Are Fashion Shows Still Necessary?

Are Fashion Shows Still Necessary?

The fashion industry in 2019 is in a really weird place. With constant growth in technology, and ways of living, the industry is finding itself having to adapt in many different ways. One question that is essential in todays age of sustainability is, do we still need the infamous fashion shows? 

There are many pros and cons to fashion shows, and fashion week as a whole. In order to answer the question at hand one needs to break down and understand both sides.

2020 is a major year for climate change and the beginning of a necessary call to action to make change. The United Nations released a report indicating that by February 2020 a hard deadline is set for when we need to begin implementing change in order to keep climate change at survivable levels. To connect this to the fashion industry, garments will still be being produced, sent out, and fashion shows will continue long after the deadline. The carbon footprint of a fashion shows is huge , due to their focus being on spectacle and excess and not sustainability. The main factors contributing to the carbon footprint of fashion shows is their single use sets, lighting, flowers, theatrics, and also the flights taken by the attendees. Some examples of excessive fashion shows are Chanel shows with their elaborate sets and theatrics. A recent example from Chanel to put things into perspective is their 2015 cruise show, where they created an egg-box structure on a man-made island in Dubai which Chanel built as a catwalk. The estimated cost of this show was around 1.7 million dollars. This is an exuberant amount of money spent for a relatively short show. Saint Laurent was also making headlines recently for their Malibu beach show, with critics criticizing how they can bring these carbon emissions to a beach with the current state of our environment. These fashion shows are extremely expensive to make and put on, but they average ten minutes in length. How can this be fair to the environment and also to emerging designers who can’t afford such a grand show. The industry is still pointing towards fashion shows as the answer and it’s what people have come to expect. The industry isn’t as a whole looking for these young designers, if they don’t have a show their reach to buyers has shrunk immensely. Emerging designers also do not have the budget to fly in and pay social influencers to be at their shows. Social influencers are one of the main selling points from fashion shows as they extend the reach and create buzz around the event.  This problem within the industry can also be broken down to what designers are taught at school. They are generally taught that fashion shows are a necessity and to the point that their final project is a fashion show. Thankfully, in today’s age many new designers from school are understanding the environmental and price factors that come with a fashion show. The return on investment from a fashion show is very minimal, Haute couture and runway garments are the lowest selling pieces at most fashion houses. Why does the industry continue to look at fashion shows as the right way when they have so many negative impacts?

The first ever fashion show was in 1903 and since than designers and brands have adopted them as the norm. The reason being is because they do come wit a lot of pros. The number one reason why fashion shows are so important and were essentially created, is for press. Brands need press in order to reach their consumers and ultimately sell goods. When fashion brands put on elaborate shows with celebrity models people become enamoured, they buy into what the brand is selling. One of the most important things in fashion and clothing is seeing how the clothes move and feel. Buyers flock from around the globe to these shows in order to see the clothes in person because a picture can only tell them so much. The fashion show allows all the buyers to do this at the same time making it easier for them and the brand. Due to fashion shows gaining tons of press, they are actually a great way for emerging designers to get their names out there. Buyers who may be new to the brand can be invited to shows in which they fall in love with the brand. With pictures alone this makes it a lot harder for the buyer to fall in love. Also if an emerging designer puts on a spectacular show and it goes “viral” they have just gained a bevy of new potential customers. Fashion shows give the brand a platform to sell and be heard. It opens up their potential clients and allows them to be seen around the world. 

It is clear in today’s society with advancing from of technology and media that fashion shows need to be subject to some sort of change. The environment needs help and as an industry who is one of the leading contributors to climate change, we need to be proactive and make changes anywhere we can. Cutting out the carbon emissions from theses grand fashion shows is a small price to pay when we are faced with the technology we have now. Change needs to be made, cancelling fashion week as a whole won’t work because it will end crucial discussion. Fashion shows are a necessity to the industry, they need to be stripped down to a more simplistic carbon neutral show. Brands also need to look at online alternatives and step away from the single use large sets. They can live stream a show from an already made set, which allows for buyers to see the garments move. They could also focus on look books with fabric swatches and things along the like. In conclusion the fashion industry needs to make some change on how they go about fashion shows. Balance is crucial and finding a happy medium that allows brands to showcase their clothing and create press without creating such a crazy carbon footprint and impacting our environment anymore. Can the fashion industry make the right change and propel itself to a lower carbon footprint?