the recipe for fashion show virality

sugar, spice and everything nice

i still remember the day i discovered style.com (RIP) and realized i had an entire archive of fashion shows at my fingertips. it sounds dramatic, but it felt as if a tiny piece of this glamourous world cracked open and bathed my little corner of pennsylvania in beauty. every season i would refresh the style.com homepage and scroll through show after show, pouring myself over the tiny details hoping a tiny bit of that kinetic creative energy would somehow jump off my parents desktop computer onto me. i’ve accepted the reality that i am more similar to the girl illuminated by the glow of style.com screen than i am different only now i am avidly scrolling on the vogue runway app while waiting for my $8 cold brew to be called. reflecting on my experience consuming fashion shows brought to mind the collections that made feel what can only be explained as awe: the fw14 chanel supermarket, the carousel at louis vuitton ss12, and the gucci fw18 show where models walked with replicas of their own severed heads…..

the common thread throughout these shows is a particular gimmicky sensibility that thrived in that newly budding digital age. the proliferation of accessibility via style.com created a gladiator-esque spectacle amongst brands; you now had to create a fashion show compelling enough to keep relevance with the entire world, not just a select group of editors, stylists and buyers. the result led to ostentatious, expensive, immersive experiences that were designed to draw attention from a larger audience who had previously not had the access Fashion. and i mean who wouldn’t think that a chanel supermarket is Cool?

truthfully, i always loved the campy nature of these shows, but i would be lying if i said i actually remember a key look or accessory that has sartorially stuck with me from them. the anonymity of the clothes and the inevitable craving differentiation has caused myself and many others to plead “is it not enough to just have good clothes anymore?” so much of the discourse hinged from fashion is undercut with a sense of cynicism, but i actually find it refreshing that there is a collective yearning to see clothing that makes us feel something again, and to answer this call there has been a noticeable shift away from expensive gimmicks, and in it’s place are organic moments of virality which are under the cloak of extremely strategic decisions from the brand. this, again, could be perceived cynically, but i think having the understanding of how a targeted group will recognize the small subtle details that stack upon each other to create a cohesive and unique feeling evoked from brand is crucial for longevity and client loyalty.

to me, the recipe for fashion show virality in our current landscape as evident from this past season is a splash of strategic product gifting, a heavy pour of a tangible personality that transcends the runway, a cup of really good casting, a sprinkle of strong beauty looks, all to be mixed in with the most important ingredient of all: really great clothes. (!!!)

product gifting

this can be a divisive because it is soooo 2024, yet i find strategic product gifting/seeding to be one of the most important ways to create a must-have hero product “organically”. i, like anyone and everyone, have not stopped thinking about THE chloé show from a few weeks ago. i have always loved chloé and am thrilled to say…we’re so back. besides the beautiful, perfect, stunning, amazing clothes what i found surprisingly cool were the images from the front row featuring a the sea of platform chloé clogs. while this was clearly a result of targeted gifting to glitterati of the front row there was something so casual about the clogs combined with the bright airy openness of the venue that made it feel believable that these women would wear these shoes and admittedly made me desperately want a pair.

personality

the shot heard around the world was The Row’s social media ban from their show a few weeks ago, opinions sprawled on either side of the argument, both of which are valid. i unfortunately loved that they instilled the rule even as someone who views fashion shows voyeuristically. a lot of the criticism was attributed to the exclusivity/elitism created from the ban… which is exactly why i thought it was genius. The Row is built on exclusivity and the aspiration that is inherently derived from intentional unattainability. whether you agree with it or or not you have to admit that they have stood behind a distinct personality that is felt in every cashmere fiber of the brand. they also handed out japanese notebooks in lieu of having access to a phone to take photos which i find to be disgustingly chic :/ the best and most powerful social currency will always be word of mouth even in a hyper digital age.

beauty

having a strong beauty look is one of my personal favorite aspects of a fashion show because it has the ability to build a “look” not contingent on a product that can be easily adopted by “fans” who do not have the ability to purchase an article but can still further expand the brand image and ideally create a instantly recognizable aesthetic, which is the ultimate way to build brand equity. sandy liang for example created an army of girls who desperately aspire to purchase a $695 mini dress but in the meantime wear bows and ribbon in their hair as a way to embody the essence of sandy in a small way.

in a different stroke of genius, kiko kostadinov collaborated with starface pimple patches this season to create an ethereal appliqued illusion inversely creating desirability from what is already widely accessible. the collab also signals that kiko kostadinov knows it’s audience in an intimate way that transcends the traditional transactional brand / client relationship which will never cease to excite me.

casting!!!!

having strong casting is one of the best ways a brand can quietly signal “if you know you know” through the creation of a multiverse of talent that embodies the tone and spirit of the collection. miu miu always comes to mind when i consider casting through their partnerships with ethel cain, mia goth, etc. the casting should resemble a really good house party: a few vaguely familiar faces, some tattoos that you recognize and that one person you didn’t think was coming but thankfully decided to show up. the result of strategic casting decisions can galvanize niche sectors of the internet who are generating the greatest social currency brands are secretly desperate for: agreed upon coolness.

i love good fashion shows, i love funny fashion shows, i love dramatic fashion shows and i even like bad fashion shows for the discourse they derive. the hunger for stripped back presentations imbedded in minute details that signal that the brand understands it’s audience is really encouraging to me because it forces the creative to be more narrowly customer centric. most people will think that a chanel rocket ship is Cool, but only some will think that the fact that ethel chain walked in miu miu or that the entire front row of chloe was wearing sky high platform clogs as seen in grainy instagram stories is Cool. as with most things in life: being really really special to a few will always be better than generically acceptable by many.

as always, would love to hear your thoughts! and if you have any all time favorite fashion shows. thank you and i love you!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo