Viral Fashion and Coperni's Success

The sweet, unholy aftertaste of the LINE fashion show, ‘Fall from Grace’, now lingers in memory as our writers work diligently to capture its splendour in twelve font ink. While we twiddle thumbs and wait for these exclusive pieces to hatch, I would like to revisit some of the fashion world’s most iconic runway moments.

Image courtesy of Harper's Bazaar

From Coperni’s viral SS23’ runway in Paris Fashion Week to Chanel’s rocket ‘launch’ at the end of their show in Fall 17’, the fashion industry continuously breeds buzz and controversy. What I find interesting about these viral moments is what they tell us about ourselves, the spectators, and society. With platforms like Instagram and TikTok, we are constantly seeking out trends to film in the hope of stringling along more likes and views. The fashion industry has capitalized on this by creating elaborate and absorbing runway shows that get people filming and sharing. Have we become more interested in the spectacle of fashion than the actual clothes themselves? Or are we simply adapting to the changing landscape of media and communication?

Image courtesy of Vogue

Coperni S/S23'

A nude Bella Hadid got sprayed a white liquid polymer, envisioned and executed by creative directors Sébastien Meyer and Manel Torres, which transformed into a stunning off-shoulder, slit legged dress. The thin film of liquid hugged her every curve, as each person in the audience did their phones, eager to preserve a glimpse of this historic moment as their own. And surely, it has become one of the most viral videos to circulate from the SS23' shows. The choice of using one of media’s most sought out models makes one think on the incentives of this spectacle. Is the object of our attention the technology, the ‘chemist tailor’ Manel Torres, or Bella Hadid? For if it were an earnest exhibit to celebrate Torres's craftsmanship, could they not have chosen a model with a lower hourly rate? Bella is the object of the prying eyes of media and her nudity is not something that the paparazzi or her personal Instagram could display. Coperni succesfully achieved the viral factor by gratifying our most insatiable need of peering into one anothers lives and intimate moments with nude Bella, alongside a display of their technological craft and innovation all before our eyes.

Image courtesy of The Cut

Chanel F/W17'

This Paris Fashion Week runway made headlines as the Chanel ready-to-wear show came to an end and the applause was cut short by the rumble of rocket engines. The large rocket that initially appeared to be a futuristic set design in the Grand Palais, soon took off from the ground dripping in Chanel logo, and swept the audience right off their feet with it. Pre-rocket launch, Karl Lagerfeld's F/W collection glinted off the runway, as the line had a recurrent theme of silver and metallic shine, in sync with the space theme. The mix between the classic Chanel style (tweed jackets and skirts, textured fabrics) and this bolder, tech, sleek style, scattered a hint of freshness to the N°5 aura that radiates of Chanel's runways. While the collection was indeed stunning, it was the rocket launch made front news and media, diverting the attention of Lagerfeld's artwork.

Image courtesy of Bustle

Hussein Chalayan S/S15'

The British-Cypriot designer has been known for his experimental and original designs like the dissolving dress that featured in Paris Fashion Week 2015. Similar to Coperni, the dissolving dress trick was held live in front of the audience, where the pair of models stood under a shower built into the runway. The outer silken material of their dress chipped and melted, revealing a complete different garment beneath. Though this was also a viral moment in fashion, it demonstrated a nuanced awareness about the responsibility that comes with having visibility in society. Chalayan sought to bring attention to the way we utilize materials and wanted to create an organic garment that could change and evolve over time, like a living organism. Water degradable garments are perhaps not accessible to us today, but it is planting the seed of the idea with dramatic effect is what makes this viral runway show remarkably valuable. Chayalan successfully adapts the landscape of changing communcation by getting his voice heard with his spectacle and its media response.

Spectacles are an essential part to the fashion industry, it promotes innovation, creativity and boldness, and have always been a part of fashion history. Yet our collective 21st century fixation on virality has stolen the spotlight from the months of preparation that goes into curating an entire line of season-wear and its labor. It feels as though we have traded inquisition and conversations of true substance when describing things that excite us, with rather self explanatory five second clips stored in our photo gallery.