As someone who is against fast fashion, I hate seeing a trend appear on the runway and then end up poorly replicated in one of those stores everyone loves for their low prices. It leads to overconsumption–you buy the newest trend at the beginning of the year, and then throw it out when you find a new trend at the end of the year. Trends are just another gimmick to make you spend your money; hence, why they typically only last for a season or two. With this in mind, do we really need fashion week anymore?
Designers put months and months of work into a 10-20 minute show. And that’s it. Fashion shows aren’t free to produce. Why not remove the drama and additional stress?
Some of my favorite brands, like Orseund Iris and Omondi only release collections when they want to, rather than displaying during the traditional times in February or September. It’s not forced or fabricated. They create, and then introduce it when they deem it necessary.
Designers don’t put time into their collections just to be remembered as one of the hundreds of shows that occurred during fashion week. They put the work in so you (the consumer) will feel joy when you buy an item and appreciate the hard work they put into it. They create clothing as an outlet for their own creative energy. They create these things because they have a love for art.
It seems that NYFW is no longer about the clothes. It’s about getting into so-and-so’s party, seeing if a celebrity showed up to a certain show, and flocking to Instagram to see which influencer has front row access. I’m starting to believe fashion week is outdated and reduces the excitement surrounding the drop of a collection. It doesn’t hold nearly as much weight as it used to.
It’s time to move on to releasing collections only when a designer wants to, not when the fashion world deems it appropriate.
