After several months of lockdown and self-imposed isolation, courtesy COVID-19 pandemic, designers had the time to stop and re-evaluate the fast-paced norms of the fashion industry. A few days ago, Gucci made a major announcement of going ‘season-less’ and showcasing its collection twice a year. This major decision fell in line with the pivotal events like Dries Van Noten’s petition for a sensible and sustainable fashion calendar, Giorgio Armani asking to realign collections with seasons in the store and Saint Laurent opting out of Paris Fashion Week.
Also, it won't be wrong to say that the pandemic has undoubtedly affected the upcoming fashion week in September. As the designers are unable to rent the venues, arrange for the press, attract potential buyers, and produce collections in time, many of them have opted to sit this one out. From Gucci to Michael Kors, here’s a list of designers that have ditched the fashion calendar and took time off the runway.
GUCCI
As mentioned earlier, Alessandro Michele, the creative director of Gucci, has opted to ditch the ‘worn-out ritual of seasonalities’ and hence will step back from the fashion week. Although, the brand will make its return at the Milan Digital Fashion Week with its collection, Epilogue.
MICHAEL KORS
Designer Michael Kors officially announced to opt out of the fashion week and showcase his collection at later date, tentatively in 2020. “I have for a long time thought that the fashion calendar needs to change, It’s exciting for me to see the open dialogue within the fashion community about the calendar—from Giorgio Armani to Dries Van Noten to Gucci to YSL to major retailers around the globe—about ways in which we can slow down the process and improve the way we work. We’ve all had time to reflect and analyze things, and I think many agree that it’s time for a new approach for a new era," he said in a statement as mentioned by Harper’s Bazaar.
SAINT LAURENT
Deciding to take control of its pace, Saint Laurent has planned to forgo its show at the Paris Fashion Week. It has also announced to not follow the fashion calender for the rest of 2020. “Conscious of the current circumstance and its waves of radical change, Saint Laurent has decided to take control of its pace and reshape its schedule. Now more than ever, the brand will lead its own rhythm, legitimating the value of time and connecting with people globally by getting closer to them in their own space and lives,” the company said in its statement.
MARC JACOBS
In a video conference, designer Marc Jacobs opened up on his decision to halt the production of its fall 2020 collection for the September’s fashion week. “To be honest, I don’t know what we’ll be doing or when we’ll be starting, but to design a collection I need my team,” he explained. “And my team needs to look at fabrics. And those fabrics come from Italy. And we travel, and there’s a lot of things that go on. Until we discover a new way to work—until we create a new way to work—or a new end goal to work towards, we really have nothing to do,” said Marc.
DRIES VAN NOTEN
After writing an open letter to the fashion industry for a sensible and sustainable fashion calendar, Belgian designer Dries Van Noten won’t be a part of the fashion week in September.
With high-end labels opting out of the rigid fashion calendar, the fate of the Fashion Week in September still seems surrounded by uncertainty. Gone are the days of overdressed crowds and golden front row tickets, eh?
(Source- Harper’s Bazaar, Instagram)
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