The Future of the Fashion Show?

We don’t do a lot of fashion week stuff, as, while its fun and great to catch up with our fashion friends, all that waiting around and dressing up at the weekend is exhausting – although I’m sure we could do a good (better)  job of covering for Womens Hour on Instagram. You know where we are next season – Jenny and Jane!

Catwalk shows are slowly changing to become more about consumers and influencers and less about the editors, as after all fashion editors outreach is slowly dwindling and when was the last time you saw a young person reading a magazine!

Some brands have moved with the times and turned the catwalk shows into events that appeal to industry insiders and customers alike. Tommy Hilfiger is a good example with his Tommy x Gigi shows, which feature merch booths, food stands, live music and of course a runway show.

And for the second season, as well as showing their collection on the catwalk, Burberry created a whole new era of cultural commerce with their exceptional pop up Makers House.

Inspired by Henry Moore’s work the collection was displayed among his sculptures, which provided context and elevated the clothes to another level. It’s possible to justify Burberry prices if you think of it as art!

Upstairs were example of the design process, complete with sketches, fabric swatches and mood boards, as well as VR headsets and a photo booth. There was also a whole host of workshops (life drawing, print making etc) and a pop up cafe.

Another event – in fact the only other event – I attended at Fashion Week was Oxfam’s show. Styled by Bay Garnett, the show featured second hand clothes modelled by Stella Tennant, Erin O’Connor, designer Bella Freud and actress Clara Paget, among others.

Erin O’Connor at Oxfam

It was an uplifting, positive show which highlighted the fact that we all have too much stuff and its perfectly possible to look great without very much money – the polar opposite of Makers House!

Bella Freud at Oxfam

Bay Garnett said  it was “all about displaying exactly what gems you can find in a charity shop if you’re willing to go on the hunt’.

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