Gimmicks, Viral Moments, and the New Era of Fashion
What is the most memorable fashion moment from the past year? Maybe it was Bella Hadid’s spray-on Coperni dress, or Kim Kardashian wearing Marylin Monroe’s dress at the Met Gala. Perhaps it was when model’s fell over at the Avavav show, or, most recently, Schiaparelli’s animal heads hanging off of clothing at Paris Fashion week.
Photo: Luca Tombolini via the New York Times
As algorithms on apps increasingly narrate what we see and how long we see it for, industries are adapting and trying to fit in. The fashion industry is no exception, and brands are turning more and more to creative gimmicks in order to be relevant.
The internet and its users seem to have shorter and shorter attention spans: we watch shorter and shorter videos, cycle through trends more quickly than ever before, and rush through news cycles. In order to keep up with this rapidly moving world, fashion brands and influencers are coming up with viral moments to ensure that they are talked about- if not for their clothing, then at all. The more shocking, the more viral, the better.
Photo: Federico Pompei via Vogue
Coperni had an entire collection for spring 2023; yet, the only piece that was talked about at all was Bella Hadid’s spray-on dress. Likewise, despite all of the other celebrities that attended the 2022 Met Gala, the only person anyone talked about was Kim K: her weight loss, the dress, the damage done to the dress. And so on, and so on.
Photo: Lexie Moreland via WWD
In terms of marketing, these stunts are, of course, brilliant. If the key to being successful is being talked about, then the masterminds behind these moments are geniuses. However, there is a certain tragic loss that is also happening; gimmicks are becoming the focus of the fashion industry, which means that the art itself is being neglected.
Take, for example, Schiaparelli’s spring 2023 show. All anyone could talk about from this collection were the giant, realistic animal heads on some pieces, including one worn by Kylie Jenner, who attended the show. No matter what you thought of these controversial animal heads, it is true that they distracted from the rest of the collection which was beautiful, artistic, and avant garde.
Photo: Jacopo Raule via W Magazine
The fashion industry is, like any industry, capitalist at its core. However, the reason that so many people care so much about fashion is that it is also a deeply artistic practice, full of self expression and creativity. By focusing on marketing gimmicks over everything else, we are stripping fashion of its most valuable principle; the ethos of artistic expression and appreciation.