London Collections Men has drawn to a close, and as I sit on my flight back to Stockholm curating all my notes and press releases, and fellow bloggers and journalists set off for Pitti Uomo in Florence, or to Milan for the next round of shows and presentations, it’s hard not to feel a wee bit shell shocked that its all been and gone so fast.
Picking up a copy of this months Vogue at the airport, I was particularly interested to read an article entitled “Show Business”, which discusses the ever-changing role of the catwalk show and the relevance of fashion show fanfare.
Topman Design LCM AW14
A fashion show used to be a buyers and editors game, and although they have always been expensive to arrange, the catwalk spectacle has reached unparalleled theatrical heights, with brands spending well into the hundreds of thousands on a 15minute performance. In addition, often about 20% of a deisgner’s catwalk collection may not even make it into production, and often what is displayed in a runway is very different from what sells in store. As Vogue discusses, it’s the more wearable pre-collections shown to buyers and journalists with minimal fanfare in “sales week” or “press week” that will render the cash. So, why even have a fashion show? Well, according to Vogue, its about social media and spectacle.
When a pipe burst before the Oliver Spencer show at LCM, what’s the first thing we did (well after scrambling away from the water with muted shrieks)? We tweeted it. All of us. We let everyone know. When the catwalk was dotted with puddles for the TOPMAN Design show on Monday, most of us were so busy photographing them that the first look had been and gone by the time we had hashtagged #puddle #lcm #aw14 #wetlook #puddlesaretotallyontrend. The whole of every show from start to finish is documented on social media, so much so, that instead of loudly applauding during a show finale, all you hear these days is a gentle patter of hands, because the majority of the audience are too busy holding down the record button in the mad rush to get their insta-film-finale up first. Hey, I’m not knocking it – I’m firmly in this camp too.
Burberry Prorsum LFW SS14
Spectacle gets the people talking. Ex CEO of Burberry, Angela Ahrendts famously said “we are no longer in the business of fashion, we are in the business of entertainment”. So who is it more important to entertain? Do you flirt with the buyers (the unsung heroes of the fashion chain who bought at the pre-collections), or do you woo those with a following of 100,000 plus on instagram? There were grumblings at LCM, that at a certain show several key buyers had standing tickets, while the more coveted seats were taken by bloggers and celebs (armed with phones and followers of course).
The alternative to a show, is a presentation of course. Presentations have shifted show culture, offering a lower budget alternative in a more intimate and relaxed environment, but they rarely have the same gravitas as a show (unless you are Sophia Webster at LFW). The pre-collections, mean that a catwalk show is not so much about sales but more about brand reputation and pomp. In the aforementioned Vogue article, Sarah Harris sites that designer Erdem feels the need to show as the fashion house doesn’t invest in advertising, and Tom Ford comments on how much the level of press coverage has increased since he started showing. Being a catwalk brand gives a label credibility, so the pressure is on to perform.
Nicomede Talavera presentation at LCM AW14
If shows are entertainment and spectacle rather than a sales tool, the battle to be the most talked about catwalk brand will continue, meaning bigger budgets and bolder ideas, and more commercial risk for smaller brands trying to get in on the game. As an audience member its an exciting time to be amongst it all. Armed with phone, camera and notepad I may not be in the game of purchasing, but I’m firmly in that of PRing – so go ahead, entertain me.
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I think a further factor is that the shows themselves are competing against each other. This year LCM was at the same time as Pitti Uomo and Milan, meaning people had to choose between the two or miss half of one. So each location is competing for the best brands to be showcased. This choice will be down to not only organisation and convenience or even the home country of the brand but what can deliver the biggest commercial gain, be it branding and exposure or buyers. So it will be the brands that need to decide whether they want to do a show or presentation for branding or for commercial sales. Ultimately I think people will go to where it is ‘cool’ to be seen meaning the glitzy presentations will keep on winning out over more understated but perhaps more commercially minded presentations.
That is a very interesting thought! I’ve always wondered why the clothing often becomes more and more extravagant and less practical every year.