Seized in a haze of glamorous runways and otherworldly clothes, designers debuted their ready-to-wear collections ahead of the Spring/Summer 2024 season. Household names in luxury weren’t the only ones garnering attention, though, as this season saw many up-and-coming brands reaching public acclaim through unconventional shows.
Taking place in the world’s fashion capitals — New York, London, Milan, and Paris — consumers, designers, and other industry professionals attended runway shows from Sept. 8 to Oct. 3, gaining insight on fashion trends and styles for the upcoming season.
Lesser known designers are finding success through breaking away from the static nature of modern runway shows, proposing fresh runways that are far off from the conventional, and invigorating a new generation of fashion to use unorthodox showcases for displaying brand identity.
In Milan, SUNNEI SS24 not only featured a profusion of striped silhouettes and vivid colors, but also an audience-turned-critique panel. Given paddle boards labeled 1 through 10 prior to the show’s opening, guests assigned their opinions to a number as the brand’s new fit-to-form tops, oversized trousers, and puffed messenger bags cascaded down the runway.
Embracing the instinctive judgment that crosses the minds of runway spectators, the brand’s interactive twist on the traditional fashion show experience brought forth one of the most memorable moments of the season.
SUNNEI wasn’t the only show that reconstructed the runway. At Italian-based brand AVAVAV SS24, anxiety levels peaked as models rushed in and out of the runway — some topless and frantically changing clothes amidst the audience stares, others running in with mascara trickling down their faces. The designs were wrought with intentionally messy, yet intriguing creative choices: duct tape dresses, post-it notes suits, and backwards hoodies.
Fashion shows are often meticulous displays of elegance, with models gracing runways at their most sleek and refined, yet AVAVAV SS24 is everything but. Messiness isn’t new to fashion, with designers like Diesel using torn fabrics and disheveled materials for previous shows; however, AVAVAV’s collection is especially distinctive because it cleverly embodies nervous tension through mid-runway meltdowns and frenzied, untimely arrivals.
Meanwhile, UNDERCOVER’s SS24 collection portrayed grim, eerie fantasies, adorned with sheer tulles draped over dark, neutral-palette suiting. As incandescence spilled into darkness from shattered chandeliers lining the runway, the collection’s finale saw three models in glowing terrarium gowns — with real butterflies fluttering amongst roses inside. UNDERCOVER consolidates fashion with fantasy in the collection, lacing magic within shrouded organza tailoring, and garments that speak of whimsical, otherworldly grandiose.
Though Internet virality followed these unorthodox runways, the shows are conveyors of brand identity more so than marketing gimmicks. Whether interactive, chaotic, or of a horror story, the personality brands display in their shows reveal the purpose behind their clothing. Fashion Week 23 cements that fashion is straying far off the conventions of traditional runways, and moving to a state where there’s value put in how the designs are presented.
