The real show is backstage

There’s a reason why the Victoria’s Secret show in the early 2000s also showed the models backstage, moments before they stepped onto the runway to show off their wings in front of the cameras. Images of the top models preparing for one of the most significant moments in their careers seemed more intimate, more special compared to those that captured them smiling under the spotlight. The tears, the tension, the friendships (and rivalries) experienced by the models were also part of the show. In the end, what fascinates us most about a collection is the story behind it, what is conveyed through the clothes and the emotions of the people who had a hand in it; this is why, in the fashion industry, nothing is more exciting than entering the backstage before a show. The stress is at its peak, people are constantly running back and forth looking for something or someone while stylists, makeup artists, and hairdressers buzz around the models in a flurry of activity: from all this chaos, an organized and composed fashion show will emerge, like any other. Now that the exclusivity of the shows has diminished, as contemporary media have made any Fashion Week content easily accessible, the backstage, the space where "the magic happens," has become the new place to aspire to. From the last Fashion Week, only images remain, like the portrait of Bella Hadid moments before her return to the runway at Saint Laurent SS24, striking for their spontaneity; others, like the shots Michella Bredahl took for Miu Miu after the show, stand out for their artistry. It takes storytelling – and a stellar model casting.

Unless you have eagle-like vision, it’s now almost impossible to notice every detail of a new collection as it struts down the runway. The looks fly by at the speed of a 50 Special scooter; not only are there many, but each one harbors an ecosystem of different items, layered with an aggressive layering that often confuses. Even better than collection images taken by photographers front row and published by the major online media, backstage videos are an excellent tool to closely observe some of the most interesting new releases. The first time Matthieu Blazy brought full leather looks to the runway for Bottega Veneta, from knitwear to ties, it took a while for the audience to realize that the cotton t-shirts weren’t, in fact, cotton: the first to figure it out were the few lucky ones who managed to sneak backstage after the show and touch the famed collection firsthand.

Another reason why the backstage is special is the models – or rather, their personality. On the runway, we see them striding with serious looks, but behind closed doors, their true character emerges. As Carla Bruni explained in a famous interview right before a show: «we always have a lot of free time to think because we don’t have any responsibilities, we don’t choose the makeup, we don’t do the clothes, it’s not our fault if something doesn’t work, so we have plenty of time to think of things […] The worst thing that can happen to me is that I break a heel and fall». In this sense, videos and images capturing models having fun backstage have been some of the most popular content with the public since the ’90s. Thirty years ago, we enjoyed watching Kate Moss and Christy Turlington gossiping under the makeup brushes in the documentary Catwalk (1995), and ten years ago we were astonished watching Adriana Lima preparing for the Victoria’s Secret show. Now, we go crazy over the uninhibited humor of Alex Consani. It’s no coincidence that the most viral images from the Saint Laurent show at the last Fashion Week were of Bella Hadid, particularly the top model backstage sharing a kiss with her colleague Mica Arganaz or taking a selfie with Anok Yai. It’s the same reason why Chloé, just a few days after her show, doesn’t share polished photos of models walking the runway, but instead candid shots of the top models having fun after the show. Even a model’s mood, in the end, contributes to the perception of a maison. And brands now know this.

In recent days, Miu Miu has posted online the backstage images for SS25. Signed by Michella Bredhal, they portray models caught in boredom while waiting for their moment. There’s even a photo that vaguely recalls the famous 1994 shot where Miuccia Prada is adjusting Carla Bruni’s dress: comparing the images, it seems Bredhal took inspiration from there for the new campaign, featuring moodboards, large mirrors, and a soft yellow light filtering through the window, pervading the room with a nostalgic atmosphere. The idea is brilliant both artistically and marketing-wise, as it perfectly represents the core concept of the collection (for SS25, Miu Miu brought to the runway a tribute to the innocence of childhood) while infusing the new looks with a tangible desirability – who wouldn’t want to take a nap on uncomfortable office chairs, fully dressed by Miuccia Prada herself? Added to the mix is Bredhal’s photography direction, which brings us close to the heroin chic world of Corinne Day, enough to make us think the collection is vintage and that the campaign was recovered from some old ’90s magazine. A lethal cocktail that, instead of quenching our thirst for fashion, makes us want to know more, to sneak into a show just to peek backstage and see if it’s true that models lie on the floor for a nap in the break between makeup and hair. Because now that we know all the secrets of fashion, all that’s left is to idealize the ordinary.