At the just-concluded New York Fashion Week Spring-Summer 2018 we saw many top designers giving the Week a miss. There were plenty of noteworthy absentees: Yeezy, Rag & Bone, Lacoste, Rodarte, Proenza Schouler, Thom Browne, Tommy Hilfiger, Monique Lhuillier, and Joseph Altuzarra. While we know some of them are going to show in Paris and London, others have quietly disappeared off the schedule.
Rag & Bone didn’t just ditch NYFW but ditched the concept of a physical show or presentation altogether, which in a time like this is quite admirable. The New York-based brand made a bold move by investing the money that would’ve gone to a show towards a more philanthropic endeavor. Monique Lhuillier made a more strategic decision to align her Spring 2018 collection with the couture shows in Paris this season.
Now another big name – Gareth Pugh has given the runway a skip at the ongoing London Fashion Week Spring-Summer 2018. Gareth Pugh has collaborated with fashion photograher and film-maker, Nick Knight to make a fashion film that will be premiered during the London Fashion Week. This is a 16-minute film shot by Knight, choreographed by Wayne McGregor and showcasing the designer’s new collection – albeit in a dystopic, visually-overwhelming way. Featuring the artist Olivier de Sagazan, one scene sees him and Pugh mould their faces together with clay. When asked why did he skip the traditional runway to a film to showcase his spring-summer 18 collection, Gareth Pugh said, “I love the idea of being able to control what people take away. It’s very important to me that the work is seen in the right context and sometimes it’s super difficult to achieve that with a traditional show. With film, you’re able to create an immersive world where people can essentially lose themselves. Especially showing it somewhere like the IMAX – there’s potential to really get under people’s skin. I love the fact that the best seats at the IMAX are in the back row, rather than in the front row, too. Nobody’s got anything to look at other than the work. Sometimes the shows can be a lot about who’s there, and what people are wearing. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love the fashion week ‘circus’. I just think sometimes it’s necessary to bring it back to what’s important, which is ideas and creativity. So obviously that’s why I asked Nick to come on this journey with me.”
The collection has lot of burnt gold, copper, blood red and typically Gareth Pugh style of noir treatment with dramatic oversized fold and tucks. Lot of stripes, flame prints, assymetrical silhouettes and trenches are visible in the film. Have a look here: https://youtu.be/pzi6JIzj6N8