It’s been over two months of lockdown in most of Europe, and it appears as though some of us are lucky enough to be emerging on the other end. Air travel is slowly resuming, with EasyJet announcing the resumption of their currently grounded flights in mid June, Twitter announced the possibility of forever work-from-home (because that’s how you really save on rent?) and finally President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden went head-to-head in a bid to win presidency, but for the first time ever it is a battle being fought virtually. Meanwhile, here’s your weekly roundup of everything that made headlines this week in fashion.
Pyer Moss pioneered drive-in fashion
@pyermoss Discloses Plans for a Drive-In Event for #NYFW-> https://t.co/fArnUPYSta by @ElisaCarassai #KerbyJeanRaymond #PyerMoss pic.twitter.com/dnTuuM85dg
— NOWFASHION (@NOWFASHION) May 21, 2020
New York-based fashion label Pyer Moss announced new plans to unveil a drive-in movie theatre in September for New York Fashion Week. The movie being played? American, Also, a film centred around all the work that goes behind the making of a collection for the brand. “It’s always been our mission to show the amount of thinking and labouring that goes behind putting together a collection—we’ve been slowing down the speed of how much we produce and improving the quality of what we produce throughout the years,” said designer Kerby Jean-Raymond. The aim behind the film is to showcase the love, care and attention with which him and his team create collections and their appreciation for fashion as an art form and communication tool, not just a commercial venture—perfectly in tune with a larger reflection by the industry that is being forced to slow down due to the pandemic.
Solange and Saint Heron made graduation plans
Solange’s Saint Heron Partners With Parsons School Of Design To Celebrate Class Of 2020 https://t.co/rPqif5p6HB
— Black America Press (@blkamericapress) May 21, 2020
Graduation is a momentous occasion for students everywhere—it is the end of years of hard work, a leap into adulthood and of course a lot of celebrating with friends and family. Unfortunately for this years graduating classes, these precious moments have been robbed due to COVID-19. But NYC’s Parsons School of Fashion is teaming up with Solange and her creative agency Saint Heron, to provide its students with an immersive visual festival, ‘Here and Now’, to recognise the thesis work of the class of 2020. The festival is scheduled from June until August and will include mentorship opportunities, online lectures, films, performances and design workshops. “With ‘Here and Now’ we are providing our graduating students and the creative community a space for discovery and growth,” said Jason Kass, interim dean of fashion at Parsons School of Design.
Billie Eilish teamed up with Takashi Hurakami
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This week, Billie Eilish brought chaotic energy to a new clothing collab with Japanese artist Takashi Hurakami, to be sold at everyone’s favourite staple, Uniqlo. The 18-year-old singer is no stranger to fashion collaborations having previously dropped collections with H&M and Urban Outfitters. The collection was teased last night on Uniqlo’s Instagram with an obscure all-white video featuring a digital statue that screams Hurakami, adorning a t-shirt with Billie’s name on it. Simply captioned ‘Coming Soon’, it’s hard to predict what Eilish’s next fashion collab will manifest as.
Fashion’s head honchos called for industry change
The Council for Fashion Designers of America and British Fashion Council have released a joint statement, backing recently assembled groups of industry players calling for large changes to how the fashion industry operates #fashionreset #fashionindustry https://t.co/FIgyyDuSdR pic.twitter.com/LdpAFwy9Tx
— TheIndustry.fashion (@theindustryfash) May 21, 2020
The fashion industry has been hit hard by the pandemic, with stores being forced to remain closed for week—or months—on end. Amidst furloughs, lay-offs and even bankruptcies, the industry has been slowed down for the first time in what feels like forever, and many industry leaders have stepped up to discuss the importance of reevaluating how they function. The British Fashion Council of America and the Council for Fashion Designers of America have put out a joint statement lending their support to the industry—calling for a much needed change by considering both its ethical and sustainable impact. “We are united in our steadfast belief that the fashion system must change, and it must happen at every level,” read the statement. “We are listening to many conversations taking place,” it continued. It’s about time one of the most unethical industries in the world makes changes, and we are here to stan it.
The Met Gala made headlines (again)
There will be no Met Gala this year!https://t.co/04SaVwEhlS
— Accelerate (@AccelerateTV) May 21, 2020
Perhaps the world’s most fabled fashion event, The Met Gala, had naturally been unable to function per normal due to coronavirus chaos. The event, which is always scheduled for the first Monday in May, had previously postponed the event until later this year when the situation had calmed down. But as of this week, the event has been officially cancelled—much like 2020 itself. The Met’s 2020 spring exhibition—which would have been in tune with the theme of the night— About Time: Fashion and Duration is still set to go ahead and open from October 29 to February 7th 2021.
