The State of Runway Fashion (Reverie)

Writer Carl Ayers recently “sat down with” our Co-Founder, R. Scott French, to chat about the current state of runway fashion, for a piece he was writing for FashionReverie.com.  The results of the conversation are now posted on www.FashionReverie.com in a great article that sheds light & sparks conversation around just what the future of fashion week may look like.

Here’s the first quote by Scott:

This pivot is still relatively new for the fashion industry, and brands are trying to find what direction is the right path for them, whether that means altering the schedule of when they create their designs, or how they present their collections to the press and public, or how they engage their customers and sell merchandise. With over twenty-five years in fashion, Very New York co-founder R Scott French is one of the few people who has first-hand understanding of three sides of the industry. Having spent time as a CFDA designer, former fashion editor, and current publicist and fashion show producer, he notes that this pandemic shutdown can be good for the trade. Speaking of the burnout of designers and retailers, French contends that, “this will lead to equality, leveling of the playing field. [We] get off the hamster wheel, repair it, and move forward in an exciting manner that makes it feel real once again.” He also notes the fashion community will “clean up and put more energy into it and give new faces to, once again, be part of it.”

Here’s the second:

Charvit went on to say “there’s a digital identity that’s already happening, that one needs to embrace; [it] asks do we have guests or do we have viewers, or are they becoming one?” Bong Guerrero, CEO of Fashion Forward Dubai, says that digital is important to extend the format of a presentation, but the offline element is still vital to build a community and organic following. In the same Vogue Global Conversations panel, Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing adds, “digital can push your dream to the maximum. At the same time, I completely agree that we need to have an experience, a real experience. Digital cannot bring the real experience.” Scott French is currently working on a fashion award show slated for later this year. This year, it will take place virtually, instead of in-person, and his team is exploring digital options to realize what is possible. French also holds a firm belief that the 2021 event will not go back to the way it was in 2019; rather, it will incorporate digital elements of 2020, as well as live elements of 2019, thereby broadening the brands’ footprint. French explains, “Fashion will be the same way. Whatever results you get from the digital experience, you will have a digital plus a physical experience going forward.”

Thanks for including us Carl!

Read the full article here.

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