Many designers returned to runways for the SS 21 and SS22 seasons to show their collections. Many used elaborate sets or unusual locations. Let’s take a look at five of the most memorable collections from 2021 as we approach the end of the year.
5. Louis Vuitton RTW SS 2022
For the Louis Vuitton RTW Show, which closed SS 2022 Paris Fashion Week, the Louvre’s Passage Richelieu was dressed in dozens antique chandeliers. This set the stage for Nicolas Ghesquiere, a Collection designer, who described it as “vampire chic” after being inspired by creating costumes for Alicia Vikander in the HBO series “Irma Vep.” In the show notes, he stated that the Spring-Summer 2022 collection was an invitation to the grand bal of Time. Tonight, time has no meaning. But time is everything. It can dissolve codes and functions. It unites wardrobes. It is night and day. The simple uniform is made luxurious.
The Collection experimented with shape and size, combining elements to create unusual forms such as a skirt that could be made into a cape. The collection’s light and delicate shredded chiffon dresses, with their pannier-shaped crinolines, evoke Louis Vuitton in its early days. This is to honor the 200th anniversary since the founder’s birth. This highly anticipated show was attended by many celebrities. It did not disappoint. The enthusiastic response from the audience was not affected by the abrupt interruption of an activist, who stormed down the runway holding a banner with the words “Overconsumption = Extinction”.
4. AZ Factory: SS22 – Love Brings Love
The international design community loved Alber Elbaz, who died in April from Covid-19 at the age of 59. To celebrate Elbaz’s life and work, 45 designers joined Elbaz’s design team at AZ Factory. Many of them, such as Dries van Noten and Olivier Rousteing, Rick Owens and Iris van Herpen, Pierpaolo Picccioli, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Jean Paul Gaultier, joined France’s First Lady Brigitte and his family members at the event.
Each look was inspired in part by Elbaz’s personal connection to the designers. Many of his techniques were also celebrated throughout the collection. All of the looks featured in the show will be on display at the Palais Galliera, Paris’ fashion museum.
3. Pyer Moss: WAT UIZ. FW 21 Couture
Kerby Jean Raymond, designer of Pyer Moss, became the first Black designer to show on the Couture schedule in July with a collection called WAT U Z. Jean-Raymond had to cancel due to heavy rains. The show was finally held two days later. After a powerful speech opener by Elaine Brown, former Black Panther Party chairperson, the presentation was followed by a performance by 22Gz, who is also from Flatbush in Brooklyn.
The Collection was displayed at Villa Lewaro, upstate New York. It is the home of Madam CJWalker, who was an inventor and first woman to become a millionaire by herself in American history. It was a poignant spot because each of the 25 looks featured an item created by a Black person. These items included cell phones, traffic lights, fire extinguishers, and cell phones. The designer’s website states that the collection is both a celebration and a criticism of the obsession of others who profit from Black trauma.
2. Louis Vuitton: SS 22 Menswear – Virgil Was There
Louis Vuitton, in loving memory of Virgil Abloh paid tribute to the legacy and life of a creative genius by reviving his S/S 22 Collection. To coincide with Art Basel, the show was held in Miami. The show was attended by people who had taken ferries from the mainland to take a 30-minute ride to the wharf. Celebrities were transported in speedboats in grey with the LV logo, monogram and numbers 7.2 stencilled on the sides. This was to repeat Abloh’s seventh House show.
The 1,500-strong crowd included famous faces. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, their ex-husband, made a rare public appearance together with their daughter North. A$AP Rocky was there, as well as Bella Hadid and Pharrell Williams. Also, Ricky Martin (21 Savage), Joan Smalls, Jesse Williams, Joe Jonas, Joe Jonas, Venus Williams, Pharrell Williams, Venus Williams, Joe Jonas and Ricky Martin were also present. The clothes were reminiscent of ’90s ravers and featured lots of solid as ombre colors. Vuitton knit football jerseys are available in full-pleated and flared styles, as well as belted suit jackets. Letter jackets, puffers, and jackets with letter jackets. Accessorize with bags in a variety of styles, including a funny backpack in the form of a neon tie dye fish.
1. Gucci: Pre Fall 22 – Love Parade
It was quite a sight! It was a spectacle! In November, 115 models and celebrities paraded down Hollywood Boulevard, including Miranda July, Macaulay Culkin and St. Vincent. There were many looks, including sequined gowns and boas, as well as three-piece suits in the’seventies style that referenced Hollywood and the House, both past and current.
Gwyneth Paltrow sat in the front row with Miley Cyrus and Serena Williams wearing an updated version her red velvet Gucci Gucci tuxedo she wore in mid-nineties. Michele attributes his love for old Hollywood to his mother, who is a movie buff and assistant in a production firm.
Michele stated that Hollywood seemed like a bright star, describing the glamour of golden age cinema, which often influences his Collections. “Nine letters dripping in desire.”
