Fashion During Tragic World Events
Source: New York Daily News
While we use entertainment to get away from dense political news, it’s nearly impossible for those topics to not be in a discussion about the persistence in the fashion industry. From the COVD-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement, the escalation between Russia and Ukraine, and everything in between, these tragic events have put a damper on the fashion world. But due to the bottom line, businesses will find a way to remain afloat and even make a statement in ways creatives do best: through their work. These efforts might be doing these businesses’ reputations a favor, but are they effective enough to where they don’t come off as publicity stunts?
COVID-19 Pandemic
Marine Serre is an expert at creatively revealing her collection AMOR despite the chaos in 2020.
Just like every other gathering, COVID-19 prevented designers from having fashion shows filled with celebrity guests. Luxury brands such as Gucci and Alexander Wang did not have a show in New York Fashion Week 2020. Gucci’s leather production was also in jeopardy when Chinese and Italian factories stopped business. This influenced designers to get creative with their presentations. Digital look books for haute couture were just the beginning of the technical innovations to fashion.
If COVID-19 affected any sales, it definitely caused people to dress more comfortably and shop for their health. There was an over 500% increase in consumers buying medical items as well as an 85% increase in loungewear sales according to EShopWorld. This is where e-commerce begins to thrive. NuORDER is one that helps brands sell to more consumers and began using 3D and other video features to provide an experience different from traditional fashion shows.
Even now, Dior presents a live stream of their shows bringing in about 130 million viewers. Virtual shows helped brands save hundreds of thousands of dollars that go into hosting shows; films also add another layer of creativity that can help tell the collection’s story. As the world is slowly opening back up, socializing has resumed with precautions. Last September, NYFW only allowed vaccinated guests to attend the events, and other shows moving forward will have some policy for preventing the virus.
Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
Milan and Paris Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2022 started during the ongoing war in Ukraine. One of the most notable moments was in the Balenciaga show. Creative director Demna, a refugee of the Georgian Civil War read a poem in Ukrainian to an audience filled with shirts with the Ukraine flag.
“This is why working on this show this week was so incredibly hard for me. Because in a time like this, fashion loses its relevance and its actual right to exist. Fashion week feels like some kind of an absurdity. I thought for a moment about canceling the show that I and my team worked hard on and we’re all looking forward to. But then I realized that canceling this show would mean giving in, surrendering to the evil that has already hurt me so much for almost 30 years. I decided that I can no longer sacrifice parts of me to that senseless, heartless war of ego,” he said in the show’s introduction.
The show received just as much backlash as it did praise when people felt as if the show dramatized the ravages of war when models walked clutching garage bas and trudging through a snowstorm to represent the plight of refugees.
Other brands such as Marine Serre and Roger Vivier held moments of silence; Coperni made a tribute to Ukrainian seamstresses of Cap East. Isabel Marant canceled her traditional after-show part and wore a sweater with Ukrainian flog colors to her show. Fashion celebrity Gigi Hadid vowed to donate her earnings from Fashion Month to people in need in Ukraine and Palestine (IMAGE). During the Givenchy show announced their donation and offered a QR code on each seat so guests could contribute to the cause.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had a large effect on the United States and United Kingdom’s retail business relationship with Russia. Apple, Mcdonald’s, Louis Vuitton, H&M Group, and others temporarily closed their stores in Russia which affects thousands of employees; some companies will also be making donations to aid the Ukrainian people. This decision has been made in order to protect their reputation because it wouldn’t be good look continue business with Russia. Sanctions on banks made it difficult to get money into Russia to pay for many business essentials; businesses are still making an effort to pay their Russian employees during the shutdown.
Black Lives Matter Movement
The Black Lives Matter protests following George Floyd’s death in May 2020 reignited the movement and the idea of protesting through fashion similar to how the Black Panther Party wore their black militant attire. We have seen an influx of simplified fashion pieces with slogans such as “Protect Black Women”; jewelry designers like Jameel Mohammed seek inspiration from West African masks and Ryan cattle to add meaning to their advocacy fashion. Brands like such aren’t just keeping up with hashtags; instead, they are using their platform to give back to the ones with the power to enforce change.
Aurora James started the 15 Percent Pledge which asks retailers to ensure 15 percent of their stock would come from black-owned brands. Celebrities are also encouraging others to match their donations to organizations. Stylist Law Roach, designer A Sai Ta, and SHEIN are using their wealth to help rebuild black businesses affected by protests and to directly support foundations outside of Black Lives Matter such as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Solace Women’s Aid, and the Voice of Domestic Workers. Katherine Hamnett has spent nearly 40 years designing shirts with simple yet powerful logos in support of environmental issues. She finally withdrew herself from fashion to devote her focus to activism.
The controversy with t-shirts for Black Lives Matter now is the inconsistent support for a movement that’s been around for nearly 10 years. The Black Lives Matter hashtag was only trending in 2020 which left people wondering how genuine the support is. Soon after George Floyd’s death, creative director and DJ Virgil Abloh received backlash for his 50 dollar donation to a protestors’ bail fund. The outrage came from the fact that 50 dollars can barely cover the price of any Off-White merchandise; others were saying it was a gesture to encourage others to match his donation. He did continue his efforts by creating the Virgil Abloh “Post-Modern Scholarship Fund” a scholarship for Black, African-American, and African descent to “foster equity and inclusion in the fashion industry and to identify and uplift underrepresented talent.” Brands find themselves at a crossroads trying to support while not aligning themselves with causes that people expect them to constantly support.
“It does come across as disingenuous when a brand says something like 'We stand with the Black community.' It's like, when have you ever stood with the Black community?" Danielle Prescod, the style director for BET.com said. "You have had the same opportunities to defend Black lives, to defend Black beauty, to employ Black people from the onset of your business. So for you, this week to decide that you do (care about Black lives) is all too convenient. It ends up looking like a marketing opportunity rather than something that they truly care about."
Edited by Kieryn Alexander
