Men’s MFW Quiet Start. Sales Over Fashion?
Photo credit: Robert Sheie - Pitti Uomo 2019
Take this. Compare the PFW Men’s calendar to the Men’s MFW one. Huge difference, huh? While Men’s PFW is already filled with shows, the MFW Men’s calendar has very few runway shows to cover compared to last year. There is a clear absence of some big names, such as Gucci, which has decided to have a co-ed show, and Fendi, which has made the same decision, especially after Kim Jones’ departure from the brand.
The good thing for this upcoming Men’s MFW is that Armani will be back on the calendar, and there will likely be bigger exposure for some emerging brands, such as Pronounce, which will also be at Pitti. I mean, it’s quite impossible not to notice that most brands will be holding events or presentations only, with no runway shows. This is one symptom that signals this year won’t be easy. You know the fashion system is struggling when the menswear shows are put on the back burner. The truth is, there’s still a huge, lingering problem in fashion, and its main symptom is: too—many—sales!
It’s psychologically impossible to focus on the new when the sale season has stretched longer than previous years. And you’ll say, “Yes, we get it, but in Europe, sales are a thing until March,” which is true. But what we don’t realize is that, right around the same time, new collections are launching—or have already launched since mid-November. Currently, the SS25 collection is live in most brands' cases. This time, we’ll probably find out if we’ll have even smaller time frames to sell at full price, or if we’ll see the first markdowns this year even earlier than the usual mid-season sales, which used to happen around May-June!
It is a very, very sick industry at the moment, and the only ones to blame here are, well, you and me—and the system. I blame marketplaces. They don’t care about the value that big fashion houses strive to maintain in this industry; they don’t respect artistry. I was so happy when Farfetch was about to fail because that would have meant that many others would have fallen too. But guess what? They’ve come up with even worse plans to shut down the system completely… Sales, all year long. But we all love sales, right? People love sales. You know you love them too!
The current Western economy is making it impossible to enjoy fashion, as everything becomes more expensive, and prices drop everywhere, devaluing the true worth of the most iconic fashion brands. R.I.P. Y/Project, which actually had something interesting and creative to offer. Remember when we all cried seeing the last couture show by John Galliano for Maison Margiela? I’m afraid it will be hard to get that feeling again—that sense that fashion is back. But we can only hope.