In the last few months, we’ve seen seismic shifts within the fashion industry. Some brands have revamped their fashion calendars altogether, while others have showed collections digitally or without an audience, but one common ground amongst designers is that many expressed a move towards more pared down collections, both in size and in aesthetic. At Louis Vuitton, Nicholas Ghesquiere spent his time in quarantine resetting his focus, creating a more relaxed collection and focusing more on wearability than the avant-garde.
MSGM’s Massimo Giorgetti spoke to Vouge in March, expressing intrigue towards how collections would look amidst this global pandemic we find ourselves in. He questioned how brand’s would resume business in a post-COVID world: Would consumers still have an appetite towards shopping? Would they prefer pure minimalism, or glamour and fun as a reprieve from all that’s been happening in the world?
Though now it is clear that a post-pandemic world is months, if not years ahead, we’ve also begun to see the shift towards more relaxed and wearable fashion moving forward. But, what does this mean for the collections that are releasing now? How will consumers relate to RTW, shoes and accessories that were designed in a pre-pandemic world? From odd shapes and exaggerated details to glamorous designs that feel more dressy and less appropriate for the everyday, are fall’s newest design’s destined for failure?
While mid and end of season sales may help indicate the success of these bags, which were designed during a period that seems like a lifetime ago, many of the new designs we’re seeing feel anything but paired down and wearable. As times are changing, our bags are too and the over the top glitz and glamour of some these designs feels off-putting and unrealistic.
