Dear Shaded Viewers,
As London Fashion Week continues on its 5th day with majority of the brands choosing to do a digital show, a lot of the focus for us viewers go to the presentation rather than examining the clothes in detail. Perhaps, due to the pandemic and the lack of communication we had for the past months, we are curious to see whether brands can communicate with us on a personal level. During the London Fashion Week, that is what I have found myself searching. I feel that my focus has moved towards the presentations rather than what I will be wearing next spring.
The latest show I watched was by Feng Chen Wang, that was titled “An Ode to Community” that had a diverse group of people sharing their stories and explaining what ‘connection’ means to them. Each character concluded their story with a color that was meaningful to them in their own personal way. Now, when you think about the idea of having a group of people talk about their feelings and ideas in a video doesn’t sound revolutionary. But I must say, it was pleasant to watch because there was something unscripted and natural about it. Maybe it was the movements of the people, the way the video was shot or that each person wore pieces from the brand that best represented themselves.
It overall seemed that the video wasn’t about selling clothes in general but more about making a statement about our times, and that’s why it felt intimate. Fashion usually teaches us to celebrate our individuality, but we sometimes forget that it can also be a powerful tool to bring us together and that’s what the collection was celebrating…the spirit of community.
