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See Now, Buy Now

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SEE NOW, BUY NOW

Clickbait Luxury

The current fashion system and its annual show calendar have hit breaking point. Designers are over worked and their creativity is running on fumes. Forward-thinking fashion houses Burberry, Vetements and Tom Ford are leading the pack in providing thoughtful solutions to this hot issue. The current fashion calendar, as it stands, dictates that designers must churn out four shows per year; women’s and men’s Spring/Summer and women’s and men’s Autumn/Winter. Whilst at first glance this makes logical sense, if you dig a little deeper, the timing of the calendar raises many questions. Spring/Summer collections are shown in the September of the previous year, whilst Autumn/Winter collections walk the runways during fashion week in February - this leaves a exceedingly large window between collections showing and dropping on the shop floor - this delay is a marked disconnect for consumers.

in-season. Form follows function, with Spring/Summer collections making their debut in June, and Autumn/ Winter collections in January. The seasonless nature of these future deliveries may birth alternative names for collections, as the ‘Spring/Summer’ and Autumn/Winter’ tags gather dust and grow stale. Pre-production allows the savviest of brands to sell directly from the catwalk; the clothes walk from the runway and into luxury branded paper shopping bag with see now, buy now availability.

Consumers can live stream the show and acquire new items for their wardrobe instantly with a simple click.

The physical store and the show fuse seamlessly into the ultimate 21st century experience. Any outfit captured by the consumer’s eye will become instantly shoppable via advanced technology; this encompasses magazines, live shows, Internet imagery or even a well-dressed pedestrian on the street in real time. Luxury fashion is now instant.

Ever ahead of the curve, Burberry is paving the future path for the fashion calendar and the way brands present their collections to consumers. September will see seasonless men’s and women’s collections sweeping the runways side-by-side, which is the new framework they will spring forward from. Collections will become immediately available online and in-store, meaning the savvy millennial consumer can get their hands on the latest runway-fresh creations as soon as they see them.

This is the birth of the See Now, Buy Now trend.

Extravagance prevails as a decreasing show frequency demands a spectacle in order to tap into and linger in the consumer’s psyche. In a world where the millennial consumer is bombarded with information and imagery on a daily basis, the products that stand apart from the noise are the ones which the consumer invests their precious time and currency in. Think brights and iridescents bouncing off feathers, regal silks and the most intricately embroidered textures. Millennials want it all and they want it now, at the ends of their fingertips…and that’s exactly what they’re going to get.

Moving forward, the fashion world will experience widespread distillation of the runway calendar; Burberry and peers are the snowflakes triggering the avalanche.

Men’s trousers will walk the same path as women’s dresses, which may condense further into genderless collections that will be seen gracing the backs of both genders.

Four annual shows become two bi-annual shows, shown

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OPPOSITE: Genders neutralise and fuse to yield dual-gender collections exhibited within the same catwalk space.

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BELOW: When the eye sees an object it desires, the mind yearns to buy.

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ABOVE: Collections and shows alike will see the two genders go hand-in-hand.

BELOW: “You’ll see navy blue, pink, lemon for men’s and navy blue, pink, lemon for ladies”.

- Paul Smith

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ABOVE: The traditional fashion system is poised to delve into a new wave of change.

BELOW: An update to the current fashion calendar construction is critical.

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ABOVE: A critcal update is well overdue, causing heat and malfunction the longer it is ignored.

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BELOW: “The creative cycle...(doesn’t) really coincide at all with the production side” - Demna Gvasalia, Head of the Vetements collective

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OPPOSITE: The creative and production cycles will synchronise.

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PREVIOUS PAGE: Four shows per year become two, as the barrier separating genders dissolves and the fashion calendar condenses and crystallises

BELOW: Scaling back: hot on the heels of Burberry, Paul Smith and Marc Jacobs brands are slimming down their brand hierarchy.

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ABOVE: Large-scale global networks condense to streamline operations.

BELOW: Minimising and trimming the corporate network to promote healthy new growth towards a more tailored customer experience.

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SUMMER COLLECTIONS IN SEPTEMBER?

THAT’S OUT. WE’RE SHOWING THEM IN JUNE. 14

ABOVE: In season deliveries part I: Matthew Williamson and Vetements Spring/Summer in spring.

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BELOW: In-season deliveries part II: Matthew Williamson, Vetements and Burberry Autumn/Winter in autumn.

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" THERE IS NO DOUBT IN FUTURE SEASONS THESE LINES WILL BLUR EVEN MORE AS DESIGNERS OPT TO DO IN-SEASON SHOWS" CAROLINE RUSH BRITISH FASHION COUNCIL CEO

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ABOVE: Less shows, more extravagance.

BELOW: Glitter, feathers, silk. Brights and iridescents.

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ABOVE: Designers will work harder to produce spectacle that lingers in the mind of the consumer, as show frequency decreases from four per year to two.

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BELOW: Glinting under the light and in the mind of the viewer.

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ABOVE: Luxe X Extravagance

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ABOVE: LEFT Alexander McQueen’s Spring 2001 ready-to-wear: 'Voss'.

RIGHT Alexander McQueen’s Fall 2006 ready-to-wear: 'The Widows of Culloden'.

BELOW: Alexander McQueen’s Fall 2009 ready-to-wear: 'The Horn of Plenty'.

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ABOVE: Alexander McQueen’s Spring 2001 ready-to-wear: 'Voss'.

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN: THE KING OF SPECTACLE 23

ABOVE: Luxury fashion goes instant.

BELOW: See now, buy now will see luxury fashion become available for purchase straight off the catwalk.

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ABOVE: Would you like fries with that Chanel bag?

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ABOVE: See now, buy now partners with technology to reach new heights of instant gratification.

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BELOW: See the show, and instantly buy.

From the comfort of your own home.

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BELOW: Clothes walk from the runway and straight into the bag to be sold as collections become instantly available for customer purchase post-show.

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ABOVE: Burberry: a cut above the rest, leading the fashion pack into see now, buy now making their clothes available straight off the catwalk.

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OPPOSITE: The internet has rewired media, upending the traditional relationship between companies and consumers. Passive audiences are a thing of the past, the modern consumer is active in the media multilogue.

BELOW: 1. Feathers, silks, iridescent and glitter represent the extravagant, attention-stealing garments designers will produce to stay in the psyche of consumers once they condense show frequency from four per year to two.

2. The store and the catwalk merge to become one.

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Blurred Lines

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BLURRED LINES

The Future is Wearable

Technology is a phenomena already deeply imbedded in our lives, with its colossal development being the defining characteristic of our era. Our lives spin on its axis and it has few spheres left to conquer; one of which is fashion. The future will see the seamless integration of technology and fashion, with the two concepts becoming indistinguishable as they exist on the surface of the same being. Technology will become clothing, and clothing will become technology.

Technology will serve it’s consumers faithfully as it enhances all aspects of life, from promoting more successful workouts, to allowing us to shop in virtual reality spaces. Sportswear will reap huge rewards from the progression of the Blurred Lines trend, with products allowing users to track heart rate, muscle usage and subsequent muscle growth data.

The future will also see the birth of ‘v-commerce’; a concept allowing consumers to shop via smart eyewear unlocking garment purchase directly from live streams of catwalk shows as they are experienced from a first-person viewpoint, alongside shopping in virtual marketplaces which allow the consumer to effectively ‘walk around’ and closely examine potential purchases.

The birth of 3D printing will have a profound effect on the course of future apparel design, and it’s implementation will continue to grow and then explode. 3D printed garments will mirror architecture in angles, curves and structural features never before possible with just fabric alone. Novel materials will take on the appearance of whatever mood the prosumer (proactive consumer) is in, with flexibility allowing malleable fabrics to take on the 34

appearance of unconventional garment materials.

A dress that has the appearance of being made of ‘water’ or ‘ice’ is entirely possible in the future.

The fashion show will inevitably become highly experiential as technology enhances not only the clothes themselves, but also their capabilities and role in the overall catwalk experience. The roles of designer and consumer will merge, the simple facilitator being 3D print software. Clothing will take on the characteristic of being downloadable, with the times of waiting 3-5 working days for the doorbell to ring with your delivery long forgotten.

Lack of choice becomes a solved issue as the savvy consumer designs a garment that fits exactly into their specifications.

The phenomenas of tech and human life tangle and intertwine, with technology forming a definable part of our identities. Our clothing exhibits who we are; just as technology will as it advances, becoming tailored to the individual. This is the Blurred Lines trend.

OPPOSITE: Technology and garments melt seamlessly into one another, with tech mimicking fashion to produce highly functional and desirable product.

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ABOVE: Technology will leave its mark on us, just as we leave our fingerprints upon its glossy surfaces.

BELOW: We may leave our mark upon its surface, but the effects of technology upon us will go beyond skin deep.

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BELOW: Bodies become machines as garments become wearable technology.

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BELOW: Traditional cottons, polyester and denims are replaced by tech-infused fabrics.

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ABOVE: The future is wearable: clothing is technology.

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PREVIOUS PAGE: The line between humanity and technology blurs even further with the explosive growth of wearables.

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ABOVE: The growth of wearable technology is only possible if the garment is desirable; tech must meld seamlessly into garment design. Form follows function.

BELOW: Are we wearing tech or is tech wearing us?

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ABOVE: Sportswear will enhance workout results by giving the wearer an insight into the inner workings of their body.

Garments will monitor heart rate, how hard muscles are working and whether muscles are building symmetrically on both sides.

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BELOW: Tech and clothing fuse to enhance the performance of both entities.

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ABOVE: Smart accessories will enhance quality of life and functionality of wearer.

BELOW: Bags will be capable of charging phones, storing data and aid life organisation.

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BELOW: 1. Materials will carry an industrial aesthetic.

2. Smart glasses will boast a myriad of possibilities; from allowing first-person viewing of videos and photos as moments unfold, to turn-by-turn directions, and facial recognition of the people you meet.

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ABOVE: Technology becomes a key facet of our identity.

OPPOSITE: Our clothing exhibits who we are; just as technology will as it advances, becoming tailored to the individual.

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RIGHT: This is the birth of v-commerce.

BELOW: Consumers can experience catwalk shows and shop in a virtual marketplace allowing them to effectively ‘walk around’ and look closely at potential purchases.

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PREVIOUS PAGE: Smooth, polished, matte, chrome.

Curves and clean lines.

BELOW: 3D printing technology allows more dynamic, daring shapes to be achieved.

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ABOVE: Garment design becomes architecture, with materials mirroring hard surfaces produced by machine to be flexible and wearable.

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ABOVE: 3D-printed dress re-imagined with potential new material options, inspired by metal structues, made possible by 3D printing technology.

3D-printed garment by Iris van Herpen edited by Amy Elliott.

OPPOSITE: 3D-printed garment by Iris van Herpen.

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BELOW: 3D-printed garment construction will draw inspiration from and mirror architecture.

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BELOW: Flexible, mesh-like fabric will be constructed to form waves, angles and structural features.

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"THE FUTURE IS DEFINITELY ABOUT THE SEAMLESS INTEGRATION OF THE TECH AND FASHION/APPAREL" DR KARINNA NOBBS, PROGRAMME DIRECTOR AND SENIOR LECTURER DIGITAL FASHION STRATEGY, GCU LONDON

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PREVIOUS PAGE: Colour palette is muted; suited to chromes, metals and sleek minimal design.

THE FUTURE IS 60

WEARABLE

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IMAGE REFERENCES

PAGE 8 1) Catwalk models. Found at: http://www.fashind.com/new-york-paris-dubai-desert-mall-heightcouture-2/ 2) Update critical. Found at: http://blog.malwarebytes.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/IE1.png

PAGE 24 1) Alexander McQueen’s Spring 2001 ready-to-wear: ‘Voss'. Found at: http://www.vogue.co.uk/ news/2014/08/07/erin-oconnor-on-walking-in-alexander-mcqueen-asylum-show 2) Alexander McQueen’s Fall 2006 ready-to-wear: 'The Widows of Culloden’. Found at: http:// onlydopefashion.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/amq178-HI-RES_610px.jpg 3) Alexander McQueen’s Fall 2009 ready-to-wear: 'The Horn of Plenty’. Found at: http://newshour-tc. pbs.org/newshour/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/RTXCLXZ.jpg

PAGE 25 1) Alexander McQueen’s Spring 2001 ready-to-wear: ‘Voss'. Found at: https://themodjournalistdotcom. files.wordpress.com/2014/11/7-_dress_of_dyed_ostrich_feathers_and_hand-painted_microscopic_slides_ voss_ss_2001-_model_erin_oconnor-_image_rex.jpg

PAGE 56 1) 3D-printed garment by Iris van Herpen. Found at: http://www.modearte.com/wp-content/uploads/ Iris-Van-Herpen-3D-ModeArte-8.jpg

PAGE 61 1) Pantone white. Found at: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/3d/4d/b0/3d4db005ae7f151f9d e92cad30a3999c.jpg 2) Grey paint streak. Found at: http://hbu.h-cdn.co/assets/cm/15/04/54bf1b4f32929_-_73-paint-gustyxlg-61429308.jpg 3) Pantone 419C. Found at: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/d9/d1/92/ d9d19227ba6e7d449c55d589c32dbdb7.jpg 4) Pantone 428C. Found at: http://36.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9jt6lqDw21rx6wiio4_400.png 5) Pantone 429C. Found at: http://36.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9i25gjOa21rx6wiio2_400.png 6) Pantone 444C. Found at: http://www.atomicdoris.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/img_11631.png

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Blurred Lines

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