Catwalks on the way out?

A new trend to emerge in Milan this week was the replacement of catwalks with showrooms for some menswear labels, as key item focus became paramount. Presentations where buyers can see the clothes up close could be the way forward, while total looks are taking a back seat to powerful investment-piece key items.

Milan Vukmirovic, creative director of Trussardi, said: “They asked me if I wanted to do the show and I actually said no.” He told WGSN: “I didn’t want to make showpieces that would make a show worthwhile and exciting, but would never actually get made.” In the weak economic climate, high-end menswear has been even harder hit than the womenswear market. So labels are ensuring that they offer what both the stores and the consumers really want.

Christopher Bailey, creative director of Burberry, told us: “Men don’t want frivolous fashion. Each item has to be unique and have its own point of view and work on its own. Men today are looking for handmade, beautiful clothes that are authentic and have a point of view, pieces that have individuality.” Andreas Kronthaler, menswear designer for Vivienne Westwood, agreed with this. “This season it was all about encouraging people to buy individual pieces that they will keep for ever.” Both Burberry Prorsum menswear and Vivienne Westwood showed on the catwalks, but Missoni and Moschino opted for presentations. Missoni’s presentation was reinforced by showroom appointments. Angela Missoni told us: “Doing a show or a presentation has always been a question we have asked ourselves every season and this season we decided to do a presentation.”

So how does this affect buyers? Maria Kerner from Moscow’s Tsum feels the catwalks are generally important, although perhaps not for menswear: “Men do not really buy full outfits, they just buy quality pieces that they will use for a long time – they think logically about what they are buying, they look at each piece individually – so shows are less important.” Tiziana Cardini, creative director of La Rinascente, agreed that shows are a very powerful brand tool. But that looking at pieces individually has become a much bigger market for menswear.

{WGSN}