September is by far my favorite month of the year. Not only is it the first official month of fall, but it is also considered the January of fashion. And every New Year calls for a celebration. In this instance, it’s Fashion Month!
Fashion Month features a new fashion capital each week, New York, London, Milan and Paris, showcasing upcoming trends for the year. Yesterday marked the last day of Paris Fashion Week. As I scoured the Internet yesterday and all month-long, I noticed there were two apps I constantly used to stay up to date with the latest shows, Instagram and Snapchat. These two platforms changed Fashion Week in completely different way, not only for the designers, but for the viewers as well.
With almost every fashion week moment being photographed, designers are now trying to figure out how to make their show the most memorable in the digital space. What better way to make a moment memorable than making a statement on the one thing that would be photographed the most? No, not the clothes, but the runway. Taking a look over the past few years, it seems as though fashion show producers kept Instagram in mind while designing the sets. Long gone are the days where models did a fast catwalk down a muted runway with difficult lighting.
Below you can see the incredible difference in stage design. In 2010, when Instagram first came on to the scene, the runway looked like a normal runway. Barely any color and the girls were photobombing the money shots. Fast forward 5 years later and we have a more visually pleasing fresh floral background, which took hundreds of thousands of flowers to decorate – huge difference.
Christian Dior 2010
Christian Dior 2015
Let’s not forget Karl Lagerfeld’s infamous Chanel supermarket last year. This runway show was a goldmine for Instagram. Guests who attended the show were even allowed to take home a piece of the supermarket as a souvenir.
Chanel 2014 – Image courtesy of NBC
In a nutshell, designers and producers have to be more creative in order to standout, while keeping in mind their shows will be photographed, uploaded and talked about instantly. And let’s be honest, every designer wants to make a lasting impression and be the most talked about show (like Karl Lagerfeld).
Snapchat
Fashion Week was an event only seen and experienced by the elite. Now it can be experienced by anyone and everyone at the tips of their fingers, literally. 10 years ago, there was no way for us non-fashion bloggers, celebrities or editors to know what happens behind the scenes. Nor would we be able to see the show in real-time. We would have to wait until a day or two after for the show to be uploaded on Style.com. Now we can pretend we were actually there, at least for a few moments.
Thanks to Snapchat’s Snap Stories, I was able to see behind the scenes of not only New York Fashion Week, but also London, Milan and Paris. Below are a few photos I snapped during those weeks, showcasing how sets were built, fun facts and first looks.
Because of Instagram and Snapchat, there is no denying that social media has changed Fashion Week. Designers have to be more creative and compete to standout, while we can sit back and enjoy all the cool things Fashion Week has to offer. Alright – maybe not the swag bags or the chance to hang out with celebrities, but being able to pretend I am almost there is good enough for me!
