Beyond exploring new formats, deciding not to show every season also allows young designers to focus on building out different areas of their businesses. Take Chopova Lowena, which has been showing once a year for the past three years, and launched its fragrance line last month, or Ahluwalia, which has partnered with Pandora this season to create six designs that can be engraved into the brand’s jewellery in-store.
For Vitto, working out a production strategy has been a key focus for AW25. “I took on a big task last year, which was moving our production to Brazil, where I am from, and finally holding stock,” the designer explains. “Until now, we have been solely a made-to-order brand, and everything was made in London by our small team, which is a process that is very dear to me, but it’s not a sustainable one in the long run.”
Similarly, Johanna Parv — who has created a short film this season — also feels there are other priorities for her brand right now. “I think it’s really important as a growing business to think about other areas of the brand to invest in, which enables us to sustain and continue to meet customers and community at different touchpoints that are all as vital as a big fashion week moment,” she says. “This season, we were able to hold an intimate showcase for the industry at my Paris showroom, where we got that real-time interaction with the collection and met with key buyers and media.”
Of course, there will always be a place for a show, with both Conner Ives and Dilara Fındıkoğlu returning to this season’s schedule, after deciding that an annual showcase works best for their eponymous brands. Increasingly, though, young designers are coming to the realisation — as the pandemic made clear — that holding a catwalk presentation every single season isn’t necessarily the best, or the most sustainable, move. The show needn’t always go on.
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