Words by Isobel Preece, Writer

Fashion shows have always been the most impactful way for designers to hit headlines and get publicity during fashion weeks. Is there a better mode of self-expression than the runway? Throughout history the runway has been ever evolving to reflect the changing opinions of the time, and is key for brands to reflect their identities whilst marketing products to sell to audiences. New trends are constantly debuted through the runway-from Givenchy’s Spring 2022 psychedelic prints to Dolce’s upcycled y2k trends from their 2000s collections. But what about the moments from the past? Below I’ve highlighted my favourite key runways moments-reflecting back on the most well-known moments from the 80s to 2000s.

Starting with the bold, in the 80s the runway belonged to Katherine Hamnet’s politicised slogan t-shirts. In AW84 at London Fashion Week, models wore plain t-shirts with bold black lettering that brought to the audience’s attention the environmental and ethical issues of the time. With the slogans, such as STOP ACID RAIN, through the runway Hamnet turned the modest t-shirt into a universally recognisable fashion statement. Even decades later her designs remain relevant, with her t-shirts making a comeback in 2017 with the punchy statement: FASHION HATES BREXIT.

Hamnet’s minimalistic designs-yet powerful statements-contrasts with the bold striking colours used by Alexander McQueen in his No. 13 Spring 1999 show. On the runway McQueen used two programmed robots to transform Sharlom Harlow’s simple white multi-layered dress into a dystopian piece, through spraying black and neon yellow car paint onto the dress. During McQueen’s piece of performance art, the whole creative process was made visible for the audience to react to and contrasted Harlow’s fragile beauty with the violence of the machine. In an interview for Time Out Magazine McQueen declared: ‘I want to empower women. I want people to be afraid of the women I dress.’ Thus perfectly summarising this experimental and unforgettable feat on the runway.

The subsequent most memorable runway moment occurred in November 2002, when four PETA activists crashed the Victoria’s Secret runway. The plain clothed activists brandished signs stating: “Gisele: fur scum” since her brand deal with the fur company Blackgama was revealed. Arguably this intrusion had the largest effect on the fashion industry as a whole, as Gisele began to use her platform as a model to condemn the use of real fur and secure her position as an animal activist (as covered in Vogue Paris-August 2017).

During the 2010s headlines were dominated by Delevigne’s recognisable brows, which landed the nickname “power brows.” Similar to Twiggy’s iconic lashes of the 60s, Delevigne’s oversized brows became a recognisable statement on the runway- one that audiences could easily replicate themselves. In the Topshop 2014 London Fashion Week Spring/summer show 2015 (Sept 2014) Delevinge’s dark eyebrows gave her a look distinct from all the other models.

In 2020 Covid hit and lockdowns changed the fashion industry forever. When audiences weren’t allowed to gather in-person for shows, digital catwalks dominated screens as an alternative method to present clothes. The relatively new integration of technology reminded me of McQueen’s hologram of Kate Moss he projected for the audience in his show: “Windows of Culloden. Fall/winter 2006.” These new digital runways allowed for more creative production ideas, as seen through the versatile manner the Prada Spring/Summer 2021 Womenswear show was captured.

The filmed show allowed different camera angles to display varied points of view for the virtual audience. I especially liked the Prada show for their creative use of close up angles and incorporation of the black camera equipment into the show itself. These frames thoroughly encapsulate and reflect the upheaval created by covid in the fashion industry.

Covid has changed the fashion industry forever but in-turn has created the perfect starting point for the runway to be reformulated. As displayed by Katherine Hamnet throughout history the runway has been used as a means to promote political ideas, and the runway should be used to create a sustainable industry by pursuing a future with digital fashion. In order to cater towards a more ethically conscious audience, I can imagine a transition towards online showrooms, as shown by Cat Taylor’s virtually created designs in response to travel bans that prevented international buyers from attending shows. From this examination of looks from the runways it is clear that fashion works in cycles-with the only thing changing being the revisiting of each cycle. Yet I hope we can embrace the new trend leaning towards digital fashion-which makes fashion more accessible to the public and in turn widely anticipated shows.

Read More:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/brookerobertsislam/2020/04/06/virtual-catwalks-and-digital-fashion-how-covid-19-is-changing-the-fashion-industry/?sh=781a9fab554e

https://www.mancunianmatters.co.uk/lifestyle/26012021-coronavirus-pushes-the-future-of-digital-fashion-forwards/

https://www.criteo.com/blog/fashion-after-lockdown/

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