Estée Laundry: the Instagram collective holding the beauty industry to account [The Guardian]
The shady truth about inclusive beauty (and how brands can improve) [BoF]
Virgil Abloh’s real value to Louis Vuitton isn’t about the clothes he can sell [Quartz]
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It was a quieter New York Fashion Week season than usual, as big-name designers including Altuzarra and Tommy Hilfiger chose to decamp to other cities – Paris and Milan, respectively – to host their much buzzed-about runway shows. Even fashion week parties, which in the past provided magazine fodder for weeks to come, have also been scaled down, with the industry seemingly more subdued in general.
That didn’t stop various buzzworthy moments however, including subtle nods to the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, various more immersive runway presentations, and a dash of the futuristic with Google TiltBrush and an oversized robot.
Here we highlight some of the most interesting conversations that took place, and where there was still room left for improvement…
Cultural statements
There was little direct acknowledgement of the powerful conversation around the #MeToo movement, but shows attempted to create a stage for female empowerment. For Tom Ford, the approach was literal and included models strutting down the runway donning shoulder pads and a “Pussy Power” handbag. For Prabal Gurung, which The Washington Post has previously described as the “most woke man in fashion”, it was a nod to the #TimesUp conversation as models closed the show as a group, carrying white roses.
Tom Ford AW18
Also alluding to the message of empowerment, designer Jonathan Simkhai presented a Suffragette-inspired collection, while Kesha’s song on speaking out on harassment, “Praying”, greeted guests.
Following the second yearly Woman’s March, which took place globally on January 20, Brother Vellies teamed up with a roster of labels, such as Clare V. and Rachel Comey, to design a capsule collection benefitting the march and Planned Parenthood.
Meanwhile designer Rebecca Minkoff, who was due to give birth to her third child during the week, forwent a formal presentation, instead opting to showcase her see-now-buy-now on 20 powerful women online. That cast includes members of the Women’s March committee, as well as actress Zosia Mamet and fashion presenter Zanna Roberts Rassi. The designer also teamed up with networking app Bumble Bizz to host a speaker night titled “Trailblazers: Women who have started their own company or have forged their own way within their industry”.
The topic of diversity was ever-present during NYFW too, though perhaps rather positively it was less buzzed about as more designers included a variation of ethnicities and sizes on their runway. Designers such as Christian Siriano and one of this season’s favourites, Eckhaus Latta, enlisted models at each end of the spectrum. Meanwhile model Kendall Jenner hosted an Adidas Originals presentation that featured a colourful cast and the showcase of the brand’s first hijab.
Alternative runways
In addition to the designers whose presence was missed in New York this season, many others moved away from formal runway shows to explore new ways to engage with a new, savvier audience.
Kirsten Dunst for Rodarte AW18
Adidas teamed up with trendy New York label and lifestyle store VFiles to host a multimedia photoshoot at the Terminal 5 venue in Hell’s Kitchen, for instance. As music played for partygoers, models stood on stage posing against white backdrops, thus partaking in a live photoshoot. The immersive event aimed to respond to a community who wants to participate, rather than watch from the sidelines, said Julie Anne Quay, founder of VFiles.
Perhaps cleverly steering clear from live presentations, which have in the past not received the best of reviews, Kanye West leveraged his online fandom by releasing his Yeezy Season Six collection online, in a lookbook starring women such as Paris Hilton and actress Sarah Snyder dressed up as Kim Kardashian look-a-likes, as well as the woman herself.
The future is here?
In a week primed for entertainment and participation to take place, designers were surprisingly timid when experimenting with technology this season.
Irina Shayk and robot companion at Philipp Plein AW18
Meanwhile, Nicole Miller teamed up with AI and image recognition company RevelGlam to pilot their software on her runway show. The software analyses insights from fashion shows as well as celebrity sightings and influencer activities in order to predict trends.
Never one to shy away from the spotlight, it was German designer Philipp Plein who became a major topic of conversation however; giving the week a much-needed injection of futuristic tech. In a display of extravagance he has become known for, model Irina Shayk entered the runway from a spaceship and strutted alongside a giant bot with the designer’s logo plastered all over it.
In a week where most designers arguably played safe on many fronts – from not taking a truly clear stand on serious conversations to engaging with new technologies – Plein’s stunt may have trumped the collection being shown, but it simultaneously provided an irreverent and timely take on the future.
The Rodarte sisters, Kate and Laura Mulleavy, have released a short fantasy film based on the mythological and medieval inspirations from their spring/summer 2013 collection.
Their third collaboration with director Todd Cole – last seen shooting Elle Fanning for the brand in 2011 – the 13-minute video is called “This must be the only fantasy”. It’s a whimsical endeavour, but one that successfully ticks the box for narrative that so many fashion films forget…
It stars 19-year-old newcomer actress Sidney Williams, alongside model Guinevere Van Seenus and actor Elijah Wood, in what Vice magazine refers to as a “VFX-driven ode to fantasy role-playing games”. There are unicorns, cloaked horsemen, sword fights, and glitchy projections of a fairy (Van Seenus); all of whom Williams encounters on her quest to find Wood who appears in his room amid a sea of bulky 80s gaming equipment. What you never knows is whether it’s real or what she’s imagining as she herself is playing a game.
Importantly, it’s those questions you ask at the end. The clothing is beautifully weaved in throughout, but it’s not pivotal to the story. Rather than a catalogued look at the line, it’s a tale with a beginning, middle and end. “It’s an artistic expression… so it’s not necessarily about here’s this collection we did and we want to show it,” said the designers in a behind-the-scenes video that accompanies.
They reference inspiration from films such as The Dark Crystal, Lord of the Rings, E.T., The Princess Bride, The Never Ending Story, La Belle et La Bête, The Wizard of Oz and Spirited Away. “You live your life in the every day but then in this other world—in your mind, your imagination—you get to transform into the hero, and this is the duality that we wanted to capture.”
The film was produced by The Creator’s Project, a partnership between Vice and Intel. It is set to a soundtrack by Beach House.