PARIS A/W15 SUMMIT CONFERENCE: MEN’S FASHION AS INDUSTRIAL AND INTELECTUAL PROPERTY.

Dear Shaded Viewers,

When NYC’s Women’s Fashion Week started yesterday, let’s take a step back and remember the Paris Men’s Season that has already been forgotten by social media. Despite having already vanished from the blogosphere, its impact will be felt as A/W15 designs go into production right now after being selected by buyers from around the world.

After more than a decade of seriously consuming fashion, men are now comfortable with exteriorizing their relationship with clothing. Shows such as Rick Owens’ A/W15 – complete with visible male genitals – which in the past may have caused a riot on the runway, hardly even cause men to look twice! They have marked their fashion territory… yet despite this, we still see this territory being invaded by female models (corporate houses on all sides). Sales teams are forcing designers to blur the boundaries between gendered fashion styles to guarantee better buyer’s budgets in the long run. Wardrobes are shared between both men and women; female shoppers start their shopping by checking men’s collections in unisex stores. Yet this is something that may never be fully embraced by male consumers – there remains a love-hate relationship!
In stores genders do continue to compete. Designers bringing the same dessins or printed fabric for both men and women can result in men rejecting a product. Perhaps we also need to have explicit differentiation; disputes and jealousy are far too embarrassing and vulgar for fashion! Let us aim for a bigger design gap between menswear and womenswear (dimorphism), and a bigger budget for each consumer. Let’s avoid those couples sharing one piece, or purchasing together for a common use!

Notable mentions from the summit include :
Rick Owens outerwear brought excellent choices on bridge coats (longer pea coats), with oversized backs offering a regal look.
Junya Watanabe’s excellent sartorial take on grey m

OFICINA GABARDINE (OG)

Designer Consultancy Retail Development Media Relations Buying Adviser

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