This week, coronavirus continued to dominate headlines everywhere and Harvey Weinstein was transferred from his cushy hospital bed to Riker’s Island. As tensions rise during this global pandemic; courtesy of INDIE, here are some things you might have missed in the fashion world this week.
Jean Paul Gaultier passed the torch
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Back in January, Jean Paul Gaultier announced his surprise goodbye to fashion, after half a century in the industry, but the French haute couture icon reassured fans that all was not lost, “Gaultier Paris will continue, haute couture will continue. I have a new concept; I’ll tell you about it later, I’ll tell you all the little secrets. But it is going to continue.” Proving to be a man of his word, Gaultier has announced his plan to invite a guest designer each season “to interpret the codes of the House”. Sacai’s Chitose Abe is the first designer to be given the keys to the esteemed House; the Japanese designer trained with Rei Kawakubo at Comme des Garçons, as well as working with Junya Watanabe before birthing Sacai in 1999. This will be Abe’s first time designing couture, and it is confirmed she will have complete creative control over the collection. Haute couture fans will be eagerly awaiting the final result—watch this space.
Shanghai Fashion Week followed Armani’s advice
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Modern problems require modern solutions. Coronavirus panic shook this season’s Fashion Weeks, many designers pulled out, and some cities in Asia cancelled the event altogether. Shanghai didn’t give up too easily, initially postponing their Fashion Week rather than cancelling. As the virus took over Northern Italy during Milan Fashion Week, Giorgio Armani made the move to show his collection to an empty theatre, opting to livestream it online to “to support national efforts in safeguarding public health”. Shanghai Fashion Week have followed suit and teamed up with Alibaba to livestream the entire event via Tmall. Vice Secretary of Shanghai Fashion Week’s Xiaolei Lv told WWD that “Tmall promises to direct millions of traffics to our designers. This means brands will be able to generate more sales, and many of them can be saved from bankruptcy amid this difficult time.” Shanghai Fashion Week’s “Special Edition – Tmall Cloud Fashion Week” will run from the 24th to 30th of March.
Givenchy rumours became reality
Givenchy’s CEO is exiting too — ALLEGEDLY — but tbh he didn’t care about his employees and had no vision for the business.
— @PAM_BOY (@pam_boy) February 29, 2020
@PAM_BOY has been at it again—stirring rumours and gossip in the Twittersphere. This time, he claimed (in a very shade-filled tweet) that Givenchy’s CEO, Philippe Fortunato, may be on the way out. Rumours turned out to be reality, as the House today confirmed they would be replacing him with Dior’s head, Renaud de Lesquen. According to an internal announcement, Fortunato said he would be leaving the position to “pursue a personal project”. Mysterious. Any speculations on what that “project” is, PAM_BOY?
Coronavirus claimed more fashion casualties
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The infamous virus has been sparking fear in every corner of the world, leading to countless closures and cancellations. Schools, sports events, concerts, conferences, expos, summits, workplaces, and even Mariah Carey refused to risk it for coronavirus. It’s no secret that the fashion industry has been hit hard by the global pandemic—stocks have plunged, Fashion Weeks are shook, and sales have dropped. Some of the biggest names in the industry are postponing or calling off their shows left, right and centre; Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Prada, Chanel and Versace are amongst many labels that have decided to call off or delay their upcoming shows. Meanwhile, Tokyo and South Korea’s Fashion Weeks have also been cancelled altogether. Most recently, Nike made the decision to temporarily shut down four of their corporate offices, including their HQs in London and Amsterdam, in order to “deep clean” after some employees were confirmed to have the virus. The fashion industry was one of the hardest hit by the virus, and we can only expect to see more fashion casualties as the pandemic worsens.
North West stole the spotlight
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No DNA test is needed, North West’s confidence could have only been inherited from her dad. After Kanye West put on a surprise Sunday Service at Paris Fashion Week, North West aka “Northie” took the stage to rap (and scream) at the Yeezy Season 8 show, as models strutted past her in her dad’s designs. The 6-year-old was born and bred to take the spotlight—but despite her age, she’s not immune to criticism. Her parents are the couple everyone loves to hate, so naturally, everyone loves to hate their small child too. She has already been accused stealing the rap from ZaZa… a five-year-old rapper. Start ’em young.
