As New York City’s Climate Week was about to get underway, it was reported that nearly half of the city’s fashion journalists, retailers, and style professionals boarded a Delta flight to Milan – the majority of them for the first time since February 2020, just before the world was infected with a virus. This prompted a halt. The lack of mention of carbon credits was surprising given all of the discussion about sustainability in the sector, particularly after the epidemic prompted demands for a review of old practises. People were too preoccupied to be thrilled, and they were even a bit nervous about travelling again.
Jonathon Anderson had expressed his displeasure with the situation earlier the same day, through Zoom. He wasn’t referring to theft, but rather to “the notion that everything should be restored to its previous state.” The two aren’t completely unconnected. He explained why he had chosen not to do a fashion show for his company JW Anderson, as well as what fashion symbolises more broadly: an effort to capture the spirit of the time.
What is the most effective way to get out of this epidemic without changing? Mr. Anderson spoke himself. “I didn’t want to make a hasty decision.
Instead, he created what could be described as a “Black Mirror” version of the Pirelli calendar – you know, the one that is meant to be displayed on a real wall – that was photographed by and featured a Juergen Teller in a bikini, as well as the JWA collection from Extreme, which included ruffled knits, patent slip-on dresses with shoe buckle straps, and sheer lace shirts, all set in the middle of a tyre factory.
You wouldn’t have known it when the Milan shows got underway, kicking off the first complete season of in-person European ready-to-wear in almost a year and a half, but it was a big deal.
It’s so much simpler – and so much more enjoyable! To jump back into the deep end with clothes and street peacocks is far less depressing than to wrestle with the tedious questions of what it means to sell things while also embracing sustainability; to question the motivations and the will to change an entrenched system that is also extremely profitable to many is far less depressing. The fact that Italy is largely accessible to anyone who can provide evidence of vaccination, and that Italians are very excellent at wearing masks and, at least at events, the chairs are set up in a socially distant way makes it more enjoyable to eat spaghetti and bask in the sun all the more fun.
And, to be honest, it was entertaining to see Kim Jones’ first live performance for Fendi. It was an excellent idea for him to do dance on the rim of the volcano – or on any table, for that matter – as a kind of homage to the new days of disco. In terms of appearance, he made all of these forecasts about the future period that echoed the 1920s era, which served as an inspiration for the 1960s and 1970s. Or thugs, to put it another way.
