FW24 Trend Report
As the dust settles on Fashion Month Fall Winter 24 season, there’s much to reflect on from the four solid weeks of visual fashion stimuli, creative directorial debuts, emerging brands, and blockbuster houses. Beginning roughly with Peter Do’s Helmut Lang and ending with Nicholas Ghesquiere’s 10th-anniversary show for Louis Vuitton (and a surprise Saint Laurent Menswear show, no less), the month was recurrent in themes of paring back, breaking out, technology and the future of fashion.
However, 230 shows and presentations came to an abrupt reality check as British multi-brand retailer and shopping stalwart, Matches Fashion (whose sales peaked at US $551 million in 2019) went into administration on March 7th.
The closure of a much-loved luxury retailer raises questions for fashion teams about the necessity and importance of runway shows in the current state of fashion; there is a clear demand for inspiring and exclusive fashion content direct from the runway; consumers are eager to participate in the fanfare — but where does this leave the sales when the stock comes in? Is the engagement in social media coverage indicative of the financials to come?
Consider Miu Miu as a possible answer. The Prada Group released their sales figures in light of their FW24 fashion shows, reporting an 82% percent increase in Q4 sales at Miu Miu, where the main driver of growth is ready-to-wear, up a significant 24% year on year, and compared to their 3% growth in leather goods. Almost unheard of for a luxury house.
It took one viral micro-mini skirt (and a whole lot of press) to gather a new generation of Miu Miu fans, with the additional help of Gen-Z power-influencers and off-kilter talent. The FW24 show for example, featured a diverse cast including Gigi Hadid (28), Kristen Scott Thomas (63) and 70-year-old doctor, Quin Huilan (and no micro skirts).
It’s no surprise then, that Miu Miu landed in Vogue’s Top 10 Most Viewed shows for FW24, and the BOF and WWD’s Top 10 edits, at #4 #6 and #3 respectively, the only brand to appear across all three lists. Yep, Miu Miu continues to do the impossible; gain commercial, social and critical acclaim simultaneously.
Today, fashion brands are not just competing with each other, they are competing with the other luxury sectors booming post-pandemic. Growing spends in health and wellness (Ozempic), traveling and dining (The Bear is responsible for more than just that Merz b. Schwanen white t-shirt). So how can fashion edge out the other luxury sectors? By catering to their community — using the runway show.
The way fashion is consumed has changed irreversibly. Engaging in shows is much more democratic in terms of a) its accessibility to view and scrutinize them as they happen and b) in the way emerging brands show alongside the biggest labels to get their share of eyeballs. One trend we can deduce from the past month is that there is what appears to be a two-pronged approach to recognizing a brand’s audience and community.
One approach being inclusivity: Diesel offered an open-access live stream ahead of the show, and featured 1000 participants who dialed in on screens behind the runway. Versace presented a highly stylized live-stream featuring a celebrity-filled front row and supermodels to appease her fans. Balenciaga featured leather tags hanging off the garments (reflecting a habit of Demna’s) with the idea to sell the tags as an entry-price brooch. Can’t afford the clothes? Buy something else and put the Balenciaga tag on instead. Genius.
The second approach being exclusivity: Well, it is luxury fashion. The Row set a new precedent (or, old) prioritizing intimacy this season. The removal of social media images and footage from attendees enabled the brand full control of the final output, resulting in scarcity and a demand for luxury. Much like the scarcity of the Olsen twins themselves — can’t say it’s not in the DNA. Who’s to follow? Next season will tell.
Speaking of inclusivity, it seems size diversity was a high fashion trend after all; the Vogue Business found there has been an incremental decrease in total size inclusivity across New York, London, Milan and Paris. Of the 8,800 looks presented, 0.8 percent were plus-size (US 14+) and 3.7 percent were mid-size (US 6-12), meaning 95.5 percent were straight-size (US 0-4).
Meanwhile, significant outings for houses (with the most passionate fans and followers) included Chemena Kamali for Chloé, who’s front row was filled with clog-wedge hybrid shoes begged the question of whether boho-chic was set for a comeback. Seán McGirr for Alexander McQueen and Stefano Gallici's second collection for Ann Demeulemeester went head to head with their famous predecessors to mixed reviews. Chanel led a much-celebrated return to practical, feminine clothes for the modern woman, Loewe and Rick Owens moved audiences with cerebral approaches to contemporary clothing. And Beyoncé was a surprise guest at the buzzy Luar show, cowboy hat and all.
With microtrends jetting in and out of the zeitgeist, it’s hard not to have a preconceived idea of what Fashion Month will bring, or what it will bring back, given the nostalgic fashion trend cycle currently in motion. But among the expected tropes — there was beauty, finesse and an enigmatic mood pointing toward an uncertain future.
The final word from Fall Winter 24? Sometimes it’s better not to make sense of everything you see on the runway; maybe just to enjoy excellently crafted clothes and creative spectacle.
Style Arcade’s top 15 trends from Fall Winter 2024 runway season are available for free download.