Milan Fashion Week During a Pandemic: A Blessing or a Curse?
This past May, as the pandemic was peaking in multiple places in both Europe and the United States, I read an article in the New York Times that discussed the vulnerability of artisans and designer Italian fashion when it came to looking at the future. Of course, I was already aware that companies of all varieties were struggling across the globe, but I was not sure what was going to come of industries such as the fashion industry over the coming months. Fashion is such a large and significant part of not only Italy’s, especially Milan’s, culture, but a driving factor in its economy. The burning question is, can we get fashion back on track in the midst of the Coronavirus, and if so, how?
Before our own lock down in the United States, Italy was beginning to recover from its own closures. The lock down began to ease and multiple shops began opening up. With canceled Couture weeks during July in Paris and the uncertainty of what would come of Milan fashion week in September, the Italian fashion industry was struggling to answer whether they would survive. The Times’ article I read included a perfect description of the grandness of the fashion industry in Italy, and the major problems the pandemic could have on its future, “Italy’s 165 billion euro ($180 billion) fashion industry is known to the world for its glamorous brands, but it is built on a vast and tightly woven network of designers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers, large and small, that help make up the foundation of Europe’s fourth-largest economy. For these companies, for this style of doing business, the future has never looked more uncertain” (Paton). Milan, a city known for being the fashion capital of the world, as well as probably the most financial oriented city in Italy, was hit the hardest. Rebuilding Italy’s economy starts with finding a place for the fashion industry in this pandemic. How will designers approach these coming months? Will they push through what is unwanted circumstances and create shows for Milan fashion week, or will they take the road of acceptance and drive the Italian fashion industry further into despair?
The article published in the New York Times on May 24th, 2020, by Elizabeth Paton about the uncertainty of the future of fashion in the wake of what the Coronavirus has brought concern to not only designers but all fashion-orientated people. Paton mentions that the industry has returned to work, but it’s far from the usual influx of business for small suppliers such as artisans, as well as luxury brands and retailers. Throughout the article, Paton details the struggles big-name brands are dealing with, but this is no comparison to what small businesses such as embroidery shops, that have little liquidity and a weaker consumer profile, are facing. Paton argues that with what we are seeing now, it is quite hard to determine what will come of the fashion business, a leading factor in Italy’s economy, in the coming months.
During the summer months, designers tried desperately to find a solution to their dilemma. Would they host their shows during fashion week in person? Would they turn fashion week into Zoom week? How would all their hard work they put into their new line be showcased?
Now just a couple months later in September, Jess Cartner-Morley of the Guardian is able to tell us exactly how Italy has handled getting fashion back on track in the midst of a pandemic. While Paton’s concern was real and quite tangible, Morley now introduces the idea that Italy has begun to face a new normal as fashion resumes. The Italian fashion industry is back in business, although not business as usual. The author notes that while fashion week has sped full steam ahead, safety precautions are the top priority of designers. Social-distancing and masks are being enforced at all the shows, and some designers have even decided to host “virtual runways” with no in-person viewing. Just a few months ago many people, including Ms. Paton did not believe this could have been possible, but what is mentioned by Morley is just the beginning of Italy’s re-building of its fashion enterprise.
While it is great that Milan has taken the first step in recovering Italy’s economy and designers are taking all necessary precautions, I think Morley misses the mark when thinking about what could come after fashion week is over. Milan, Paris and New York fashion week are all the length of about a week, hence the clever term, but what happens once the runways are disassembled, and the models and spectators are back home? We are still in the middle of a pandemic and I believe it was quite foolish for fashion empires such as Fendi, Dolce Gabbana and Etro to launch an in-person show. As a result, Europe is facing a new surge of cases with over 10,000 new cases in one day in certain cities. Cities such as Paris and Madrid have had to implement new curfews for their citizens. While European fashion weeks are not the only cause of a flood of new cases, they are certainly a contributing factor. Certain companies in the fashion industry lacked compassion when it came to keeping people safe. Yes, masks were worn, and safety was priority, but not having in-person catwalks would’ve most likely helped keep case numbers down. Brands such as Gucci and Ermenegildo Zegna were much more considerate of their spectators and held live digital fashion shows. I believe it was irrational for the big luxury brands and companies to inaugurate fashion week as they would every year.
Fashion is a huge part of Italy’s culture and economy. This only reinforces the idea that without it the economy doesn’t fair well, and Italy’s long history of incredible fashion comes to a halt. The fashion industry found a solution to showcase their new collections, holding fashion week both in person and live on Zoom. Italy cannot face another lock down for fear of the economy being set back decades, but with fashion week held in September, and an overflow of new cases in the past four weeks, who’s to say that they won’t shut down the country again? I agree that Italy’s fashion industry had to do something for fashion week in order to get back on its feet, but it seemed to be at the expense of new cases and a possible second lock down in just a year. This second shut down could drive Italy’s fashion empires and one of Europe’s leading economies so far back that it could take decades to remediate the damage.
Works cited:
Browchuk, Eliseé. “Digital Fashion Weeks and Virtual Shows: A Rundown of Fashion’s New Rhythm.” Vogue, www.vogue.com/article/digital-fashion-weeks-2020.
Hanna, Ehab. “How Fragile We Are.” 2020, www.ahns.info/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Editorial-Ehab-Hanna_How-Fragile-We-Are.pdf.
Morley, Jess Cartner. “Milan Fashion Week: Italy Embraces New Normal at Fendi Show.” The Guardian, 23 Sept. 2020, www.theguardian.com/fashion/2020/sep/23/milan-fashion-week-italy-embraces-new-normal-at-fendi-show.
O’Neill, Bianca. “Has the Pandemic Made Fashion Week More Equitable?” Medium, Write Like a Girl, 25 Sept. 2020, medium.com/write-like-a-girl/has-the-pandemic-made-fashion-week-more-equitable-d3e8be3b447e.
Paton, Elizabeth. “The Artisans Behind Italian Fashion Tremble at Their Future.” The New York Times, www.nytimes.com/2020/05/23/business/italy-luxury-fashion-coronavirus.html.
