Does Fashion Week Still Have A Purpose?

Do fashion weeks still have a purpose? 

Fashion shows just aren’t what they used to be anymore and it’s down to the by the technological epidemic of the world.  In their prime fashion weeks were presentations for a room of potential customers and a few others, essentially a marketing scheme. However, over time they have turned into a marketing spectacles aimed at mass audiences with thousands visiting and millions more steaming online.

A fashion week, there is probably no better way for fashion labels to get people to take notice of a label than a fashion week because of the level of interest it attracts. As a marketing campaign they’re excellent at promoting the label and promoting its content. Even further often these things act as networking event for industry heads to congregate. There is also the aspect of the creativity that these events breed because often they’re not only marketing spectacles but visually aesthetic spectacles too. 

In spite of all this over time the real essence of fashion weeks have changed. In the modern day fashion weeks have been less about the clothing and more about the prestige of the event. (However with an increasing amount of fashion weeks introduced globally even the aspect of prestige has somewhat seemed lessen.

Initially the system of the runways meant that clothing and material was not only to promote but for designers to find retail buyers, however in many cases the clothing wouldn’t be available for another 4 months, this often resulted in a loss of momentum and buzz around the work as customers and stock buyers has to wait. Customers have grown tired of waiting and often wanted to for the moment. 

Though this way of working still exists, it has arguably lost step with a world where everything is instantly visible on social media, where brands can use their websites to bypass store partners and sell straight to shoppers themselves because of the upsurge in technological advancements made in recent years. Tom Ford sum this point up by stating ’In world that has become increasingly immediate, the current way of showing a collection four months before it is available to consumers is outdated’.

Technological advancement has meant that this manner of branding and promoting has come secondary to the likes of social media ie Instagram. 

In this form designers can promote their content more consistently and in a cheaper manner. The only possible note is that with it being behind a screen there is less creative expression that a fashion week has that ultimately allows brands to bring a uniqueness their work. However,  these benefits have come subservient when looking at the money that can be saved for brands when using technology to promote themselves. Using Instagram in many cases has been cheaper for the designer - not having to worry about the cost of models and the room itself and photographers for their clothes to be featured in magazines to be viewed to the general public. 

These forces are slowly but surely transforming the fashion industry.