High fashion in the time of coronavirus as first-ever digital Paris Fashion Week clicks off
Avatars stalk runways. No jostling for front row seats. At virtual Paris Fashion Week, haute couture is just a click away | WATCH
There’s no catwalk, no traffic jams and no photographers jostling for celebrity photos.
But in its first digital iteration, Paris Haute Couture Week, considered the pinnacle of the fashion calendar, is giving everyone a front row seat.
It has taken a global pandemic, but fashion’s most traditional, secretive and revered world has been pushed into the digital age.
With COVID-19 shutting down large-scale fashion events the world over, Paris is the latest to switch to a purely digital experience, in a first for the city.
The Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode – France’s governing fashion body – invited 33 houses to take part by creating short films of no more than 20 minutes.
Day one has shown how diverse those offerings can be, from the simplest, to the most extravagant and digitally innovative.
Ralph Toledano, in an interview for the FHCM’s website, said that the event was “a life-size digital experiment”.
While he went on to say that digital fashion week would never replace a physical one entirely, he added “this digital innovation will strengthen and amplify our physical events, all while bringing new potential for creativity”.
Aussie avatar triumph
London-based Australians Ralph & Russo took the digital angle and ran with it.
Their film showcased both the traditional handcrafted couture principles alongside the digital innovations used to create the collection.
They then went a step further, creating an avatar, Hauli, on which they showcased the designs.
“With a particular current situation this season, it really forced us to look at new ways of showcasing our work,” said designer Tamara Ralph.
“We decided to create a brand muse through an avatar. Her name is Hauli and her name (from the Swahili) symbolises strength and power.”
Given the cessation of global travel, Ralph outlined her inspiration for the collection, the “colour and vibrancy” of the countries and cultures that house the Seven Wonders of the World.
They then created imagery using these locations as backdrops for Hauli and their spectacular designs.
“Digital has always been something that I have found fascinating, and something that as a brand we’ve really seen as a very interesting angle to infuse the tradition of couture with a very modern aspect,” said Ralph.
Some films were simpler in their response to the current situation.
Schiaparelli’s short offering follows creative director Daniel Rosebery walking through a deserted New York to Washington Square, where he removes his face mask, takes out his Textas and begins to sketch an “imaginary collection”.
Christian Dior turned to Italian director Matteo Garrone to create a fantastical film almost 15 minutes in length.
It featured woodland nymphs and statues coaxed into life by exquisite haute couture miniatures, housed in a dollhouse carried by two immaculately dressed bellboys.
While a beautiful film to watch, it has already come under fire on social media for its lack of diversity in the casting.
It’s surprising, as creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri is known for her inclusive catwalk casting and her bold take on feminism and collaborations with female artists. Working with Garrone is a sidestep that may be a misstep in that legacy.
It’s especially noteworthy following Naomi Campbell’s official opening of the online week.
Wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with Phenomenally Black, she was direct in the need for inclusivity within the fashion industry.
“The fight for equality and diversity has been a long journey for society and in the fashion industry,” said Campbell in the video.
“Today in 2020 we still have a long way to go and the time has come to collectively call the fashion world to task regarding inequality in our workspaces and in our industry.”
Given the recent Black Lives Matter protests and movement, Campbell called this week a “call to action”.
While this fashion week is forging so many new pathways, some things are still lagging behind.
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Fantastical fashion so haute right now
As the pinnacle of fashion, the haute couture collections that dazzled Paris runways are a balm for the world-weary.