Online Fashion Events 2020
By:
Chitranshu Sihania
Fashion events and covid don't go hand in hand. Yes, 2020 destructed all our hopes for fashion events, even our lifestyles are greatly hampered by these disturbances. Travels and public gatherings being restricted due to covid, major events have kicked off. But, as they say, where there is a will there is a way, especially when it comes to fashion. Therefore, fashion events are here to stay!
Although the events were radically different this year with some restrictions, the craze and enthusiasm were pretty much the same among people. Canceling the physical shows, the events’ organizers opted to present the collections digitally. So, people, fashion weeks aren’t dead! They’re back with the live-streamed catwalk shows.
Catch up here for the world’s top fashion events of 2020.
- LONDON FASHION WEEK:
The event was held at the Somerset House, London, the U.K. Starting from 17 to 22 September 2020, the event showcased gender-neutral collections by over 80 designers. Digitally, the event was aired on www.londonfashionweek.co.and physical events were carried out adhering to the social distancing norms. This official digital hub of LFW was made accessible to everyone. The event kick-started with a live stream show on Twitch from Burberry, followed by Agne Kuzmickaite SS21 launch digitally. Other designers to participate were Bora Aksu, Erdem, Victoria Beckham, Bethany Williams, Halpern, Pronounce, and others.
- MILAN FASHION WEEK:
Italy’s first-ever completely digital fashion week took place from 14 to 17 July 2020. The event showcased the spring/summer men’s and women’s pre-collections 2021. The show was broadcasted on Camera Della Moda’s official website and its social media platforms. About the digital show, Carlo Capasa, president of Camera Della Moda said “It’s something very mixed. Everybody can decide their own message. The advantage is that in a digital world, you are completely free. You find your way of expression”. Some popular names of brands that presented their collections here are Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Prada, Alberta Ferretti, Federico Cina, United Standards, Dsquared -2 among others.
- PARIS HAUTE COUTURE WEEK:
The Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode canceled the physical form of the event and replaced it with the digital one. The Fall/Winter collection was showcased digitally from 6 to 8 July 2020 over several social media platforms like youtube, google, Instagram, Facebook, Hylink, and The New York Times. The federation also clinched a partnership with ‘Launchmetrics’, a digital platform to broadcast the event live. A video storytelling format was chosen by Dior to showcase its couture 2020 collection. Balmain live-streamed its couture collection exclusively on TikTok. Alexis Mabille opted for bold colors and textures for his collection including lame jersey dresses, showstopping coats, and statement jumpsuits. Chanel showcased a new side of her designs with heavy embellishments and 80’s inspired party dresses. Other designers to flaunt their collections were Schiaparelli, Ralph & Russo, Elie Saab, Rahul Mishra, Viktor & Rolf, Valentino, Iris Van Herpen, and some more.
- NEW YORK FASHION WEEK:
The event was a mix-up of virtual and live events with some in-person shows. The event took place from 13 to 16 September 2020. CFDA launched a new platform called ‘Runway 360’ where people could watch the show live and buyers could directly connect with the designers. Some big names in the fashion industry opted out of the event due to covid complications. Among them are Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren, Oscar de la Renta, Michael Kors, and Tory Burch. On the other hand, Jason Wu, Rebecca Minkoff, and Christian Siriano went for an in-person show. The event went off smoothly with Jason Wu’s collection and a sizzling Harlem fashion row. No spectators were allowed for any NYFW indoor events.
- LAKME FASHION WEEK:
Held from 21 to 25 October 2020, the event was forecasted on a high-tech virtual platform where all the designers showcased their collections through live streams, fashion films, pre-recorded videos, and webinars. The event’s primary content platform is ‘The Virtual Hub’ which included the state of the art curated shows. Keeping in mind the covid safety norms, over 800 covid tests were carried out while filming the event at St. Regis Hotel, Mumbai. Different designers to showcase their collections here were Punit Balana, Manish Malhotra, Aneeth Arora of PERU, Sanjay Garg of RAW MANGO, Urvashi Kaur, Payal Khandwala among others. A stunning bridal collection ‘RUHAANIYAT’ was presented by Manish Malhotra and Mijwan. Another sight-catching fuzz-free millennium bride collection ‘Nazira’ was presented by designer Anushree Reddy. Payal Khandwala got inspired by the jamdani techniques of West Bengal. Designer Ridhi Mehra presented her collection called ‘Reflections’ inspired by the royal heritage of Kutch. Supermodels like Lakshmi Rana, Deepti Gujral, and Candice Pinto were seen flaunting the beautiful collections.
- MERCEDES BENZ FASHION WEEK:
The event took place in 8 Moscow-based venues, Russia. Starting from 19 to 23 October 2020, the phygital event was broadcasted on various digital platforms and media websites along with VK, Russia’s largest network. “Our objective is to prevent crowding and comply with every letter of the sanitary guidelines introduced because of the coronavirus infection spreading.” says the MBFW organizers. Experimenting with the fashion week format, MBFW became the first fashion week to live stream the show from 6 different locations all over the world. St. Petersburg, Sochi, Krasnodar, and Ykutsu based designers had special shows at the event. Indonesian designers live-streamed all the way from Jakarta in the event. Designers to flaunt their collections in the show were K Titova, Brevno, Lokoto, Math, o5o, Julia Dalakian, Tsiganova, Hard by HSE Art and Design School, Otocyon, Mardo, Sergey Sysoev, Institute of Business & Design (B&D), Vakproject among others.
- ARAB FASHION WEEK:
Arab Fashion Council organized the digital Arab Fashion Week 2020 from 21- 24 October. Supported by Microsoft, the event was also forecasted on Facebook. “Dream bigger, the power to achieve more” eas the theme of the event which was powered digitally by the Cloud infrastructure of Microsoft. The Fashion Icon of the Arab world, Maya Diab declared the fashion week open. Designers from the middle east, Asia, Europe, and America showcased their heart-throbbing collections at the event, along with a complete day dedicated to Brazilian designers. For the ones willing to purchase the dresses, a digital showroom platform JOOR was used. The event managers also teamed up with Nikon to ensure proper designs. A see now buy now approach was also introduced by AFW to conveniently buy the looks from Instagram or AFW’s e-commerce store.
The flattening of the covid curves made it possible for us to witness the fashion weeks. There’s no stopping for the world of fashion even in these hard times. And as Coco Chanel rightly said, “Every day is a fashion show and the world is the runway.” “Fashion has two purposes- comfort and love.” And this is well proved by the above fashion shows which catered to our love and compassion for fashion from the comfort of our homes by organizing phygital shows.
