Each fashion season there seems to be an incident that goes viral on social media and this time is no exception. Bella Hadid was all over the place after having a white slip dress sprayed on her body live at Coperni’s catwalk show. A team of specialists led by Dr Manel Torres, the inventor of a spray-on fabric that hardens into a wearable textile, created the dress for the Parisian label.
Green Vision
Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Valiant are the creative minds behind the brand. I’ve featured it on my blog post about trends for Autumn 2022, having selected an image of Bella’s sister, Gigi Hadid, wearing a baby pink latex dress.
Sunshine Vibes
This season, the reach was far bigger with the performance on the catwalk. Some compared it with one of the most memorable moments by the late Alexander McQueen, when black and yellow paint was applied by machines to a white dress worn by supermodel Shalom Harlow, for his Spring Summer 1999 show.
This was a highly poetic moment full of symbolism, and subtle meanings open to interpretation, from the doll-like white dress, with belts that allude to mental health institutions and imprisonment or enforced restriction, to the machines themselves, heartless.
Film Noir
Coperni's performance was far more literal. Although women’s vulnerability is still at play, the main element is the innovative material itself, spray transforming into a textile material. But is this worth all the excitement? It would be far more thrilling to see more brands reviewing their modus operandi.
Emily Chan wrote an inspiring article at Vogue magazine: ‘Am I the only one who feels disillusioned about this fashion month?’ No, you’re not. Destruction is inevitable after creation, just as death is inevitable after birth.
Lavender Fields
Circular fashion is the only way forward, and we all need to do something about this, even if it’s only through our buying decisions. Consumers have tremendous power to change things simply by supporting brands that put people and the planet before profit.
I spoke with Mary Portas at the latest Autumn Fair, and she proposes a new way of doing business, captured in her book “Rebuild: How to thrive in the Kindness Economy.” This is what Gen Z is already doing and predicted to do even more in the future, so why not joining them?
Elusive Purity
Ironically, one of the most popular colours for the coming season is green. It’s the colour that surrounded our ancestors on a daily basis, somehow we seem to have lost this connection with nature, which is a real shame.
When we’re always staring at our devices, from laptops to mobiles, we loose track of what is actually happening around us. Don’t get me wrong, I love technology, its whole world of possibilities, and interconnectedness on a global scale that has enabled #metoo and #blacklivesmatter movements.
Romantic Playfulness
But this planet is not only our home but an integral part of us, unborn babies have already toxic air pollution particles in their lungs and brains, and we currently have microplastics in our blood. We need to treat our planet as a loved one who is sick and needs our care and undivided attention.
Without wanting to sound trippy, after all I do love fashion, but the problem is not with fashion itself but the way it works, and that can be changed. We should all be like teenagers who look at the world and question everything with their fresh way of perceiving things.
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