There are fashion shows that go beyond the classic presentation of a new collection of clothes and become an unforgettable artistic experience, which makes them closer to a performance or a show. That is why today we present the most spectacular shows of the recent years, which went down in history thanks to their form!
The debut haute couture show of Raf Simons representing the fashion house Dior will long be remembered because it referred to the heritage of the Dior brand and its creator’s great love – flowers. The set designs for the show were therefore huge walls made entirely of live flowers combined into striking paintings using blue hollyhocks, white orchids and yellow mimosas. According to the fashion house, more than one million live flowers were used for the stage setting of the show, which impressed the celebrities sitting in the audience, including Marc Jacobs, Alber Elbaz and Diane von Furstenberg. The show itself was opened by world class top model Julia Nobis.
The Chanel fashion house has already accustomed its fans to the spectacular sets used during its shows. During the presentation of the autumn-winter 2014 collection organized in the Parisian Grand Palais exhibition hall during that fashion week in the European fashion capital, the brand opted for a setting reminiscent of a supermarket. Thus, the hall was filled with store shelves displaying goods signed with the Chanel logo, among which models walked, presenting the latest collection. At the end of the show, instead of leaving the unusual catwalk, the models did their shopping, throwing the products into shopping carts. The show ended with Karl Lagerfeld holding Cara Delevigne’s hand and walking through the supermarket aisles.
Alexander McQueen’s autumn-winter 2006 show is now history, because the designer reinterpreted his British identity. The entire show was based on a romantic story presented by individual models. However, it was the finale that was most memorable for everyone who attended the show. All the lights in the room went out and a transparent glass pyramid appeared in which a hologram of a woman dressed in an ethereal white dress appeared. The woman herself was played by world-famous model Kate Moss, who danced sensually only to dematerialize after a few seconds. This element of the show was created in collaboration with director Baillie Walsh, who did all the staging for Alexander McQueen.
In 2018, the Gucci brand decided to present its collection for the autumn-winter season in an unusual way. Instead of a classic catwalk, it used a set design presenting an operating room with green walls, hospital beds and surgical lamps on the ceiling. Models presenting elements of the collection also held in their hands objects of operations taking place in the room – small dragons, snakes, and even clones of their heads.
The last show in our list worth seeing with your own eyes is the Givenchy spring-summer 2016 collection show held in New York. What allows it to count as a unique show is, first of all, the fact that it was held outdoors, under the open sky on the 14th anniversary of the 9 September events. The whole show took place in the Pier 26 space, where the shadow of the new 1 World Trade Center skyscraper, which is a part of the complex built on the site of the WTC disaster, loomed over the catwalk. The show, in addition to presenting the latest collection, also paid tribute to the victims of the 9 September attack, which is why it was preceded by a performance by Marina Abramovic.
