A couple of days ago Vogue held VOGUE WORLD, an event in New York City to celebrate Vogue’s 130th anniversary. There were fashion shows, music, activities and many other experiences. The event was attended by celebrities such as athletes, singers, actresses, the most sought-after models of the decade and those who were models years ago and are now established as fashion icons. But, on this occasion, the celebrities were not the only ones invited to the event. Vogue World was open to the public and some invitations were even reserved for fashion students from different schools. A format that reminds us a lot of the famous Vogue Fashion’s Night Out that takes place in September and encourages anyone, whether they are part of the fashion industry or not, to participate, promote the purchase of fashion products from selected brands and to get into the industry in a fun, familiar and quite democratized way.
So far so good, but why would they celebrate the 130th anniversary in the middle of fashion week? What’s so special about it? Is it really an event that simply celebrates New York City and Vogue, or is there something more to it?
Well, just like VFNO, Vogue World, under all the music, glitz and fancy, reflects the state of an industry and a nation. We need no further evidence to be able to speak of a clear global recession. We are all trying to get through this period of economic downturn, and the fashion industry is no exception. After a pandemic, numerous wars and economic crises, our consumption habits have been changing. We still spend a large part of our income on fashion but not as compulsively as a few years ago. Hence the rise of sustainable trends, second-hand clothing and the development of an ethical awareness of the environment and the impact fashion has on it.
The celebration of Vogue World makes us think that the main actors working within the industry admit that, in a way, the sector is making losses and needs to revitalize itself and return to what it used to be. And, personally, I believe that this is going to be almost impossible or, at least, the industry will have to make a huge effort to achieve it, as the obvious climate change and the increase of people aware of the importance of this and the consequences that the fashion industry has on it, are going to follow the path of the ecological, the prosperous and the ethically correct.
