Russia at War: Impact on Milan Fashion Week

02 March 2022, Mumbai:

*At the Giorgio Armani show yesterday, which closed out Milan Fashion Week, the 87-year-old designer sent his collection down the runway to uncomfortable silence.

Over the loudspeaker, a voice explained that his decision not to use any music in the show was made as a “sign of respect to people in the unfolding tragedy.” Despite the curious omission of the words “Russia” or “Ukraine,” the message was clear enough.

The models, in quietly luxurious Armani classics including trim velvet jackets and a long-sleeved spangled gown, clicked down the glossy runway without the typical pounding soundtrack—just the occasional shuffle of cameras and high heels.

The somber move represented a rare synchronization of the gravity of world events with the giddy fashion-week carnival. It also harkened back to February 2020, when Mr. Armani was one of the first designers to acknowledge the burgeoning pandemic by disinviting guests to his show, which unfolded in an empty theater.

ALSO READ: MILANO FASHION WEEK WOMEN'S FALL/WINTER 2022/2023: 22-28 FEBRUARY 2022

As one of the undisputed elder statesmen of fashion, he knows that in an industry that’s all about image, symbolism matters. Omitting music from a fashion show could be seen as a hollow gesture or a respectful one, or maybe a little of both.

During the preceding days, talk of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was limited to the back seats of black cars and the crammed benches of fashion shows (with Covid spacing mostly a relic of last season).

The disconnect between fashion and the “real world,” always a heated topic, felt particularly extreme on Thursday, when the invasion escalated and brands including Prada staged their fashion shows to audiences of editors and celebrities.

A few war protestors brought their signs (“Close the Sky,” “Stop Putin”) and Ukrainian flags to the crowds outside the fashion shows, but for the most part, they marched just meters away at gatherings throughout central Milan. Of course, for those with ties to the region, business as usual was unthinkable.

The two Ukrainian models who walked in the Prada show, Kristy Ponomar and Irina Kravchenko, have used their Instagram platforms to rally their thousands of followers around their country’s plight.

RELATED ARTICLE: Milan Fashion Week

Join our community on Linkedin 

*CREDITS: wsj.com