Fashioning The Future

We entered a new decade with a challenge no one expected. Forced to evolve, brands are looking at creative ways to present their creations

- Chia Wei Choong

It’s hard to start a conversation these days without first addressing the state of the world we find ourselves in. The novel coronavirus has claimed over 650,000 lives, with numbers continuing to rise as economies gradually reopen for business. Meanwhile, the world is bracing itself for one of the worst ever recessions. Every entity – corporate or individual – will have to think about their way forward in these uncertain times.

The autumn/winter 2020 women’s fashion week that Paris hosted was notable for marking the end of normalcy. It was plagued by various problems related to COVID-19 – which had by then ceased to be some vague, distant problem that would go away. Italy went into lockdown soon after due to rampant infection and escalating fatalities. Now, travel is near impossible and brands have been forced to rethink how they can present their collections. Before that, designers have had to create collections remotely, with virtual team meetings in lieu of actual ones. This unusual process was unprecedented, and has yielded some rather interesting results.

Hermès

Hermès was among the first to present its SS21 men’s collection in the digital realm. Previous Hermès menswear shows have relied heavily on the live atmosphere to establish the collection’s tone. The one held at the Mobilier National last summer, for instance, was a breezy affair set in a courtyard. It used an assortment of chairs from the Mobiliers archive to highlight the relaxed, summery vibe that menswear director Véronique Nichanian was after.