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Throughout the Autumn/Winter 2023 ready-to-wear and couture season, designers moved away from flashy logos to a more minimalist aesthetic and refined silhouettes. Will the understated luxury style continue to dominate the runways for SS24?
The hotly anticipated designer debuts across the new season of shows, taking place from 8 September to 3 October in New York, London, Milan and Paris, suggest the answer is yes. Among the highlights are Sabato De Sarno’s first collection for Gucci, Peter Hawkings’s debut show for Tom Ford, Peter Do at Helmut Lang, and Phoebe Philo’s collection debut. These designers have largely made their name creating sophisticated, well-cut pieces.
The style is in-demand among luxury retailers. “It is clear this season that customers are gravitating towards luxury investment pieces that are timeless and will live on in their wardrobes,” says Net-a-Porter's buying director Kate Benson. It has prompted the online luxury retailer to invest in a new guard of luxury labels, such as Fforme, Liberowe and Veronica De Piante, in recent seasons.
Much has to do with the macro climate as the overall global outlook deteriorated in 2023, with variations between regions on the prospects of recession, says Luisaviaroma’s senior buyer Claudia Gazzelloni. “There is a more mindful and conscious approach towards fashion where people are still eager to own the latest runway pieces, but, at the same time, are more careful about how their money is spent.” The new vibe is “being effortless rather than over the top”, she adds.
New York: Continued growth and elevation
American heavyweight Ralph Lauren is making its return to New York Fashion Week with the brand’s first show on the official schedule since September 2019. All eyes will also be on Peter Do, the emerging designer who nabbed the opening slot for his highly anticipated debut at Helmut Lang, which he joined as creative director in May. It marks the first time that Helmut Lang has presented a runway collection since SS20, under former creative leads Mark Howard Thomas and Thomas Cawson.
“The demand to show during New York Fashion Week is at an all-time high and well-exceeding pre-pandemic levels. We see this across emerging and established designers,” says Steven Kolb, chief executive of the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
Other returning names include Rio Uribe of Gypsy Sport, who has been presenting his collections in Los Angeles, and 3.1 Phillip Lim, which hasn’t staged a show since before the pandemic. Alejandro Gómez Palomo’s label Palomo Spain made its New York debut last season and will show in the city again. Scandinavia's largest fashion trade event, CIFF x Revolver, which presented its first joint fashion event in Copenhagen this season, is also arriving in New York for the first time. And Lacoste’s creative design director Pelagia Kolotouros will unveil her first collection for the brand on 9 September in New York, over two events combining fashion and sport during the US Open with ambassador Venus Williams.
Kolb observes that elevation continues to be a key focus of young talent, including Khaite, Elena Velez and LaQuan Smith. Missing from the schedule, however, are Rodarte, Tommy Hilfiger and Thom Browne, who became chairman of the CFDA this year and returned to the New York calendar in February but will show this season in Paris.
“There are designer debuts, lots of events and the requests from notable guests to attend shows are significantly higher than last season. It signals that the week has the ingredients to be strong,” says Nate Hinton, founder of communications agency The Hinton Group, which works with Public School, Pyer Moss and Vaquera, among others. He notes that more designers are returning to the traditional runway format this season as they seek to capitalise on the event’s comeback, with smaller brands financing their catwalks through more creative brand partnerships.
“New York is becoming a destination for new talent; the city has grown with real enthusiasm and intrigue surrounding emerging designers,” says Jodi Kahn, vice president of luxury fashion at Neiman Marcus. She’s looking forward to Peter Do’s vision for Helmut Lang and Ralph Lauren’s return to New York, as the brand is a “longtime favourite” of Neiman Marcus clients. “It is always a treat to step into his version of Americana.”
London: A spectacle of performances and exhibitions
The September edition of London Fashion Week is also set to be the biggest since pre-pandemic, with over 200 designers participating across 105 physical activations, says Caroline Rush, chief executive of the British Fashion Council. Kicking off the week is Vogue World, which arrives in London after debuting with a bang in New York last year. Expect to see stars including musician Stormzy and actor Sienna Miller in a multi-act celebration of the British performing arts, with creative direction by film and theatre director and producer Stephen Daldry.
The momentum will continue with comebacks from Ashley Williams, who this season is supported by talent incubator Fashion East’s XLNC programme, Knwls and Chopova Lowena, both of which took a season out in favour of localised community activations. LVMH Prize finalist Aaron Esh will present the first runway show for his namesake label in a slot after Burberry, where creative director Daniel Lee will present his second collection for the British house. Norwegian fashion label Holzweiler, which secured a majority investment from Sequoia in 2022, will also make its London debut. Cool kids Mowalola, Harris Reed and rapper Skepta, via his revived fashion brand Mains, will stage off-schedule shows throughout the week.
Returning to the schedule are regular mainstays Erdem, JW Anderson, Richard Quinn, Roksanda, Simone Rocha and Molly Goddard. Exhibitions are also a main draw, with the British Fashion Council celebrating the 30th anniversary of its Newgen incubator through a new exhibition — Rebel: 30 Years of London Fashion at the Design Museum — sponsored by Alexander McQueen and co-curated by BFC ambassador for emerging talent Sarah Mower. The first UK exhibition dedicated to the work of French couturière, Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel, will also open at the V&A, while Somerset House will explore the stories of Black British fashion in a exhibition, The Missing Thread, curated by the Black Orientated Legacy Development Agency (Bold). These landmark initiatives highlight “the undeniable impact” of British designers and their “groundbreaking” point of view, says the BFC’s Rush.
The culmination of Vogue World, fashion week, various exhibitions and then Frieze following shortly after is sure to bring in crowds of international press, VIPs, customers and commercial partners, predicts DH-PR agency director Marion Abramov, whose clients include Simone Rocha, Molly Goddard and Harris Reed. She observes little consistency over the years in how brands present their shows, with some designers choosing to skip showing certain seasons or oscillating show sizes quite drastically year to year. There is greater focus on communities, however, with brands making their guestlist increasingly personal and prioritising press, VIPs, VICs and creative talent that have long supported them, she says.
Milan: A strong lineup with some big debuts
This season, Milan has become the city to watch. One of the most hotly anticipated debuts is Valentino alum Sabato De Sarno’s first collection for Gucci (he was named creative director of the Kering-owned luxury house in January, following Alessandro Michele’s departure last November after seven radical years). The brand’s AW23 campaign, revealed this month, suggests the designer may take a more understated approach to the brand, pivoting from Michele’s maximalist era.
Another high-profile debut in Milan is Peter Hawkings at Tom Ford, where the longtime designer for the house will take over as creative director. The namesake founder exited the brand in April after selling it to beauty conglomerate Estée Lauder last November for $2.8 billion. The fashion business is now owned by Zegna.
Also worth noting is Bally, where new design director Simone Bellotti, who succeeded Rhuigi Villaseñor of Rhude in May, will debut his designs for the Swiss luxury house; London-based Fashion East alum Karoline Vitto’s Milanese runway debut with the support of Dolce & Gabbana; and Moschino’s 40th anniversary show, which will include collaborations with stylists Katie Grand, Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele and Lucia Liu (the brand has not yet appointed a creative director following Jeremy Scott’s exit in March). Versace, having showcased in Cannes in May, will also return, along with German label Boss, which also chose Miami for its last show.
“The arrival of important brands, such as Tom Ford, that have chosen to show in Milan confirms the importance of Milan Fashion Week on an international level,” says Valerio Innella, founder and managing director of communications firm Besidecom, whose clients include Tom Ford, Blumarine and MSGM, among others.
However, as global interest heightens, he beckons Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI), the Italian chamber of fashion, to consider extending the event beyond five days as the current pressure on designers and attendees feels “unbalanced”. (Paris Fashion Week, for example, takes place over nine days). “The calendar is now quite crowded and young designers especially deserve a better placement to show, while guests should be able to participate more comfortably as they attend events,” Innella says.
For now, many brands in Milan are focusing on quality over quantity. “The moment of fashion shows with a big number of guests has gone. There are more brand searches for special locations that can have a dialogue with the collections presented. Tom Ford and Blumarine have opted for impactful locations this season, while keeping the number of guests relatively small,” says Innella. Other labels, such as Fiorucci and Jacob Cohën, which will see the first collection designed by Matthew Adams Dolan, are staging more intimate presentations that allows attendees to to interact with the designer and the collection. Giving more emphasis to these aspects is a growing priority, he adds.
CNMI’s chairman Carlo Capasa is feeling optimistic about the season ahead. “Milan Fashion Week promises to be rich in content, energy and creativity. With important debuts, new brands and events, [it] confirms itself as a solid system platform connected to contemporaneity.”
Paris: A nine-day extravaganza
Paris Fashion Week will round off a month of shows with a nine-day schedule featuring megawatt brands including Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, Loewe, Saint Laurent, Hermès, Valentino and Balenciaga. However, all eyes will be on Chloé, where creative director Gabriela Hearst is presenting her last show after three transformative years at the Richemont-owned label, and Celine alum Phoebe Philo, who is expected to reveal her first collection off-schedule.
Mugler and Maison Margiela will return to the schedule, while Marni — having shown in New York and Tokyo in the previous two seasons — will present its latest collection at Karl Lagerfeld’s former private residence. The notable debuts are mostly emerging talent, such as Peter Do, who is showing his namesake label in Paris after debuting it in New York last September, Australian designer Christopher Esber and LVMH Prize finalist Duran Lantink, known for his commitment to upcycling in fashion. Former Lacoste creative director Louise Trotter will also present her debut collection for Carven, which returns after a five-year hiatus. Meanwhile, Ester Manas, which won the 2023 Andam Special Prize, will take the season off and show next in March 2024.
“It will be interesting to see how new brands on the Paris schedule will interpret and adapt to the Parisian stage,” says Neiman Marcus’s Kahn.
While there should be minimal changes and movements for SS24, from January brands may have to think carefully about show formats and locations, as the French capital prepares for the Olympics, making fewer venues available and traffic potentially trickier to navigate, warns Paris-based PR veteran Lucien Pages. “This September fashion week will be the last before it takes a while for things to be business as usual.”
PRs also say they are keeping close watch of the SAG strikes in the US and the impact that could have on the global industry. Hollywood’s loss may be fashion’s gain, says DH-PR’s Abramov. “With the strikes in LA, the front row could become another important opportunity for a VIP moment.” Pages is less hopeful and senses “some uncertainty” around the presence of actors and other film talent. “We do not know yet if they will attend fashion shows, but for the rest of the celebrities and influential people it looks very promising.”
Pascal Morand, executive president of French fashion's governing body Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, says the priority is to continue focusing on “a high degree” of creativity, diversity, innovation and sustainability. “SS24 represents the continuation of a very positive dynamic for Paris Fashion Week and will perpetuate and strengthen the values that make Paris a unique place of freedom and creativity,” Morand notes. Each house, he says, is “committed to delivering a statement that reflects its uniqueness”.
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