It goes without saying that the world has moved onto the web since coronavirus swept the globe. Fashion is no exception.
While some designers like Marc Jacobs have decided to move their fashion week show to September or October, others have made digital presentations for all to watch online.
Rick Owens answer was “PHLEGETHON”, to revisit his past collections through assembling archive pieces together and filming the behind the scenes action. Trousers from 2019 may have been worn with a 2017 jacket. It is unusual for the world to see designers put several pieces together from different past collections.
As Owens said to Vogue “Doing something spectacular and confrontational and transgressive would not have been the right thing to do now…so I showed the real action of us working on the collection, which I thought was the most genuine expression that I could come up with.”
The video shows Owens styling Tyrone Dylan Susman in various outfits, taking a picture and restyling him. The presentation was in black and white with a split screen, showing two different angles of the action in shot. Music and conversations are heard through the video, it is not clear if they come from the shoot or are edited in, giving the video and authentic feel.
This intimate portrayal in Owens’ presentation is very different to the dramatic Spring Summer 2020 fashion show, which took place around Palais de Tokyo’s shallow pool. Models made their way down the stairs and around the pool in metallic headdresses as people in black robes spun bubble-makers around. The fashion show was reminiscent of gladiators in Rome going into battle. The angular garments complimented the architectural majesty of Palais de Tokyo and created a clear theatricality
