Fashion shows are a bid showcase a brand’s latest collection to potential customers & buyers, of course. Because really, that’s where the business is at. But the buzz, the appeal & the sensationalism around it? That’s the top tier magnet, folks. Something that’ll tickle the fancy of our spectacle-hungry minds.
And a outlandish location apart from the usual ramp is what will undoubtedly get the show-goers, journalists & influencer biggies enticed. Industry mammoths like Chanel, Dior & Balenciaga have seen the gains of such exhibitionism & have thus, bet their bucks on arranging shows in the most exotic, sometimes mind-bending & maybe eerie locations.
Let’s run through a few of these iconic fashion shows:
Chanel Fall 2014
Late fashion-wizard Karl Lagerfeld‘s genius, coupled with Chanel’s ever-increasing thirst to produce the most enchanting spectacles, leads to a crammed front row amidst a supermarket. And mind you, the whole set was a charade & not a real supermarket. The aisles were lined with fake goods & branded with the house’s logogram making a mini Chanelverse of sorts.
Having opened with the brand’s treasured icon Cara Delavigne, the tweed-heavy, preppy rockstar girlfriend ‘esque collection is still celebrated to this day.
Dior Cruise 2016
Held at Pierre Cardin’s Bubble House on Côte d’Azur, Dior’s 2016 Cruise presentation was an architectural tour de force. Envisioned by Raf Simons during his tenure as creative head at the now Chuiri-helmed French house, the rust coloured, space age inspired backdrop melded surprisingly well with the structured casualness of the collection.
YSL SS 2019
Lined with palm trees at either ends of the ramp, this YSL presentation began right under the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Featuring short hemlines, risqué cutouts & black galore, the pantyhose doused collection was a nod to sexual liberation in 80s France. Name a more iconic location to highlight the country’s cultural upheaval, we’re waiting.
Jacquemus SS 2021
There are always two things about Jacquemus’ fashion shows:
A) Simon Porte will pick/ build the most serene venue.
B) The models & show-goers will genuinely soak in the pleasant aura, flaunting the biggest grin ear to ear.
For his spring 2021 collection, Jacquemus ferried all the guests to a wheat field, lined with a curved ramp for the models. Ought to resemble a harvest festival, this mid-pandemic show is considered one of the most viral fashion moments of the decade.
Dolce Gabbana Alta Moda 2019
Staged in Valle dei Templi aka Mr. Dolce’s native town Sicily, the Alta Moda 2019 collection found inspiration in the tales of Greek & Roman mythology. With metallic capes, ornate headgears & bows dipped in gold, the accessorization mandate was taken seriously, albeit a little too inspired by King Midas. The archaeological site served as the perfect catalyst in complementing the theatrics of the collection, a recurrent marker of most D&G lineups.
Balenciaga Fall 2022
Demna’s vision for Balenciaga’s FW 2022 fashion show was rooted in the injustices faced by Ukrainians in their ongoing Russian conflict. Held at the Parc des Expositions du Bourget, the artificial snow & the mildly induced tornado-like setting was a metaphor for fearlessness & resistance showcased by models aka the refugees marching in the aforementioned conditions. Power & purpose – fashion at its purest deliverance.
Images Via Getty & Pinterest
Also Read: 5 Fashion Shows That Had The Theatrics, Drama And The Bizarre
