VOLUME IV / ISSUE IV / APRIL 2020
COÛT DE LA LIBERTÉ COÛT, CONCEPT & COUTURE
A
ll eyes were on the iconic Paris Fashion Week. Since 1973, the event’s initial concept consisted of presenting designers’ collections to elite fashion editors and potential buyers. The work to gain visibility and expedite an individual collections’ sale for the upcoming season was nothing short of pure genius as they presented extravagant versions of their clothing later to be modified and toned down for retail sales. While the fundamental essence of these events remains true to their fashion heritage, the style in which the brands present their sought-after couture has evolved. Fashion provides influence over all elements of style, everything from coloration to textile design, printing techniques, materials and even beauty page 110
trends. Fashion also dictates the way the culture visualizes the humble line. This is one of the reasons why many countries have adopted the fashion week concept and why numerous brands are eagerly clambering at the opportunity to take part in the halo of influence it creates. From the first fashion week until now, the largest driving factor setting them apart is the expectation of technological advancement and social media placements. We see brands swooping in with some of the most defined campaigns that command the engagement of both the audience as well as at home viewers – creating this perpetuating voice of what the designer has once sketched on paper, loosely templated, making a production-ready piece all to have it yearned for by the masses. Holding influence on a captive audience over
that 15- to 20-minute catwalk segment is a pivotal moment in a designer’s career where unless a true convergence of the cosmic forces align, then once the runway lights fade to black, they might as well leave them off. The event interior has also changed. Pushing a slew of shapely silhouettes and utilizing muted bodies to serve as elevated merchandising tools to display designer accessories. You can clearly see it’s a new era. Brands have also moved away from a traditional runway-only programming style and include large-format set instillations and graphic representations of the line’s latest campaigns to draw in the viewer from a whole new perspective. Many shows also include the brand’s history, telling the story of how a collection has been curated or the origin of its’ inspiration – quite charming.