In Defense of The Runway

Art by Elizabeth Apple

The curtains drop to reveal a hazy, revolving glass case. Inside, models get buttoned up, tucked in, and styled, makeup artists pressing in finishing touches. Once ready, the model moves to a corner of the moving case and stands like a motionless mannequin, save for the occasional blink. To the runway show, one of the fashion industry’s most definitive elements, Gucci’s latest production feels like both a love letter and a death threat. 

Instagram and the smartphone revolutionized the way we market and consume fashion. With technological innovations constantly forcing marketing platforms and social models into arbitrariness, it seemed like the traditional fashion show was on death row. If not marketing, what was the runway’s purpose? 

Historically, runway shows solely intended to showcase couturiers’ designs to wealthy clients. Designers in the early 1900s employed women to wear their clothing in public to attract photographers and media attention. Later, the runway format rose at the beginning of the 20th century when designers swapped out mannequins for models and private shows for the elite. The shows began entirely as marketing vehicles casted by expressionless models sauntering around salons to the sound of only swishing fabric. 

The 1960s saw a complete turn of the traditional fashion show format with the decline of couture and increasing popularity of ready-to-wear. The presentations focused more on celebrating youth culture and taking advantage of mass consumerism instead of appealing to media and wealthy buyers. The 1960s and 1970s created the modern platform that we’re familiar with today. 

The avant-garde theatrical production peaked in the ‘90s, and Alexander McQueen was its king. In one McQueen show, robotic arms spray-painted model Shalom Harlow’s white dress as she spun around on a turntable. In another, models were placed on a giant chessboard, playing out an entire game. McQueen’s shows were an amalgamation of his artistic vision, and not only were audiences drawn to the clothing, but they were also drawn to an even wider concept.

Theatrical, over-the-top fashion shows are still in vogue, and it is often these ostentatious sets and unconventional performances that land media attention. Sure, a beautiful Saint Laurent collection will garner buzz, but a Saint Laurent show with models walking on water? We love to see it. 

Although some modern runway elements attack its traditional intentions, it is the same art and innovation that will continue to keep it alive. Karl Lagerfeld was known for his grandiose show sets during his time at Chanel, transporting his audiences to a French country house, a forest in autumn, and a cliff-edge nearing a waterfall. Dior’s Kim Jones continuously ups the ante with giant robot sculptures. 

In 2018, Dolce and Gabbana used drones to carry handbags down the runway for their Fall/Winter 2018 show. In 2019, Dior made models stand on a moving conveyor belt. With models walking on water, sand, fire, and now, moving conveyor belts, it’s clear creative directors continue to strive for the eccentric runway. 

The internet has become our all-access pass to high fashion. We can now live stream shows, browse collections online, and have garments shipped to us from the comfort of our homes. Instagram influencers let us in on the behind the scenes of fashion week, and we can shop the designer clothes they advertise. Designer fashion continues to move online, as with most industries. 

At its core, the runway is essential to fashion, but it has moved far away from being just a marketing effort. The runway has become an art, a performance. The designer— an artist. The runway emulates an experience and is the heightened representation of a designer’s vision. The fact that McQueen sometimes spent more money on the production than the clothing collection attests to the importance of the runway show. 

Even with models standing frozen on conveyor belts or handbags fluttering in on drones, the main purpose of the runway preserves itself. Fashion shows are put on to show garments in motion—  to appreciate the flow of fabric, the painstaking detail of design, and the elegance and confidence of a model’s walk. The runway is here to stay, dreaming up the world of the fabulous modern woman who walks sandy beaches in Chanel.