How to Analyze A Fashion Show

Fashion week is essentially one big marketing event.

I consider fashion shows as a form of performance art and all haute couture and ready-to-wear should be viewed with the same respect and criticism as such. Even then, it is so much more than that. The energy of fashion shows is magical because it is such a large product of hard work. During undergrad, I volunteered at a few small fashion shows. It is no small feat to organize even a small collection of models and looks because there are many moving parts. More than 130 brands premiere at a runway show at fashion week across the big four: New York, London, Milan, Paris. Paris and Milan are treated the same. However, Paris is where all the big brands go to rise to prominence, collectively they lead with craftsmanship as their ethos; Milan is different and known for being very maximalist and outlandish, (see Dolce and Gabbana, Gucci, Versace). London is for experimental and emerging talent. London is almost always at the forefront of trendsetting originality because it is the least commercial. Last but not least, New York is New York, it reflects the diversity in their population through the eclectic works of designers, often natives to the city. Lagos, Copenhagen, and Tokyo fashion week are emerging as prominent players in the industry as relevant events for buyers to delve into. Bliss Foster says " The piece of art that you are looking at does not exist totally by itself. It exists in a lineage of pieces of work by that same artist." The artist represents what they could do and the lineage is what they have done. Thierry has corsets, Dior had gowns, and Valentino has a signature red, to name a few motifs.

Each brand has its own backstory and each designer projects their own energy onto their works, but you don't have to take a history class to catch on quickly. To boil it to a point, changes in creative directors play a big factor in what the brands morph. For example, in 1985 when Miuccia Prada took over, she started a rebellion from competitors' structured leather looks by approaching bag designs from a functional use versus a pleasing look through the use of Pocone, a special nylon. On another end of the spectrum of rebellion, Moschino was completely transformed by the appointing of Jeremy Scott as CD. This man said one sentence in an i-D video that summarizes his whole brand: "I'm trying to make joy, I'm trying to make happiness, and that I don't consider superficial. That I consider extremely necessary." He really brings his love of eccentricity in fashion to a new level through an informed mastery of curating collections without getting lost in industry expectations. In shorter phrases, his stuff goes crazy.

Fashion week is a part of a universal business model that gives major designers an excuse to go all out and aspiring designers a blueprint for inspiration. I love high fashion and I am still working on my ability to form an unbiased opinion of any fashion house's garment design strategy, choice of motifs, and sartorial presentation. I aim to be at the level of commentators Odunayo Ojo, Bliss Foster, and Luke Meagher, who can develop a useful critique of it, whether it be for your own knowledge or for discussing with your fellow fashion nerds. Either way, the only way to naturally get into it is to start with brands whose stories and aesthetics genuinely excite you.

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Sources

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opss5hujFAI 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AvoaWw1-eI&t=452s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGWhl10d6BU 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZgObG5ZhVo