Is it the end of the traditional runway?

The Cruise collections – besides having shown us extremely cool collections – allowed us to discover incredible places around the world, and that’s probably why these events will be remembered.

The phenomenon of the dreamy locations started a few seasons ago, when Chanel took a selected gang of fashion editors and it girls inside an actual-size supermarket filled up with Chanel branded products, where the most wanted models of that moment walked. This tendency continued inside the Chanel Brasserie, that reproduced flawlessy the traditional French meeting point for lunches, dinners and coffee and became the background for the AW15/16 collection of the brand.

The French Maison was the pioneer of a phenomenon that is leading a growing number of fashion brands to use locations with a strong impact in order to promote and exalt their clothing collections.

Are we really witnessing the end of the traditional runways?

Here’s what happened in the latest seasons:

#1 location scouting

Fashion people always want to be cuddled and surprised. Taking fashion editors inside spa, luxury hotels and dream-like villas is certainly a good method to have their likes, and make the news.

#2 only for lucky few

Even if we all get to know about the huge locations where these events are held, only some lucky few have the honour of actually being sat among the rows of these shows. Is that the reason why they become so exclusive? Or it’s just the costs of flights and hotels that make the guest list shorter?

#3 instagram mon amour

Extraordinary images are the favourites of social networks lovers. Instagram is constantly asking for sensational images and the ones of these events are surely the best to gets loads of likes, spreading the news and consolidating a brand’s identity. 

#4 global branding

Fashion houses aim more and more to communicate their global aesthetic and their ideal lifestyle. The clothes are not the only means to convey a brand’s image anymore: nowadays it is important to show also WHO wear them and WHERE.

#5 farewell to the traditional reviews

Even if journalists like Suzy Menkes or Simone Marchetti are still privileged sources to get to know the features of a precise collection, the digital society prefers today fast news and plenty of images. Considering the limited access to these events, social networks are the real vehicles of diffusion of these contents. Are we sure that the 140 imposed by Twitter are effectively able to substitute the long articles written by eminent personalities of the industry?