Olympics and finally the exceptional RTW collection by Daniel Roseberry at Schiaparelli, these brands appear to have tapped into a deep well of creativity. They have saturated the industry with a sense of positive energy that feels infectious.
Is fashion film the new fashion show?
Film has clearly played a big role as a medium this season, for obvious reasons: stunningly shot, often with humour (thank you Moschino) ‘fashion film’ is finally coming into its own.
A digital fashion show doesn’t sound exciting until you put this idea in the mind of some of the world’s most celebrated designers. Thom Browne is one of those.
Against the LA Landmark that is the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the creative designer and his team created a unique cinematic experience when unveiling the SS21 collection.
Starring Olympic athletes Race Imboden, Kendall Baisden and Steele Johnson alongside model Grace Mahary, Browne launched himself on the moon for the 2132 Olympics, hosted and narrated by internet funny-man sensation Jordan Firstman. The experience felt like a breath of fresh air. Do watch the full-length film on ThomBrowne.com — it really is a mini space odyssey.
Meanwhile, over at Moschino, the word that springs to my mind — again — is enchanting. Jeremy Scott’s marionette fashion show for Moschino’s SS21 collection brought a smile to my face. Titled “No Strings attached”, the beautiful puppets were designed by Muppets creator The Jim Henson Company and they replaced models and front row audience, including Anna Wintour, Edward Enninful and Angelica Cheung.
The experience got me thinking about creative possibilities when working against seemingly impossible constraints. Result? I am a little bit in love with Moschino. It’s not just the puppets; I blame the music.
Real creativity reigns supreme
Daniel Roseberry’s SS21 RTW at the head of Schiaparelli was one of the most talked-about collections of Paris Fashion Week, if not all the fashion weeks.
His talent and immense creativity resulted in an extraordinarily strong collection of both womenswear and fantastical jewellery for Schiaparelli. Supported, too, by an excellent film documenting his work, he has managed to has created a real buzz in the fashion world.
Meanwhile, Pierre Hardy, creative director of jewellery at Hermes since 2001, offered a collection as “close as possible to the skin to try to show on the outside, in a very sophisticated and discreet way, what is happening on the inside,” he explained to the NYT on a video call last week.
Captured beautifully by photographer Ange Leccia, the 45-piece collection called “Lignes Sensibles” (or Sensitive Lines) is meant to be expressive, intimate and often sensual.
Choosing to also echo the meridians and carefully considerate of other body energy points, such as the chakras, the designer seeks to reinvent these sensitive areas adorning them with gems known to amplify natural radiance. He explains: “I needed to have this quiet collection, these objects that listen to you, that pay attention to you — almost like pieces that care about you.”
It was a beautiful reflection of the times we now live in — such a wonderful response to the current mood. You can read the full interview with Pierre Hardy here.
These are tough times and yet beauty and creativity have a way to lift us and bring us some joy, making everything feel more bearable. I for one feel grateful for this form of light escapism. You’ll find me in my living room dancing to the tune of Moschino’s puppet show.
This post was originally published in the AVM.Consulting newsletter, which comes out every Wednesday. To sign up for insights into fashion, luxury, design, communications and more, please visit: https://avm.consulting/
