It has been clear for some time now that high fashion is under threat. Not only has the battle between creativity and commerce become more ruthless than ever, but High Street imitations are presenting a major sales issue for luxury innovators. Given the speed of mass manufacturing versus the long lead times of high fashion production, seasonal runway trends can now be replicated faster and cheaper at a High Street level. As a result, runway-led trends face the risk becoming completely watered down before the original is even available to buy. What incentive do consumers have to wait six months for the OG version, when a cheaper imitation is available immediately?
While this breakdown is often blamed on the rise of commercial chain stores, an element of it is self-imposed by the elite fashion houses’ schedule. For decades, the main fashion calendar has remained unchanged and failed to cater for some very major shifts throughout the industry, like the rise of the pre-collections. Presently, designers showcase their fall/winter and spring/summer collections in February and September— up to six months out from in-store delivery dates.
What incentive do consumers have to wait six months for the OG version, when a cheaper imitation is available immediately?
Meanwhile — on the other end of the spectrum — fast fashion giants are able to churn out as many as 52 micro seasons per year. They’ve demonstrated they can easily provide consumers with a facsimile of their favourite runway looks months ahead of the brands themselves.
Fortunately, this dilemma is something the industry is waking up to. Recently Steven Kolb, the CEO of The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), described the current structure as “a broken system” and vowed to find a solution. CFDA later retained the help of Boston Consulting Group to run a seven-week study defining the future of fashion shows, and while the solution still hangs in the balance, the concept of shoppable runways emerged as a possible remedy.
Supporters of the idea argue that by making products available immediately to consumers, luxury brands can protect their product and their influence. This model has already enjoyed success locally with Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival (VAMFF). Operating as an in-season event, VAMFF gives customers the chance to shop looks directly from the runway.
But it’s not a perfect solution: adopting this approach globally would present problems for international buyers and editors, who the 6-months-ahead schedule currently benefits. Under an in-season structure, magazine editorials would feature clothes already dropped in store, and by the time they hit newsstands, the garments may have already sold out, or at least lost their freshness. Production would become a logistical nightmare. If buyers need to see the clothes before they make their orders, then labels also need to lock in those numbers before they go to production. A shoppable runway would solve commercial issues, but could threaten the editorial and creative elements of fashion and media in the process.
Supporters of the idea argue that by making products available immediately to consumers, luxury brands can protect their product and their influence.
To balance this, the industry would need to look at new ways to caters to editors and buyers through a culture of exclusive small-format viewing. By mirroring an accessible runway with a more traditional salon set up, they could simultaneously protect their design’s, and maintain editorial relationships by allowing select individuals to view the collections in a private environment ahead of the runway showing. These salon style presentations would hark back to the inception of fashion week, and allow the industry to retain the February/September schedule to which it’s accustomed. The salon would see buyers and editors cared for, while the catwalk spectacle would belong to the customers and fans—a grand finale of sorts.
While a total industry revolution remains to be seen, a handful of brands and businesses are beginning to reconsider how they present their collections. The Row have made a case for the simplicity of more intimate, salon-style presentations for buyers and editors, while independent businesses like Melbourne-based Pet Shop Girls (PSG) have employed a similar model of private showings. In the case of PSG, this more sustainable model has proven to be an effective way to operate an independent businesses, and a good entry point for customers into the world of designer brands.
Hopefully CFDA’s creative thinking signals that the wider luxury sector is facing a certain truth: if it can’t keep up, it needs to change the game. They’ll never outrun the High Street in terms of production schedules, so need to re-evaluate systems in order to adapt. Because one thing is for sure—these “broken” systems are running out of time.
Credits
Words Rosie Dalton
Photography Jason Lloyd Evans