JING SPOKE WITH SIMON WOOLFORD OF SUM ABOUT THE EXPECTED RETURN OF CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS TO THE WORLD OF FASHION
Louis Vuitton's return to the Louvre for its Fall 2021 presentation signals a larger trend that's seen luxury brands inch ever-so closer to the museum and art spaces. Image: Louis Vuitton
It has now been over a year of global coronavirus-enforced social distancing restrictions, event cancellations, and temporary museum closures, all of which have contributed to a digital-first acceleration. Yet, notably, as fashion weeks have been forced online for the Fall ‘21 season, some leading luxury brands have streamed their virtual runways from within the closed doors of museums, theaters and galleries, allowing cultural institutions to retain their presence in public consciousness.
In early March, Louis Vuitton streamed its audience-free catwalk from the Musée du Louvre’s Michelangelo Gallery, while Christian Dior filmed in the Palace of Versailles’ 17th-century court. Both designers have shown in these spaces in the past — Louis Vuitton staged the first-ever runway show in the Louvre in 2017; Versailles served as the backdrop for Dior’s 2012 Secret Garden campaign — but these latest presentations felt particularly reflective following a year of lockdowns, acting as a distinct celebration of the arts. Over in Italy, the Valentino show was streamed from Piccolo Teatro di Milano, Milan’s first permanent theater which has been closed since the very start of the pandemic.
Besides hosting Dior’s Fall 2021 runway, Versailles was also the site for “Disturbing Beauty,” a goth-tinged pre-show teaser shot by Fabien Baron. Image: Adrien Dirand / Dior
While museums have often lent the fashion world a wealth of cultural capital, most notably through collaborative collections, luxury brands are now keeping these momentarily shuttered institutions alive in public discourse. To do so, they’ve made the best of these awe-inspiring physical spaces to create and stage conversation-sparking virtual events.
“The core idea actually needs to be focused more towards Instagram moments because that is what is possible right now,” explains Simon Woolford, founder of luxury marketing agency Sum Design, who also highlights how physical marketing remains essential. “There has also been a lot of practical thinking that has gone into the planning, with outdoor locations chosen to enable a socially distanced environment, and fluid mobility used in the design.”
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