Will the Melbourne fashion scene, as fragile and disconnected as it is, survive without brick-and-mortar stores and the inability to throw events? The answer from many will be ‘Of course, it’s the way of the future!’ The chorus is almost deafening when one doubts the appeal of this brave new world. With lockdowns a perpetual monster over the horizon and once bustling retail districts now a patchwork of ‘For Lease’ signs, Melbourne made brands must brace for impact. To be clear, I am coming at this from the perspective of a small brand owner and designer who produces clothes as an avenue of self-expression, exploration and catharsis.
To produce and sell clothes in Melbourne is very much an uphill battle and to break out of your immediate circle and appeal to new eyes sometimes feels unattainable. How to attract those eyes and stimulate the winds of influence to blow at your back is the ever-present question. From our first drop in the twilight of 2017 our plan was to provide context and insight into our designs as an experience, something to be worn but also felt in a visceral way through connection. We opened our look book shoot to our contemporaries and invited anyone interested in the process to take a front row seat, to share in the creative process and as an extension add to the cultural makeup of the Melbourne garment scene. This attitude has permeated all our proceeding collections and micro drops with the goal of eventually maintaining a brick-and-mortar venue to provide access to our process with reliable consistency. This is the appeal of art to me, the process and the evolution of conception, creation, evaluation.
Unfortunately, the current situation means access to the creative process in this way is no longer realistic (or legal in some cases). Often overlooked by the general public a collection launch, collaboration event or VIP night is vital to the success of any up and coming brand trying to create a foothold in a market more and more reliant on clout. Adding an element that cannot be recreated online, the atmospheric anticipation of a runway or the ‘touch and feel’ of a product launch is the only complete way to experience an artist intent in the same way the impact of William Blake’s The Great Red Dragon or da Vinci’s Mona Lisa can only be diminished, bastardised on a screen. New media does indeed have a vital place though, the unprecedented reach to new audiences cannot be denied or ignored but its accessibility is both a commanding strength and, due to its unvetted nature, a minefield of deceit and deception (cough Techwear Club cough cough). Some great examples of new media’s strengths in such turbulent times has been the Rick Owens Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter 21/22 and shows as well as the fantastic Margiela documentary/lookbook, S.W.A.L.K. The inventive use of locations and camera angles as well as a myriad of BTS shots add that ‘insider only’ feel often left on the cutting room floor of other online runways and fashion house media. This however was utilised by giants in the industry,-designers with an established following who are able to leverage influence and resources to run such events and more power to them.
The question I pose is how important are face to face events in creating this insider only feeling of brand connection? If Rick Owens was merely a website with garment offerings and a dropdown menu I doubt his followers would be as fanatical. From my perspective the appeal of Rick Owens is as a well-rounded and complete artist. His romantic, turbulent past with Michele Lamy, his humble beginnings, a brutalist influence, glam sleaze, organic aesthetic, DIY attitudes and a commitment to self. His offerings as a designer encompass all these elements, each adding to the overall experience of a Rick Owens piece. All elements significant in themselves but together become something much more prestigious in that they form a story everyone can relate to, and all stories need a framing device to be absorbed properly. Live fashion is that framing device and the day live events are no longer held in Melbourne is the day our scene will die. To be able to control the way in which art is presented goes a long way towards interpreting messages embedded within and to dismiss this crucial aspect is to undermine the whole process. Yes, we can adjust the approach
I take my hat off (The Never flat peak -Black) to any brand who adds to the cultural zeitgeist and takes a chance with an event. The reality being that an owner will often do so with the understanding that the even will run at a loss (as most runways are) but the overall value cannot be quantified. We must generate our own scene and make the casual observer as invested in the future of Australian designer fashion as we are. The future is uncertain but as the vail of lockdown is hopefully lifted expect to see creatives venture once more out from behind closed doors and if you are able, contribute to the long-term survival of an industry we could once boast the biggest in the southern hemisphere.
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