The Milan and Paris catwalks may be closed but on Friday 40 of the world’s top models recreated the runway experience in their kitchens and living rooms for an event billed as the world’s “first self-filmed fashion show”.
Karen Elson walked down a red rug in her hallway; Lara Stone modelled a tomato red jumpsuit in front of a sofa. Eva Herzigová stalked down a corridor wearing a black lace gown and top hat. Halima Aden filmed herself “catwalking” on her balcony. Joan Smalls posed in her sun-drenched back yard in Puerto Rico. Karlie Kloss, Ashley Graham and Alessandra Ambrósio also took part.
The 30-minute ‘Fashion Unites’ event was organised by CR Runway, the organisation run by the former French Vogue editor-in-chief Carine Roitfeld, and Aids charity Amfar, to raise money for its newly launched Covid-19 fund.
Despite its lo-fi feel – and with the inevitable lockdown cameos from dogs and babies, and glimpses of bookshelves and soft furnishings – the event took a month, and a team of 60, to organise, Roitfeld said.
“Casting was a long process,” she said, with models’ bookers working from home in several different countries. And with everyone in lockdown, videos were required to help the models prep.
The make-up artist Tom Pecheux created a video explaining “that the make-up was to be more of a smoky black eye,” said Roitfeld. Another by the hairdresser Sam McKnight talked them through the required “do”.
“Nail direction” came from Mei Kawajiri, who instructed them to “do a nice transparent colour and write ‘Carine’ in eyeliner on one of your nails”.
The choreographer Stephen Galloway instructed them remotely on their walks. The music was important. “We sent them music beforehand to give good energy to walk – the energy is amazing,” said Roitfeld.
The results, she added, “were quite beautiful. These models know how to do their make-up and hair better than you or I.”
Models wore clothes from their own wardrobes. “I couldn’t send anything to them,” Roitfeld explained. “Which was a challenge for me, ‘a control freak’. But we just said: ‘Wear something that makes you feel good. If you want to be evening, be evening, or you can be in your joggings.’”
The fashion industry has been upended by the Covid-19 crisis, with the crew of photo shoots and catwalk shoots particularly impacted, often unable to work remotely. Fashion shows, with their huge backstage teams and audiences of hundreds sitting shoulder to shoulder, look unlikely to return for many months.
The event was conceived to replace a real-life CR Runway fashion show. “Unfortunately so many cannot work, and it’s going to be a big problem,” Roitfeld said. “But the show must go on and even if it’s tough we have to do something.
“Everyone is going to have to become creative. We are going to have better times but it will never be like before. It will be a totally different world, not just for fashion but in general.”
Other big names appeared during the show to give what Roitfeld described as “messages of love and support”. Kim Kardashian West was among those popping up, as well as designers including Off-White’s Virgil Abloh, Diane von Fürstenberg and Alexander Wang.
Not only is the fashion industry struggling logistically and economically, but it is also recalibrating tonally as recession looms. This event, said Roitfeld, “might make fashion more approachable, because not all of the girls are living in some huge villa in Beverley Hills, some of them don’t have big apartments. It makes them more approachable. It’s more human in a way.”
The Guardian
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