Sex and the City. The Devil Wears Prada. The original Project Runway. What do they have in common? A love of not only fashion but a glamorization of the entire industry. And the message that being successful in fashion means having the buzziest runway show ever!
Here in New York, with fashion week quickly approaching, that buzz is already at a low hum. The September schedule has been published, invite lists are being made and extra interns are working at PR firms looking to get “the next Zendaya” in the front row. The FOMO is real, but at what cost?
The Environmental Impact of Fashion Weeks
It’s no secret that the fashion industry accounts for a large portion of global pollution and carbon emissions. Just how big? In a study from 2018-2019 by Ordre.com and Carbon Trust quantified the true carbon cost of fashion events. Measuring the travel and transport required to attend the four major fashion weeks as well as various trade shows resulted in about 241,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually. That figure is equivalent to enough energy to light up Times Square for 58 years or the Eiffel Tower for 3,060 years [1].
Changing Dynamics of Fashion Media Relationships
The fashion industry today operates very differently than it did 30 years ago. The world of glossy magazines and department store domination is on its way out, yet fashion week presentations have almost stayed the same. However the audience has changed. The initial purpose of runway shows was for buyers to consider what pieces they wanted to purchase for the next season.
In addition, these events were important and necessary for brands to build relationships with journalists, for organic press coverage, and to collaborate with them on traditional marketing avenues such as print advertising. However, it seems now that brands are putting those previously vital relationships on the back burner.
The “Beyonce Strategy” in Fashion
Following the pandemic in 2020, Oscar de la Renta ceased participating in New York Fashion Week. The brand has since been presenting smaller shows only to the brand’s best customers. This decision was recently spotlighted in the New York Times fashion newsletter, Open Thread. Fashion editor, Vanessa Friedman, stated she was not invited to the brand’s latest presentation.
When she asked the brand’s CEO, Alex Bolen, why she wasn’t invited, he replied: “I don’t much see the point of engaging with the fashion press when they require a different show than what we require to bring to our customers, I don’t know that having the press advances our business interest. We don’t really engage with magazines at this point. We don’t have editors in to try to convince them to pull clothes. It’s not our priority. We want to focus on our customers and inspire them to buy.” [2]
Friedman has dubbed this the ” Beyonce strategy”, which allows brands to bypass traditional media avenues and go straight to the source: their customers. This enables them to connect, engage, and build a relationship with their audience directly.
The Social Media Shakeup
Influencers have played a large part in this strategy and have often replaced traditional fashion media. Beyonce and Jay-Z for Tiffany, Harry Styles for Gucci, and Anne Hathaway for Versace are just a few of the many well-known celebrities that have been partnering with fashion brands on campaigns. This allows the brands to gain access to new customers.
Social media and generating online “hype” have overtaken fashion shows’ original functions, though this has created more inclusivity within the industry and allowed for more of a behind-the-scenes look at runway shows.
Though the rise of TikTok has also played a significant role in developing this new version of a fashion show, it’s evident in the recordings of recent Fashion Week shows that this has become a problem. Audience members in every row are shown with their phones glued to their hands and recording as models walk by. This issue has popped up in the videos of almost every major brand, from Maison Margiela to Diesel to Chanel. Being the first to post the show they were attending has become more important than the show itself.
Backlash to Social Media Hype
Fashion brand The Row, founded by child stars turned fashion designers Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, stunned the fashion world by banning phones and cameras from its Paris Fashion Week show this year. This was considered a brave move – going against the scrolling masses and was both praised and criticised.
Fashion has never seen such a shift before, and it has been fascinating to see how it unfolds as the industry begins to explore new opportunities. It is also (whether intentionally or unintentionally) a big step in sustainability strategy.
The Move Towards Sustainable Fashion
Significant moves have been towards a more sustainable fashion future within the last few years. Copenhagen has become a leader in sustainability, implementing some of the strictest sustainability requirements for Copenhagen Fashion Week. Brands showing at CPHFW must implement circular design principles within their collections.
Participating brands are required to adopt environmentally and socially sustainable strategies during and following fashion week. This includes both customer service and in-store staff members. Copenhagen is also one of the first to require a specific code of conduct for working with suppliers to ensure better conditions for employees. They plan on continuing to improve.
New York is following suit, with The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) stating that New York Fashion Week aims to be carbon-neutral by 2050 [4]. 35 of the 71 designers showing at the NYFW Fall 2023 season were sustainable brands [5]. The use of virtual runways is also on the rise, which is undoubtedly less wasteful physically than the use of physical runways.
What place does the traditional runway show have in the modern fashion industry?
Yes, its influence still significantly impacts fashion and popular culture, but does a runway show still have the same impact as it once did in its “golden age” during the 80s, 90s, and early 00s? Are we on our way toward creating a better fashion future, or are we continuing to fall subject to the same industry issues on a larger scale?
While it may be hard to answer these questions, we must continue doing our best within the industry to create a better future and work towards becoming the change we want to see. Yes, there’s been lots of progress made, but there’s still plenty of work to be done. Runway shows will always hold a certain power within fashion. However, there must be changes made to reflect the current state of the fashion industry and its rising values such as sustainability, better working conditions, and inclusivity for all.
–Nina Dagaev
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