This week in Bloggetta Veneta we are going to talk about the impact the internet is having in one of the most famous symbols of the fashion industry: the catwalk shows. They have always been the most prominent elements in showing the trends and insights of the world’s best designers. And they have always been very exclusive events where only a few hundred of people would be able to attend, and the invitations for them were an important sign of prestige in the industry.
Today their importance is changing fast with the web reality. One story that gives a good example was told by Cathy Horyn from the New York Times. She talked about the time when she was excluded from the Armani presentation – she just laughed as minutes later anyone could access the collection online.
Now everyone can be front row at the fashion shows. Websites such as www.vogue.co.uk or www.net-a-porter.com present videos of the catwalk shows in a much easier way to check what is relevant than the real thing. And now some times the real thing does not even exist anymore. Last season the design duo Viktor & Rolf decided not to do a traditional catwalk show and instead opted for an internet presentation. This way people from the industry can watch the shows from their own offices, already discussing with each other the relevant aspects of each one and deciding in which way the shows will affect their business.
According to Marion Hume from www.style.com, Natalie Massenet, founder of Net-a-porter, believes that counting bums on seats on the night of a show has become "very 20th-century," and points out that more than two million viewers a month now log on to her site to view fashion shows. "Just because the way we see fashion is changing doesn't mean the appetite for fashion is declining."
And it is not only the internet that is changing the fashion shows reality. The current economic climate is also a strong drive for smaller and less shows, making it even more sense to do them online.
