It wasn’t quite the reunion the fashion pack had anticipated. Twenty-fourth February, the day Russian troops commenced their assault on Ukraine, was the second day of Milan Fashion Week and the halfway point of a season that represented the biggest return to the traditional, physical runway show format since
Covid-19 shut down the world in early 2020. Planeloads of international buyers, journalists, photographers, celebrities and models had reassembled on the circuit in numbers not seen in two years, over the moon to be back in the business of fabulousness. Then came Putin’s reality check. “My decision not to use any music was taken as a sign of respect towards the people involved in the unfolding tragedy in Ukraine,” tweeted Giorgio Armani, the first designer to respond publicly to the crisis, after dispatching his models down the runway in total silence. Balenciaga wiped its entire Instagram feed, its only social media activity in the lead up to its 6 March show in Paris being a request for people to donate to the World Food Programme.
“In a time like this, fashion loses its relevance and its actual right to exist. Fashion Week feels like some kind of an absurdity,” read the show notes of Balenciaga Creative Director Demna, for whom the matter was personal. The conflict triggered his own memories of fleeing the Georgian civil war in 1993, initially to Ukraine, as a 10-year-old refugee. After initially considering cancelling the show altogether, he later concluded that that would mean “giving in”. Tweaking his original show concept, which had been intended as a statement on another global crisis—climate change—Demna delivered a dystopian tour de force that was hailed by many as the season’s defining show.
Denne historien er fra August 2022-utgaven av Harper's BAZAAR Singapore.
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Denne historien er fra August 2022-utgaven av Harper's BAZAAR Singapore.
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The Great Unknown
It's a fresh chapter for Thai actress Nuttanicha "Nychaa" Dungwattanawanich as she strikes out on her own.
FINDING XANADU
Adventure, magic and freedom await in the land of the blue sky, Mongolia.
TALKING POINTS
From the worlds of Art, Culture, Travel and Design.
TIMELESS LUXURY
In Hosanna Swee and Tom Chng's stunning apartment, an eye for detail and love for horological collectibles reveals an elegant and minimalist escape.
PRIM FOR PRIMETIME
Chanikarn \"Prim\" Tangkabodee reminisces on her journey from a child actor to a superstar in-the-making.
INSPIRATION
The suave music artiste is no stranger to the world of fashion. In fact, he describes fashion as the forefront of his and his family's personal expression, as well as a form of manners.
WELL, SUITED?
As attitudes towards dress codes shift, is the suit about to exit our closets?
DARK HORSE
In his next role and what is easily his most challenging character to date―actor Brian Ng wants one thing from you: your hatred.
THE POWER OF PERETTI
In a hidden village of Sant Marti Vell in Spain, where Elsa Peretti lived, loved and created enduring symbols of design and beauty for Tiffany & Co., Kenneth Goh traces and marvels at her 50 years of legacy.
REDEFINING ROYALTY
Chaumet's Charles Leung talks to BAZAAR about the beauty and the resilience of the 244-year-old French jewellery brand in a new era.