If you had told the models of Milan Fashion Week in 2019 that they would be strutting down the catwalk to rows of empty chairs rather than a front row of A-list celebrities, their perfectly formed faces would certainly contort to expressions of disbelief. Indeed, it is hard to imagine an event as iconic as Milan Fashion Week, or Settimana della moda, taking place online as it adapts to the limitations imposed by the current global health crisis. However, the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana has responded innovatively and with unsurprising creativity, having so far hosted two successful digital events.
Milan Fashion Week is a bi-annual event that captivates the city of Milan as enthusiasts swarm to the fashion capital and designers put on grand shows in equally grand locations such as Spazio Cavallerizze, Palazzo Reale’s Sala delle Cariatidi and the Padiglione Visconti. This year, the autumn/winter event coincided with one of Europe’s first coronavirus outbreaks, with Lombardy entering a regional lockdown in February. In response to the COVID 19 pandemic, the fashion industry was forced to shift online and we saw other fashion capitals such as London take the leap to a digital format for its own fashion week in June. The Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana followed suit and the first Milan Digital Fashion Week was announced with a special July edition, scheduled from 14 to 17 July 2020.
These digital events taking place globally represent a concrete response to the difficulties experienced by the industry as it grants designers the opportunity to present their collections to the fashion community and in doing so restarts the fashion system, as many factories were forced to close for a period of time. The July event, which showcased men’s spring/summer 2021 and men and women’s pre-spring/summer 2021 collections, was broadcasted on the Camera della Moda website and its social media platforms with virtual showroom panels. This first digital event was a success as it reached 105,592,409 users via various social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Weibo with an engagement of 2,013,702.
The success of the July Fashion Week was encouraging for the upcoming September event which involved more than 20 labels, including Prada, Fendi, Versace, Moschino. A third of the week’s schedule wasn’t virtual with Max Mara, Etro and Valentino managing to stage physical shows at various venues around Milan enforcing strict social distancing measures. It has been praised that the digital format has allowed smaller brands to present their collections at an event that is known for favouring established brands. Carlo Capasa, the President of the Camera della Moda, noted another advantage of a digital format in an interview with Vogue as he admired the freedom it allowed designers with regard to how they wish to present their collections.
Indeed, this was exemplified in the September Fashion Week as the event saw designers taking advantage of the online format in order to deliver imaginative showcases of their collections. In keeping with the theme of 2020, some of the concepts for these shows were unprecedented. For example, Moschino took social distancing to new levels as it not only had no guests, it also had no models. Instead, the creative director, Jeremy Scott, opted for a miniature set on which the collection was scaled down and donned on the miniature runway by marionettes. The front row was even filled with lookalikes of famous figures including Dame Anna Wintour and British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful.
The result of the success of this digital format means it will be adopted alongside the physical Fashion Week in the future. Its inclusive nature has been applauded as it allows the customers to feel more involved. Another notable factor is sustainability. The digital format is a viable response to the increased scrutiny being placed on the fashion industry with regard to its environmental impact, not to mention the combined air miles of models, editors, influencers and buyers that jet around the world to attend these shows. However, the glitz and glam of the physical shows is missed by designers and consumers alike, something which a digital show, no matter how innovative, could ever replace.
Prianka Lakhani