Luxury fashion brands intensify art-fashion hybridization amid economic downturn
In his fall/winter 2024-5 haute couture presentation, Demna Gvasalia of Balenciaga transformed dressing into a performance art, highlighted by a black cloud of synthetic material. Meanwhile, Iris van Herpen's models appeared encased in plaster-covered canvases. Viktor&Rolf creatively merged Euclidean geometry with Oskar Schlemmer's Triadic Ballet. Maria Grazia Chiuri's Dior collection paid tribute to women's rights pioneer Alice Milliat in anticipation of the XXXIII Paris Olympics. Pharrell Williams drew Olympic themes for his Louis Vuitton spring/summer 2025 line at UNESCO park. LVMH is set to sponsor the Paris 2024 Olympics. Prada's Milan show showcased a white house illuminated with pulsating lights. Economic difficulties persist, with 4,000 workers furloughed in Scandicci and 5,000 in Como, amid a slowing Chinese market and a rising emphasis on sustainability.
Key facts
- Demna Gvasalia called dressing a performance at Balenciaga haute couture fall/winter 2024-5 show
- Iris van Herpen suspended models inside plaster-covered canvases as textile bas-reliefs
- Viktor&Rolf blended Euclidean geometry with Oskar Schlemmer's Triadic Ballet puppets
- Maria Grazia Chiuri's Dior couture show honored Alice Milliat, women's rights advocate at 1928 Olympics
- Pharrell Williams for Louis Vuitton staged men's spring/summer 2025 show at UNESCO park with 15-meter globe
- LVMH will be main sponsor of Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics on July 26
- Prada men's spring/summer 2025 show at Fondazione Prada featured a white house and Faithless music
- Matthew Williamson for Loewe created a white cube installation with works by Susan Sontag, Carlo Scarpa, Peter Hujar, Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and Paul Thek
- Kim Jones for Dior Men showed between five giant cat sculptures by Hylton Nel
- 4,000 workers in Scandicci leather district and 5,000 in Como silk district furloughed since February 2024
- Luxury group stock prices falling in New York, Milan, Paris, Düsseldorf, Geneva
- Chinese market slowed due to GDP halt, youth unemployment, and discouragement of conspicuous consumption
- New consumer type is informed about sustainability and social justice
Entities
Artists
- Demna Gvasalia
- Iris van Herpen
- Viktor&Rolf
- Oskar Schlemmer
- Maria Grazia Chiuri
- Alice Milliat
- Pharrell Williams
- Matthew Williamson
- Susan Sontag
- Carlo Scarpa
- Peter Hujar
- Charles Rennie Mackintosh
- Paul Thek
- Kim Jones
- Hylton Nel
- Christopher Büchel
- Frank Gehry
- Aldo Premoli
Institutions
- Balenciaga
- Dior
- Louis Vuitton
- LVMH
- Fondazione Prada
- Prada
- Loewe
- Kering
- Artémis
- Collection Pinault
- UNESCO
- Artribune
- Faithless
Locations
- Paris
- France
- Milan
- Italy
- New York
- United States
- Scandicci
- Como
- Düsseldorf
- Germany
- Geneva
- Switzerland
- China
- Venice