Fashion Month SS23: Extravagant Staging & Artistic Creativity

ashion month is the time of the year when worldwide press, fashion buyers, designers, celebrities and influencers observe and discuss the seasonal collections. It happens twice a year and jumps between four major fashion capitals of the world (New York, London, Milan and Paris).

This year (September 2022) designers presented ready-to-wear for the Spring/Summer 2023. Some brands presented us with extravagant stage settings while others opted for something more artistic. Here’s some of the highlights of the season.

Some dismiss fashion as superficial but nowadays has become more than that. It’s the way we express ourselves, what values we stand for or an artistic exhibition.

Coperni – Bella Hadid spray painted dress

Sometimes it feels like we’ve seen it all, until brands like Coperni enter the room. Closing its recent PFW SS23 show, it teamed up with the technicians of Fabrican to show us the future of sustainable fashion by spray painting a dress on a model. An almost-naked Bella Hadid walked onto the runway and stood there while two technicians spray-painted a liquid dress onto her body, which turned into a drapey white fabric that was secure enough for her to walk the rest of the catwalk.

Balenciaga "The Mud Show"

Demna never fails to deliver an innovative and incredible runway show, specially when it comes to the fashion week presentations. In his latest show he highlights very current problems like the threat of nuclear war, inequalities and criticises the fashion’s vanity.

This collection it’s also more intimate as it reflect the designers life experience, the struggle of his sexuality and own experience with war. He had to flee Georgia with his family when was a young boy.

The models made the catwalk on a wet track, walls and floor were covered in a thick mud, while ahead surging different heights with numerous pools and puddles of water. Demna has said on his notes that this show is “digging for the truth and being down to earth”.

Fendi’s 25th Anniversary “Baguette Bag” Multi-Collab Show

To celebrate 25 years of the “it bag,” the Italian fashion house returned to New York to present its Resort 2023 collection, collaborating with Tiffany & Co, Marc Jacobs, Sarah Jessica Parker and Porter, all before showing its SS23 collection in Milan.

The focus point for Kim Jones and Silvia Venturini was to incorporate NYC’s elements of street style onto the runway as a tribute of the iconic place were it started. Fendi Baguette was interpreted in various sizes, shape and materials. 

Beate Karlsson for AVAVAV

Beate Karlsson presented a collection conceptualizing the idea of “success and failure.” It incorporated  models falling (in a carefully choreographed move), wearing bathing suits with dollar-sign emblems, extremely oversized hoodies and jackets, padded shoulders and denim. This helped to drive a collection of what means to “look rich”. 99 per cent of the collection was made from deadstock – proving that sustainability can be fun.

Gucci's SS23 "Twinsburg" Show

For SS23 Gucci presented a collection entitled “Gucci Twinsburg,” with the audience seeing double everything.

The venue was enclosed by hundreds of screens with photos, with a recording audio into motion repeating phrases to amplify the notion of two things can be seen as identical but yet complete opposites in reality. Alessandro Michele (creative director of Gucci), it turns out is the child of an identical twin. “I am the son of two mothers”, he says.

During the middle of the show, the wall of photos lifted revealing another set of models wearing the same look, with the final twins emerging from opposite sides of the room and joining hands across the runway. 

Daniel W. Fletcher

In his most recent collection Daniel W. Fletcher showed us how you can be stylish in responsibly sourced clothing, creating garments entirely from deadstock fabrics. With visual references to tailoring and gentleman’s fashion, Fletcher’s collection presents us a vibrant picture of London with current affairs and social issues.

Fate intervened with the Queen’s death, giving a shakeup to everyone. He opened the show with a black suit and arm band, paying tribute to the Queen herself.

Covering these key dates in the fashion calendar offer a huge amount of inspiration to the Studio 104 design, production development and production team. To see how these creative elements have informed our bespoke uniforms head to our portfolio page. For our detailled and unique process, from uniform concept to manufacture and delivery, head to our process page. 

Written by Cristina - Studio Administrative & Development Assistant 

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