Let's be blunt. How will fashion shows progress in the name of COVID-19? Sterile, password-protected private livestream, interactive, 3D virtual-reality, 360 degree view, hologram, Black Mirror-like fashion shows? In the current world of eco-friendly Teslas, an increase in consciously produced clothing brands and large corporations such as Gucci leading the way in their Equilibrium promises, there was no denying fashion itself was already shifting to an industry that was kinder to the earth [or so we think]. With this tragic pandemic in hand, the silver lining is that the global CO2 emissions have dropped drastically, effectively forcing the fashion industry to reevaluate what is necessary and what is not. We saw a digital shift in practices at Ellery's S/S18 first ever digital fashion show, effectively eliminating what would have been carbon footprint from the thousands of cabs to the venue, to the use of electricity, water and more. Ellery's show still garnered intense publicity for being innovative and was still published on Vogue.com. It reminds us of the question, 'Everyone is front row at a show with Instagram live', is there a need to hold them anymore? Let's look into this, Continue for more. // Image photographed by Nicole Ku at Salasai NZFW 2016.
We saw the Great Recession in 2007 change the world of fashion to a minimalists dream - Here arrived Phoebe Philo taking the helm of Céline in 2008, echoing the collective mood of the Great Recession. While minimalism was [and still is, thanks Bottega] a thing and the world was recovering from the hit, the shows never stopped. Shows were still just as exclusive as ever, just as exciting. The rush and adrenaline of a fashion show was irreplaceable. You couldn't put a price on the amount of images, press, publicity and brand awareness received when held. Though more recently when concerns of health and environment came into play, we choose to savour that feeling for another day - a safer day.
During this pandemic, as citizens of the world shift toward becoming netizens, the future of physical fashion shows seems as though they no longer hold priority. Instead, we see the emergence of FaceTime photoshoots and at-home shows. COVID-19 halted the fashion industries regular programming as we knew it, but one thing is clear - Although the economy took a hit from COVID-19, fashion shows will return to what it was in echo of the Great Recession. But recognising the silver lining to CO2 emission recovery and being reminded of the environmental responsibility each individual holds, there is no harm in progressing and considering a more cost-effective, eco-friendly way of showing a collection. Consider the hypotheticals above.
We had our foot in the door for an environmental change, now we're being pushed through it faster than we expected.
