In this middle world, the one in which the biggest fashion brands are currently suffering, it opened up an almost limitless space for emerging brands. But, for them, earning the title of “emerging” is not that simple. This is why young creatives often focus themselves on stunning experiences, proposing something usually never seen before. But how ephemeral is the line between fiction and reality?
by Domenico Casoria
During the last week of Milano Fashion Week Men’s, the founders of the brand JordanLuca have concluded their presentation of the collection by celebrating their wedding. With this unusual act, they have split up the users on social media. Some said that their act represented the crowning of a love story, while others asked themselves if it wouldn’t have been better to keep such an intimate and heartfelt event, precisely, private. So, the question arises: how do emergings actually emerge?
How do emergings actually emerge
Before answering this question, we need to underline the fact that for these young brands – that behind them don’t often have the support of bigger groups – taking part in events like Fashion Weeks represent an expensive investment and it requires courage. In fact, if we analyze what has been shown on the runways a few weeks ago, we can notice the presence of various creative sparks. But, always corroborated by the stressed research aimed at proposing something new at all costs. As in the case of JordanLuca, a brand that is surely not new to this type of provocations.
A few months ago, the duo composed by Jordan Bowen and Luca Marchetto launched on the market a pair of jeans with a really visible stain on the front that recalled urine. The result? They sold out in a few minutes. This time, in Milan, they concluded their runway show by joining in matrimony. This event was accurately orchestrated, as there were an officiant, the guests and even the cutting of the cake. As claimed by the designers, it was the best occasion to crown their love story. As stated by different critics, it was a setup in order to draw attention.
Fashion or performance art?
Who is not surely new to setups that cross the line between fiction and reality is Sunnei. Founded in 2015 by Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo, the brand tries to break with the traditional rules of fashion in order to create dresses that are able to narrate contemporaneity. The runway show, prepared with the aim of presenting the Fall-Winter collection has completely melted the line between fashion and performance art. “1. Leave your expectations outside of this building. Abandon all of your preconceptions, shake your assumptions off of you. 2. Now, forget about the idea of a perfectly perfect perfection and welcome reality”.
These were the indications given to the guests who, after that, have literally seen the models fall right down on them. Once the show was over, the models were falling right into the crowd. A summary of the runway show? “If you were only interested in watching, you could have just done it with your iPhone, but since you are here we ask you to take an active role and contribute, as soon as you understand how”. So, a true call to action. But the dresses?
Avavav’s unheimlich
Another emerging brand par excellence, that has focused all of its presentation on what Sigmund Freud called “unheimlich”, which essentially means disturbing, is Avavav. Founded in 2017 by the Swedish designer Beate Karlsson and by the associates Linda Friberg and Adam Friberg, Avavav has always distinguished himself with an irreverent aesthetic to say the least. The Fall-Winter 2024-2025 collection (the most viral one) started right from social media. More specifically, from the world of haters.
On the runway, together with the models that wore pieces of the collection, walked even trash, in order to represent the rejection towards the digital world. Even during this event, the guests played a vital role in this theatre of the absurd. They were encouraged to throw food and trash at the outfits, to symbolize the one that, metaphorically, is thrown on social media. At the end of the show, the founder was hit with a cake in the face.
The social significance of fashion
Considering all of this, these examples – that tell us more about a kind of fashion that transforms itself into performance – draw the attention away from the dresses, or at least try to recreate the social significance of fashion. The one that brings everyone together. But, this makes you wonder if it wouldn’t be better to try to find a balance point between provocation and finished product. Or if the provocation itself doesn’t already contain the concept of limit. It’s surely clear that the line between reality and fiction has already been crossed. Once again, it’s on fashion to determine on which side it should be on.
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