Gucci Vault, mirrored shows across continents and bohemian catharsis

Gucci Vault, mirrored shows across continents and bohemian catharsis

The Milan shows have not been physical in over 18 months, since the pandemic hit Italy and brought the fashion world from the shows into self-isolation. The idea of rebirth in various forms had been discussed since the format of the shows went digital: Should the fashion week schedule change? How should designers work around the perpetual demand for novelty? For the Italian houses including Gucci, Versace and Marni, the answers came in different forms.

Gucci supports emerging designers post-pandemic

For Gucci, this meant launching Gucci Vault, a continuation of the collaboration between independent designers and the brand launched with GucciFest 2020, the festival aimed at replacing their seasonal shows. The Vault launched with a physical exhibition in Milan featuring vintage styles among neon walls and an old-school computer on which the Vault website was displayed. The Gucci Vault is the next of Alessandro’s cross-brand “contaminations,” started with Balenciaga and the North Face. Similar to the retro Ganni website from 2020 designed by the Moon Agency, the Vault encompasses gamification to fuel ample discovery. Following the festival’s success in 2020, the brand posted a 25% increase in revenue for the first quarter of 2021, showing a strong comeback after a tumultuous year.

The Gucci Vault expands on the Gucci universe in an online space and gives the stage to restored vintage pieces and exclusive items from almost all of the 15 designers originally featured in the festival. (Mowalola and Gareth Wrighton are not included.) The lineup consists of Ahluwalia, Shanel Campbell, Stefan Cooke, Cormio, Charles de Vilmorin, JordanLuca, Yueqi Qi, Rave Review, Gui Rosa, Bianca Saunders, CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalist Collina Strada, Boramy Viguier and LVMH prize finalist Rui Zhou. In a statement, Gucci said the Vault is “speaking to the belief that past, present and future can co-exist through the power of the imagination.” It will focus on integrating more designers in the collaborative space in the future, and ensure a constant supply of sourced vintage Gucci and work from its protégés. Its next show is set for Nov. 2 in Los Angeles, coinciding with the 10th LACMA Art + Film Gala, which Gucci is sponsoring.

This support for young fashion insiders by the main fashion conglomerates also extends to LVMH, which recently announced it will be adding 25,000 people globally under the age of 30 to its workforce under the #CrafttheFuture initiative. The program is meant to account for the growing demand for artisans and luxury goods.

Digital shows across continents: Prada and Mongenius

The Gucci move online was echoed in the digital, mirrored shows across Milan Fashion Week. That included Mondogenius, the hybrid presentation from Moncler that was staged across Milan, Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul and New York. Meanwhile, Prada held an IRL show in Milan with screen “portals” to Shanghai, where a similar show was held, complete with models with digitally-enhanced hair. From a business perspective, these international ventures show the importance of China on the fashion show schedule. The country rebounded in luxury fashion sales after a comparably quick recovery from the pandemic. While the global luxury market shrank by 23% in 2020, according to Bain and Company, in mainland China, the market share increased from about 11% to 20%. The Moncler Genius collaborations with designers ​​including Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli, Craig Green and Simone Rocha have been incredibly successful on social media, bringing media value to the heritage ski brand.

The Mondogenius presentation brought art, music, sport and film into Moncler’s fashion world with a site that let the user jump from city to city and various presentations, online. In a statement, chairman and CEO Remo Ruffini said, “​​Today is not only about products, but is even more about our communities and the culture we want to shape together. The world is changing. People do not want the same things as before; they demand and expect more from brands. Today, we must find new ways to connect and engage, becoming pioneers of new messages.” The development of online spaces clearly indicates a shift toward brand metaverses, or digital spaces where brands can build on different types of content to bring in fans who are used to online communities.

From ’90s supermodels to TikTok stars: Fendace, the exchange between Fendi and Versace

In a move akin to streetwear giant collaborations like Supreme x Rimowa, Italian houses Versace and Fendi exchanged creative directors for one show, with Kim Jones and Silvia Venturini-Fendi designing for Versace, and Donatella Versace creating for Fendi. The result: an archival look into both brands through their “Fendace” union, which was sprinkled with logomania. It was described in the press release as being “about the need for sincerity in fashion today, rather than strategy.” Versace also had its main show during the week, with singer Dua Lipa opening the stage.

From chainmail dresses to the union of the Fendi monogram with Versace’s famous Greek key, the collection explored the maximalism that reigned in both brands’ collections in the ’90s. The nod to the archives was also seen through the casting choices, which brought together the biggest modeling stars of then and now. Kristen McMenamy opened the show, and Naomi Campbell closed it in a pink chainmail dress. Kate Moss and Amber Valletta also made an appearance as a duo midway. The show was also one of the only ones in Milan to incorporate size inclusivity, with Paloma Elsesser and Precious Lee joining the lineup, along with Karen Elson, Mariacarla Boscono and Shalom Harlow.

The Fendace show resonated with the younger audience and was particularly popular on TikTok under the #fendace hashtag (9.4 million views), with one of the platform’s biggest stars Addison Rae attending the show. The exchange shows a defining trend toward brands creating together. From Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons to Gucci and Balenciaga, the brands are taking care to not label these as “collaborations,” but rather, partnerships, swaps and exchanges — like a value exchange, perhaps.

Marni: The emotional release of MFW

The Marni show read as a culmination of events from the last year and included emotional pandemic sentiments, with singer Zsela singing “Guide You Home” alongside a full chorus. Models in stripes moved across the amphitheater’s circular stage and among guests, who were also dressed in the collection. The show was a highlight of the Milan Fashion Week lineup, leveraging an arts school performance to speak to the diversity and inclusivity that had become a prominent talking point throughout the pandemic. Dev Hynes was responsible for the music and poet Mykki Blanco did a spoken word performance, encapsulating the multidisciplinary nature of the most successful shows during the week.

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American Designers Are Finally Dominating Fashion | Highsnobiety

Last month, Rihanna was announced as the new face of the legacy German luggage brand Rimowa, part of LVMH. She joined LeBron James and Virgil Abloh, the latter of which collaborated with the brand on an exclusive range of see-through suitcases in 2018.

This isn’t the first time that Rihanna set the tone of global fashion: her Fenty Beauty collection landed her on the TIME’s most innovative people list. Her Savage x Fenty lingerie line features models who are diverse in every sense — boundary-pushing for the lingerie market. Meanwhile, her collaborations routinely sell out, while even the slightest association with the artist can turn emerging designers into stars overnight. Linking it all together is her democratic, approachable, and unflinchingly modern approach to brand building and communication.

Highsnobiety / Eva Al Desnudo

Aesthetically, this model is known as the New American Look for the designers, stylists, musicians, DJs, and reality stars that carry it out: Kanye West, Virgil Abloh, Todd Snyder, Matthew Williams, Kim Kardashian, Teddy Santis, Rihanna, and even Kylie Jenner. These global personalities aren’t masters of traditional fashion craftsmanship. They are masters of reference, recontextualization, and cultural symbol making, and that — not craftsmanship — makes fashion today.

Before they influenced fashion, Kanye and Virgil influenced culture. They were once denied access to Paris fashion shows. The chasm between what they represented and how the fashion-editorial establishment perceived itself is linked to the Internet as much as it is to the American vs European style, the idea of “good taste,” and who “belongs” to fashion. The Internet made fashion more democratic, accessible, and genre- and gender-blurring. It also made it less separate from the other forms of cultural expression and more susceptible to the language of references, memes, collabs, merch, remixes, and riff-offs. Today, those most skilled in this cultural OS are the most coveted by fashion houses.

Highsnobiety / Michael Seegers

Battle of Versailles, Part Deux

Keeping fashion separate from pop culture was not only the fact, it was an aspiration. When fashion brands collaborated with culture and pioneers in spaces outside of fashion in the past, it was with renowned artists ​​— Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami, and Richard Prince. It wasn’t with Gucci Ghost.

The fact that, for the first time in history, the influence that American designers have from within the fashion system itself is noteworthy. It is either in the form of artistic director roles at the helm of the established (often luxury European) brands or in the form of collaborations. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to claim that the freshest perspectives at the most recent NYFW were put forward by emerging designers like Peter Do, Charles Harbison, Shawn Pean, or Sandy Liang.

We are in for a Battle of Versailles, part deux. Today’s emerging American designers also put forward innovative business models, shunning traditional retail channels in favor of experimentation with new ways to connect with their customers. Telfar TV, Supreme’s branding, Teddy Santis’ drops, Tyler, the Creator’s Golf Wang universe, or Morgan Hoffman’s non-binary GirlBoy brand are all fashion experiments.

Highsnobiety / Thomas Welch

American designers obviously played on the global stage before. Prior to Kanye, Virgil, and Rihanna, there was Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton and Tom Ford at Gucci. There were Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Donna Karan, Anne Klein, Bill Blass, Stephen Burrows, Halston, Andre Walker, Oscar de la Renta, and the famous Battle of Versailles. Before them, there was Bonnie Cashin and Claire McCardell, the originators of the American Look that feels as modern today as it felt when it first appeared.

All of these names added something to the fashion system. But they still played by its rules: the fact that American designers even registered at the original Battle of Versailles was not because they were celebrated in their own right; it is because they were seen as drastically different from Europeans. Equally telling is that the Battle of Versailles is an obscure event known only to fashion aficionados and that Cashin and McCardell are all but forgotten today.

A woman models a herringbone tweed suit (left) by Clare McCardell while another model shows a juilliard gabardine wool suit by Eisenberg in Boston’s Louisburg Square, 1946 Getty Images / Genevieve Naylor

French Have Chic, Americans Have Cool

When Vetements shook European fashion weeks with its post-Soviet punk aesthetic in the mid-2010s, what the brand was really doing was referencing the “urban American aesthetic” ​​— oversized hoodies, sweatpants, and sneakers — and showing it through the lens of Eastern Euro teenage angst.

Alternatively, Dior’s “political knits” can easily be seen as a reflection of Cashin and McCardell’s designs that 70 years earlier freed American women — in reality, not in slogan — to move, work, and live their lives unconstrained by then-trendy Dior corsets. Fashion’s feminist awakening happened back in the mid-last century, with the invention of separates, layering, and practical, movable materials by American designers. At a time when European fashion houses were designing for the countless daily outfit changes, American designers put forward a single, versatile day-to-night look that was comfortable, functional, and that still looked modern.

American businessman David J. Mahoney, American fashion designer Halston, entertainer Liza Minelli and actress Marisa Berenson, during the private party given at Maxim’s in Paris for the people who will attend the fund raising “Grand Advertisemnt a Versailles” for the upkeep and restoration of Versailles Castle to be held at the castle, 1973 Getty Images / Bettmann

The American Look was ahead of its time, and it left Europeans unimpressed. There was not much drama around the look you did not know you had — about the look that seamlessly mixed fashion with life, style with movement, that cherished creativity and resourcefulness and which was democratic in both form and price. In the American Look, pockets were meant to pocket things and sleeves were meant to be rolled up.

The American Look sprang up from an uniquely American pastime — a desire to hang out in a backyard, stroll in the city, barbecue, play golf, and go to the beach. Halston’s and Burrows’ dresses were made for movement on a dance floor. Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Armani suit mixed uptown polish and downtown irreverence. Irreverence to fashion genres is a big part of the American Look’s appeal.

In the ’80s, working women on the streets of New York wore sneakers with their skirt suits. It is hard to find a sportswear brand that has not crossed over to streetwear in the past 10 years. At the same time, streetwear merged with luxury: Buscemi sneakers retail for at least $1,000 and are created with quality, craftsmanship, and elegance in mind. While fashion genres are blurring much along the lines of the blurred music genres, this uniquely American sartorial mash-up is finally paying off.

Getty Images / Roy Rochlin

A New Value System

The American Look has always been popular in America. Its current global resurgence has less to do with the emerging American designers being an incarnation of their predecessors; it has more to do with the fact that, in order to be relevant today, fashion has to mirror popular culture — its formats, its themes, its personalities, and its values. And, to a large extent, America is still pop culture’s largest exporter.

Until recently, it was inconceivable that Dior would sell T-shirts or that sneakers and puffers would be the hottest items in fashion. Yet, in Q1 2021, at the top of Lyst’s quarterly ranking of fashion’s hottest brands and products were Gucci GG x The North Face puffer coats. The most searched item were Yeezy’s signature slides. There is now haute workwear and couture streetwear at Dior, and luxe sportswear everywhere else. European fashion houses turned American fashion language — workwear, streetwear, sportswear — into couture.

Fashion is a recording mechanism of a social and cultural moment. It is a visual documentation of what we collectively spend our time and money on, and what we value and aspire to. If the New American Look is now trending, that is because our culture and our society are catching up to, and fighting for, its underlying principles of freedom, democracy, accessibility, utilitarian spirit, and a seasonless point of view.

Getty Images / Roy Rochlin

The American Way

The Met’s double-header 2021/2022 event is titled “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” and “In America: An Anthology of Fashion.” It celebrates the resurgence of the New American Look and recognizes the emerging American design talent. But it also notes the shift in the fashion system that went from ignoring popular culture — with all its contradictions and complexities — to putting it in its center.

Compared to the New American Look, European houses have an obsolete fashion OS. This obsolescence is by design. No one would call Hermès accessible or inclusive, but no one would call it commercial, either. Under the veneer of democracy, the New American Look commercializes everything it touches: culture, society, politics, fashion.

The goal of The New New American Look is to push consumers to buy more. It turns anyone willing to spend $500 on a puffer or a pair of slides into a cultural participant. The New New American Look takes things from their original context and turns them into stylistic signifiers. Just like on the Internet, everything is a reference, a meme, a riff. Just like on the Internet, everything is for sale. In The New New American Look, democratization is good, and elitism is bad, a sentiment perfectly captured by Abloh: “I am trying to communicate with tourists and purists at the same time.”

If Americans dominate global fashion, it is not because they are more skilled than their counterparts. Remixes and references are how modern culture communicates, and Americans are fashion’s meme-makers supreme. They are masters of using culture to turn fashion into commerce — and is that not what fashion today is really about?