The Row banned videos at the show again

Never change a winning team. Following the extraordinary success of banning phones and recordings at last season’s show, the Olsen twins doubled down for The Row's latest SS25 show, establishing what seems to be a new tradition for the brand. It’s a smart idea, as reports from @stylenotcom suggest the collection was ultra-concise, featuring only 27 looks with three key pieces: a camel trench coat, a white shirt, and rubber clogs. Typically, quiet luxury brands prefer not to present runway shows, as these tend to spotlight flashier, more eccentric looks. While The Row's shows are not entirely basic, their collections are always concise, focusing more on the idea of a small secret community rather than a social media-driven marketing machine. One of the most talked-about aspects of the show was its catering—more fitting for a breakfast presentation than a traditional show—focused on chic gastronomic purism. For example, in March 2023, they served dark chocolate and pears with water, coffee, green tea, almond milk, and organic hot chocolate; last February, madeleines and buttered toast were offered, while this year, a brown paper bag contained a croissant, a madeleine, and what appeared to be a profiterole.

Needless to say, the brand’s unusual rituals, with model-waiters serving refreshments on silver trays, dressed in white t-shirts and black tailored pants, the minimalist notebooks and pencils handed to guests to jot down their thoughts, and these shows, which are anything but loud marketing machines, better communicate The Row's spirit than a thousand immediately available lookbooks. With recent backing from the family behind Chanel and a L’Oreal heiress, confirming the brand’s high luxury positioning, The Row also opened its first Parisian boutique, indicating that its strategy is working—and it’s easy to see why. It’s not just about standing out from competitors or the brand's high quality, but a clear desire to do things "the old-fashioned way" without yielding to the peer pressure even small, independent brands now face to stage theatrical shows. Instead, The Row’s shows resemble the presentations held in fashion boutiques, where clients sip champagne while observing the looks before making purchases. Unsurprisingly, the inability to see the clothes, often quite simple, only magnifies their allure—if we saw them constantly or the brand shouted through marketing, we might grow tired of them.

The Row embodies a “smaller” kind of fashion that’s proving quite successful. After all, every luxury brand aims for the wealthiest clientele, now the sole pillar of the industry. The challenge is that many brands try to speak to an exclusive audience while maintaining the broadest possible appeal, akin to painting with a trowel. Exclusivity is a mere byproduct of what The Row truly offers—privacy and intimacy, a human dimension marked by small touches of taste and courtesy that most large fashion brands are too big to even simulate. After all, The Row is accessible through its e-commerce, global retailers, and now, with a cautious expansion of stores. The added value comes from the feeling of grace, simplicity, and thoughtfulness, achievable only in a more personal context and provided by a smaller brand. This intimacy is what’s missing in the flashy, circus-like world of fashion weeks. No LVMH brand could plausibly serve pastries in a brown paper bag at their shows; they are too loud, crowded, and intrusive to allow guests to enjoy a peaceful breakfast.