The fashion weeks have their own peculiarity. It is undoubtedly an important moment for the industry as the media highlights many new models and the latest styles and trends are put out in the world.
Fashion Weeks
There are several fashion weeks worldwide. The big for are cities that host the biggest fashion weeks in the world. These four cities gain more attention and media coverage, and the cities are New York, Paris, Milan and London.
Despite that, we saw a fashion week made in the metaverse for the first time, which generated some discussions and controversies.
The fashion industry needs to keep up to date with technological innovations. And despite this, the metaverse still needs to be harshly evaluated. Not only that but also criticized because we cannot fail to take into account the lack of digital accessibility.
But what are fashion weeks today and what is their future?
The Big Four
New York Fashion Week was the first event in the industry worldwide and has become an industry milestone. The style and vibe are more commercial. According to The Bella King website, “you can actually wear most of the pieces straight from the runway.”
According to the All Arts School website, the London Fashion week introduced men’s collections in 2012. And “with more than 5,000 press and buyers in attendance, exceeds coverage of most major news and worldwide sports events.” This was the first fashion week to broadcast its shows live.
Milan Fashion Week has been around since 1958 and is the third on the fashion calendar. It is home to many traditional and classic brands such as Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Prada, Roberto Cavalli, Bottega Veneta and Versace. This fashion week is organized by the non-profit organization Camera Nazionale Della Moda Italiana. This is the only one that does not occur in a capital city.
Now about the Paris Fashion Week, it officially premiered in 1973. Today, the event is famous for its refined craftsmanship and showcases collections from brands that work with the four seasons. And you can read the entire history of each of these fashion weeks and other fashion events by clicking here.
The Pandemic & Fashion Shows
The pandemic was a difficult time for many people. In February 2020, many fashion events began to be adopted by security measures. It was at the height of the virus in Europe that Milan Fashion Week took place. Some shows were immediately postponed and from then on, fashion weeks around the world were put on hold.
Brands then adopted the Phygital. It means that in some parts of the world designers showed their works through fashion shows with a reduced audience and with numerous exclusive content in digital form. Live broadcasts marked the events with parades without an audience and other digital resources.
In the last two years, the digitalization of fashion has had a considerable increase. Thus, the news that some luxury brand has allied themselves with the metaverse also became increasingly common.
Do We Need Another Metaverse Fashion Week?
As you can see, fashion weeks bring great classics and historical power. However, the public often misses innovation in these events. This shows us that fashion has taken a considerable leap in innovation and technology. After all, we can see the first Metaverse Fashion Week in history, and it’s maybe too futuristic.
We saw that several brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Phillipp Plein and Tommy Hilfiger joined the Metaverse Fashion Week virtual convention. For four days, the event hosted a series of virtual catwalks where designers promoted their own digital fashion lines.
In theory, the event looked promising. We said here on the blog the problems that could be faced by the event and also other critical points. Moreover, the race for innovation without a closer look at these new technologies still needs to be considered.
Leah Dolan from CNN wrote about some problems caused by the broadcast. “The final experience was far from seamless — technical difficulties, overheating hard drives and lack-luster graphics dimmed the fantasy of this supposedly limitless landscape.”
In fact, it is something incredibly new. But are we really prepared for another event like this? We don’t know how many more tests will need to be done until the conversation about the metaverse stops being about the future and applies to the present.
What Need To Change In the Fashion Week?
Everything needs to evolve. Fashion weeks are great, but we miss something different to keep the events relevant. After all, you don’t just live with the traditional. Our co-founder Jordana Guimaraes attended the new york fashion week in February and brought this reflection on what needs to change.
For instance, we can talk about how people want to be closer to the designers during the shows.
Jordana said that people are tired of the same thing and because of this I felt it lacked the glamor NYFW always had.
“Everyone needs to understand that people need to feel connected. Here is what happens when you get to the shows: you arrive, sit down, watch them and leave. There is no connection to understanding the designer’s vision, how they implemented the collection, and where the inspiration came from.”
Maybe the fashion weeks are losing the conceptual purpose to leat into a fully commercial one. Over the years, we see that consumption behavior has advanced. It is necessary to become more agile in the adaptations. And the industry needs to try to do this without breaking the limits and promising a lot, as was the case with the metaverse fashion week.
Did you like this article? You should definitely watch this panel: Fashion Is Phygital: Mastering E-commerce & Global Expansion – Echo Mah, Kristin Savilia, Gionata Galdenzi & Ramon Ray
