Yesterday Instagram almost imploded with one single story - The Simpsons X Balenciaga - that literally broke the Internet.
Balenciaga summoned up in Paris for the brand's S/S 22 runway the fashion elite last Saturday evening. Gathered at the Théâtre du Châtelet, the industry guests were expecting a conventional runway, but they were instead confronted by a 20-minute livestream of a mock red carpet with celebrities and professional models arriving wearing the new collection or designs by Balenciaga and posing for the paparazzi and the screaming crowds outside the theatre.
It was a sort of photocall preceding a film premiere in full Met Gala style. Among the celebrities there were Cardi B in a Philip Treacy hat from the Balenciaga Couture runway and a trenchcoat printed with a collage of celebrity magazines, Lewis Hamilton and Elliot Page, the latter in a heavy metal incarnation of Balenciaga's Crocs (renamed for this collection "Hard Crocs" and featuring a metal-fortified platform with a cyber goth aesthetic, silver metal rivets and a Balenciaga nameplate on the front) and photographer Juergen Teller (who seems to be enjoying being on the other side of the camera, he starred indeed also in JW Anderson's S/S 22 lookbook).
Professional models were joined by some members of the Balenciaga staff design team and Creative Director Demna Gvasalia appeared at the very end, his identity erased in a look that evoked the attire the designer created for Kim Kardashian at the latest Met Gala.
"The Red Carpet Collection", a mix of streetwear, daywear, tailoring, eveningwear and of what the brand calls "proto-couture" pieces, featured all the favourite tropes of Gvasalia, from big shoulders to extreme silhouettes, some of them vaguely reminiscent of Balenciaga's original garments inspired by paintings but transformed into their more extreme incarnations from the ultra-slim to the gargantuan passing through the incredibly baggy.
There was a sustainable twist in the upcycled denim and the plant-based leather made from a mix of fibers derived from cactus and bio polymers.
The shoes were a bit cringing, though, going from the Space Shoe, a futuristic coffin-shaped classic derby in a single mold made entirely of sustainable EVA, to loafers transformed into slippers, sneakers with extreme tire tread, and boots incorporating a stiletto sandal worn over a sock.
The red carpet was followed by a special episode of The Simpsons that sent the fashion crowd to heaven: in the cartoon Homer Simpson tried to surprise Marge with a very special Balenciaga gown for her birthday, a present that turns into an unexpected occasion for the whole of Springfield to be join a runway show in Paris.
The 10-minute special took the piss out of the name of the brand ("Balun, Balloon, Baleen", says Homer, struggling with the pronounciation) and made fun of some of Gvasalia's trademark designs including his beloved oversized shoulder pads and puffer jackets (Marge struggles to navigate the door in her gown).
Highlights included Marge in a Ferrero Rocher-like golden gown with an oversized bow on the back, twins Sherri and Terri in matching black bell-shaped velvet gowns and Homer in a red puffa jacket (all garments from the S/S 20 collection - View this photo and View this photo) and there was also a cameo featuring Anna Wintour.
It was one of those pop culture moments that could have only happened in Paris and that probably made some designers jealous (Jeremy Scott may now be wondering why he never thought about doing such a collaboration…).
Yet the reaction to the whole event felt like being transported into William Klein's "Qui êtes-vous, Polly Maggoo?" and in particular being part of Ducasse's surreal show with unwearable and bizarre outfits and with Miss Maxwell enthusiastically acclaiming him as a genius.
Indeed, fashion-wise there wasn't much to see as the clothes were typical Gvasalia with not much else in sight, the usual crossover between Vêtements and Balenciaga that we got accustomed to season after season.
The coverage it got and the fact that the episode was all over the Internet, though, proved that this was a total fashion coup for Gvasalia.
Yet, after 18 months of Coronavirus-imposed intermittent isolation all over the world, you realise that fashion has radically changed but maybe not for the better. It is clear that, while it may still be into accessories (there is always an emphasis in most collections on shoes and bags), the industry is indeed not so much about clothes, but it is looking for new forms of entertainment. Clothes seem to have become secondary as if what surrounds them or the way they are presented is more important than the actual designs.
You may argue that this trend started a while back, but clothes still seemed to be important. Ten or maybe twelve years ago, the dream would have been doing a short film with a proper director and featuring clothes from your new collection in this movie. A famous model or actor starring in the film or in your runway would have been a smashing bonus, obviously.
Then came multiple collaborations, fashion designers doing costumes for performances in an attempt to attract younger audiences to more traditional forms of performing arts, such as ballet and opera, and runways also turning into unique dance performances. But now brands are rushing to get their videogames, their skins for videogame characters, their NFTs, and possibly their menus and branded food.
Clothes have become secondary and that's a bit worrying for those designers and houses - from independent to established ones - that prefer to focus on fabric research, innovative production practices and sustainable/ethical collections.
Besides, let's face it, creative minds who are more focused on such aspects or who have been working on finding new ways to recycle leftovers from previous collections and collaborate with NGOs to guarantee jobs to people - especially women - in developing countries, will never have the money to pull such tricks and have a short episode of a popular series dedicated to them.
They will never be able to compete at such level, and it's not that you can not compete because you don't have the necessary skills. You can't compete because you don't have the money to arrange all this, nor the attention of the media. There have been indeed other designers who came up with great collaborations with renowned animators this season, but they didn't get the attention Balenciaga had.
In a way it feels that Coronavirus put the fashion beast on pause, only to unleash it again in full force, and now it's more thirsty than it was in its constant search for money, media revenue and attention.
Balenciaga's Gvasalia has been particularly good in its attention-seeking techniques: you need to attack the social media fortress every day or week with something new and possibly a tad bizarre. So, last year it was about a fashion collection launched with a videogame; a few months ago the maison was hacking Gucci, a couple of weeks ago it was about the skins for Fortnite, on Saturday it was The Simpsons. And this may be just the beginning.
On its site Balenciaga claims, "The Simpsons for Balenciaga is the latest in a progression of activations that push certain boundaries set up between fashion and other forms of entertainment, culture and technology, shifting the brand away from an easily definable category." You can therefore expect that more will follow. So what's next? Who knows, a vineyard to produce their own wine? Pharmaceuticals sponsored by Balenciaga? (Will other brands follow? will we see a Spongebob episode for Marc Jacobs? After the My Little Ponies or Sesame Street collectiond for Moschino, will we also see shows dedicated to the brand?). As usual, time will tell.
As fashion enters a new dimension, you realise you don't need a designer anymore to direct a fashion house, but a skilled ringmaster and some very entertaining numbers and shows that can keep the audiences emotionally and constantly engaged.
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