Catwalk Analysis - Pre-fall 2019 by katharinagerken

WOMANLIKE WONDERS Th is rep o rt b ri n g s t o g et h er key s eas o n al in form at i o n f ro m t h e c at w al ks , an al y z ed b y on go i n g w o rl d -w i d e t ren d s , t o d el i v er a focu sed ru n d o w n o f t h e m o s t i m p o rt an t t ren d s from t h e Pre-f al l 2019 c at w al k c o l l ec t i o n s .

Pre-fall 2019

Picture by Juno Calypso (2017)

KATA H R I N A G E R K E N f o r W G S N

INDEX // 01 FOREWORD // 02 DIRECTION OF CHANGE FEMINISM NOW & THEN // 03 FORCES DESTEP ANALYZATION // 04 VALUES & NEEDS // 05 MANIFESTATIONS EXAMPLES IN TODAYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S SOCIETY // 09 CERTAIN GROUPS // 10 IMPACT ON THE FASHION INDUSTRY // 11 CATWALK TRENDS // 14 FUTURE OUTLOOK // 15 REFERENCE LIST

Picture by Juno Calypso (2017)

FOREWORD WOMANLIKE WONDERS

Ou r s ocie t y is bas e d on s t e re ot ype s . We l i v e w i t h i n a w o rl d , wh ich is in flu e n ce d by s u pe rficialit y an d c o n s u m p t i o n . Nowadays , t radit ion al ge n de r- role s are s t i l l a c o n t ro v ers i al t opic. Bu t wh at h appe n s wh e n wom en t ry t o b reak f ree from t h e s e s o- calle d s t e re ot ype s an d g en d er-ro l es ? Th is fe min is t move me n t is s e e n on a reg u l ar i n t o d ay ’s s ocie t y an d als o in flu e n ce s t oday’s ru n w ay s an d f as h i o n world. In re gard t o fe min is t move me n t s , t h e d em an d f o r eq u al p ay an d t h e growin g n u mbe r of fe male pol i t i c i an s , t h e w o m an ’s role in s ocie t y h as be come in creas in g l y s i g n i f i c an t . W h i l e bold s t at e me n t s an d s t ron g voices h av e al w ay s b een e s s e n t ial t o fe min is m, fas h ion als o p l ay s a g reat p art i n s h att e rin g ge n de r bou n darie s . ‘ Woman like Won de rs ’ s h ows t h e im p ac t o f t h e c u rren t fe min is t move me n t in fas h ion . Fe min i s m i n f as h i o n i s m o re t h an ju s t a pas s in g t re n d. ‘ Women have so much to add to the global conversation of feminism and now is their time to have their voices heard.’ (U n kn own , 2 0 1 8 )

Picture by Don Carl Steffen (1970)

THE NEW ERA OF FEMINISM Feminism is a phenomenon, which is going on for decades. Even though it finds his roots in ancient Greece, feminism is recognized by three different waves. The first wave from the 1830s until the early 1900s started off with the demand for equality in politics. Women fought for equal contracts and property rights. The seed for an equal contribution of women in society was planted. The second wave of feminism, which focused on the workplace, sexuality, family and reproductive rights, started off in the 1960s and ended around 1990.

DIRECTION OF CHANGE

AN INSIGHT ON THE HISTORY OF THE FEMINIST MOVEMENT

After World War ll, society, as well as economy needed to be restructured. Therefore, women wanted to strengthen their voices by fighting for gender equality to ensure contributing as much if not more than men. From 1990 to the early 2000s, the term feminist was seen less critical compared to the former movements. Finally, society understood and accepted feminism. Feminists fought for vanquishing the disparities in male and female pay, the reproductive rights of women and against violence against women. Gender equality was key. Nowadays, a new era of feminism is on the rise. Empowered by the constant connectivity through the internet, especially through Social Media, and the strength of the #MeToo movement, an action based on the Weinsteinscandal in 2017, a new wave of feminists speak out against discrimination and inequality between male and female in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s society. A new era, full of passion and social-influencing power, demands a change.

DEMOGRAPHIC 7.6 billion people live currently on planet earth, whereas 50.4% are male and 49.6% are female. Therefore, the majority of population are men. According to a survey by the media agency UM London, 46% of women would call themselves being a feminist. ECONOMIC According to a recent U.S. Census Bureau estimate, there are around 85 million mothers in America and around 71% of these women are working mothers. Nowadays, a woman earns approximately 80.5 cent for every dollar a man earns. Besides, women’s annual earnings are $10,086 less than men’s. This example from the United Stated shows, that the majority of mothers work for less money than men. S O C I O - C U LT U R A L In today’s society, women take the opportunity to speak up for themselves and each other. Influenced by feminist movements such as #MeToo or #TimesUp, women unite their voices to support the female gender. In 2017, the first Women’s March was introduced to ‘harness the political power of diverse women and their communities to creative transformative social change.’ (Women’s March, 2018). TECHNOLOGICAL Technological innovation can enhance women’s life. Nowadays, technology is a powerful catalyst for the empowerment of the female gender and the promotion of gender equality. The internet helps to bring out the female voice in global terms. The digital revolution offers new opportunities to promote equal access to rights, education and economic involvement. Innovative platforms, such as ‘She Leads Africa’, enable women to pursue equal rights. ECOLOGICAL Eco-feminism is on the rise. By bringing together elements of the feminist and green movements, women are able to speak out and stand up for environmental issues such as climate change. Therefore, two current and important movements are tackled together. POLITICAL Women are more and more involved in politics. In 2016, Hillary Clinton became the first female nominee of a major U.S. political party. Furthermore, improvements can be seen in woman’s rights, equality in the workplace and reproductive rights. On the other hand, influential politicians like U.S. president Donald Trump show an old-fashioned way of thinking and misogynistic behaviour.

ONGOING FORCES

D E S T E P A N A LY S I S

VALUES & NEEDS

OF WOMEN IN TODAY’S SOCIETY

“Feminism isn’t about making women strong. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.” (G.D. Anderson, Year Unknown) Based on the previously mentioned demographic, economic, social, technological, environmental and political forces in this fast-pace world, human values and needs change. Women are expected to function as nurturers. Nowadays, next to giving birth, cook, clean, take care of the children, they also need to earn a living. 71% of mothers in the United States are working. According to data from the US Census Bureau, women’s annual earnings are $10,086 less than men’s and regardless the inequality in payment, women work next to their family life, household and the ongoing fight for equality, since they are a strong. Society has just recently started to understand the great strength of the female gender. Women always have been strong and were able to be successful, but it is the society which used to hinder females. Due to the understanding of the female strength by society, the need for acceptance of women in society increases. Next to the need for acceptance, women put a stronger focus on terminal values like freedom, self-respect, social recognition, accomplishment and especially equality. Furthermore, instrumental values like strength and independence have gained more importance.

WOMEN WOMEN WOMEN

Picture by BrokenIsn’tBad (2017)

ELIZABETH WARREN Senator Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts Democrat, entered the 2020 race for president to beat U.S. president Donald Trump. Warren is known as a big critic of banks and unregulated capitalism. ‘The biggest obstacle to Warren’s candidacy will be sexism’ (The Guardian, 2019). Besides, according to the New York Times, Mr. Trump made a racist and misogynistic comment by calling Ms. Warren ‘Pocahontas’, because of her claims to Native American ancestry.

Picture by Patt Greenhouse (2018)

BRETT KAVANAUGH

In September 2018, Brett Kavanaugh was nominated by U.S. president Donald Trump to become an associate justice in the Supreme Court. Shortly after the nomination, American professor Christine Ford accused Kavanaugh of sexual harassment during college. After the hearings, the senators confirmed Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Nevertheless, Christine Ford spoke up for herself and sexual harassed women in the era of the #MeToo movement.

MANIFES TATION FEMINISM INFLUENCES POLITICS

Picture by Shutterstock (2018)

ILO f t. #MeToo The International Labour Organization (ILO) strives to codify the #MeToo movement into the legal system. The movement against sexual harassment reached Asian workplaces by pushing for better safeguards against abuse. According to the ILO, ‘Women are disproportionately affected by violence due to the impact of gendered inequalities, discrimination, (…) and unequal power relations.’ More than one-third of the nations do not have any legal protection against sexual abuse. Therefore, the ILO provides the first legal binding on violence in the workspace.

Picture by AFP (2018)

TEXT NOTIFICATION Women living in Saudi Arabia will be notified by Saudi courts via text message if their husbands divorce them. The new law, which came into effect in January 2019, protects women from having their marriage ended without their knowledge. Therefore, an end is set to secret divorces, so women are fully aware of their marital status to protect their rights.

Picture by Faisal Al Nasser (2017)

MANIFES TATION FEMINISM SUPPORTED BY REGULATIONS

#IWeigh

The movement towards more self-love and acceptance, which challenges the impossible standards of physical beauty formed by the media. The actress Jameela Jamilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s created with her Instagram account @i_weigh, a place to celebrate women for all the accomplishments, achievements and characteristics that make them who they are, rather than the number they see on the weighing scale.

Picture by Katharina Gerken (2019)

#MuteRKelly

The American RnB singer R. Kelly has been accused of having sex with minors and being sexually and emotionally abusive towards women. Since R. Kelly has never been involved in a crime, it could be difficult to legally sue the singer. Therefore, the #MuteRKelly campaign was initiated to legally punish him. Women insist on safety and dignity for females of all kinds.

Picture by Frank Micelotta (2018)

MANIFES TATION ONGOING FEMINIST MOVEMENTS

GLENN CLOSE

Glenn Close won the Golden Globe Award for ‘Bets Actress Drama’ with ‘The Wife’ in 2019. Afterwards she held, reminded of her mother, an emotional speech to empower women. ‘In her 80s she said to me, ‘I feel like I haven’t accomplished anything.’ And it was so not right. And I feel like what I’ve learned from this whole experience is, women, we’re nurturers, that’s what’s expected of us. We have our children, we have our husbands if we’re lucky enough, and our partners. But we have to find personal fulfilment. We have to follow our dreams. We have to say, ‘I can do that, and I should be allowed to do that.’ (Glenn Close, 2019) Picture by Paul Drinkwater (2019)

MOTHER’S OF INVENTION By bringing together elements of the feminist and the green movements, women are able to speak out and stand up for environmental issues such as climate change. The new initiative by former president of Ireland and UN high commissioner Mary Robinson brings the feminist solution for climate change. The format ‘Mothers of Invention’ is a series of podcasts showcasing the work of climate activists at a local level, as well as globally resonant initiatives. Eco-feminism is on the rise. Picture by Ruth Medjber (2018)

MANIFES TATION INSPIRING WOMEN SPEAK UP

INVOLVED GROUPS ‘WOMEN OF THE WORLD UNITE!’

Equality between male and female is an important topic which should appeal to every woman. But the focus not only lies on the womanish gender. The only way to overcome the gender gap is to teach men how valuable and how strong women are. Men need to overcome the gender stereotypes and women should not accept the ignorance of men and their chauvinistic behaviour. Besides, a lot of women believe beauty is in the men’s eyes and social success is based on marriage and children. Woman have to change their way of thinking and most importantly, instead of competing with each other, women have to lift each other up.

Picture by Fred W. McDarrah (1970)

IMPACT ON FASHION FEMINISM IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY

Fashion and feminism go hand in hand while working in an empowering manner. The feminist movement influences todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s global catwalks and the entire fashion world. Nowadays, the womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s role in society had become increasingly significant. Next to strong voices and bold statements, also fashion plays a great part in shattering gender boundaries.

Picture by Vogue (2014) - Chanel SS 15 show in Paris

The Pre-fall 2019 catwalk collections are influenced by the earlier stated demographic, economic, social, technological, environmental, as well as political changes. Fashion sees a strong shift towards fierce and unapologetic femininity. This way of fierce clothing is highlighted by bold crimson colour palettes, oversized fits and modest silhouettes which reject the male gaze, as well as reinvented classics such as masculine tailoring.

Pre-fall 2019

REINVENTION OF THE SUIT MASCULINE TAILORING FOR WOMEN’S WEAR ON THE RISE

GIORGIO ARMANI