Megan Burns | Contributing Writer
McDonalds not so much inspired as was his capsule runway collection
So let’s face it, if you’re anyway interested in fashion, by now you have course seen Jeremy Scott’s first runway collection for Moschino, as it hit the runway and simultaneously went viral. The designer, already known for his love of incorporating mass culture into high fashion, has certainly made a memorable debut to the Italian fashion world. Although he has been somewhat divisive among the fashion industry, the outlandish, often controversial designer already seems a suitable choice for the fashion house whose founder was not averse to provoking the fashion world, using his designs to mock and make a self conscious comment on the industry itself. Enter Scott’s 2014 Fall/Winter Collection.
McDonalds not so much inspired as was his capsule runway collection. Models wore glorified employee’s uniforms, carrying red and yellow bags on trays, and red jumpers with a yellow Moschino ‘M’ emblazoned on the front left nobody guessing as to what he was referencing.
already known for his love of incorporating mass culture into high fashion, Enter Scott’s 2014 Fall/Winter Collection… he was playing on the idea of ‘fast fashion’
Elsewhere, he showed tight leather pieces branded in gold, in an again not so subtle nod to the mainstay of Italian fashion, Versace. SpongeBob Squarepants made an appearance in an official collaboration, as did dresses that appeared to be made out of well-known American confectionery brands (Jourdan Dunn managed to pull off a dress made out of a giant Hershey’s wrapper). The finale was a wedding-style dress printed with nutritional facts.
Now this may all seem a bit like eccentricity for its own sake, an attempt to provoke the fashion industry simply for the sake of controversy. However, Scott’s collection goes deeper than this. He explained how, particularly with the capsule collection, he was playing on the idea of ‘fast fashion’.
Scott has encapsulated the modern world of fast fashion. The modern customer will not wait until September to buy from the fall collection, it has to be instant, it has to be now
Like the consumer culture out of which arose our obsession with instant gratification when it comes to our food, so too has fashion developed a similar trend, and this is exemplified not only by the ‘fast food’ design of this collection but of the actual marketing of it. As a fall/winter collection, traditionally we would have to wait months to be able to purchase anything from this show. But various items from this capsule collection are already available online, some have even sold out. The T-shirt dress from the collection is to appear on the cover of the Hong-Kong based magazine Ketchup, usually unheard of so soon after the show, a sign of the industry’s increasing focus on fast turnaround from unveiling to sale. We can, therefore, see how Scott has encapsulated the modern world of fast fashion. The modern customer will not wait until September to buy from the fall collection, it has to be instant, it has to be now. This culture of fast fashion is further exemplified through the collection by the fact that almost immediately, cheaper imitations of this collection have emerged. ASOS are selling a near-identical replica of the Moschino ‘fries’ iPhone cover for 16 Euros instead of the 55 needed to acquire the real deal. Replicas of designer products can be a lifesaver. Most times, people can’t tell the difference, so if you’d prefer to buy the phone case from ASOS instead of spending 55 euros on it, then go for it! The same goes for any designer items. For example, you could check out sites like Designer Discreet if you want a Louis Vuitton bag but are not willing to pay thousands of pounds for the real deal. If you can save money, why not get a replica instead?
This is the modern fashion industry, where almost instant production is required to keep up with the consumer’s every whim.
This is the modern fashion industry, where almost instant production is required to keep up with the consumer’s every whim. If you’re not fast, the consumer finds a new trend to lust after, and rapid tapping into their desires has become key to the present fashion industry. Scott has wittily encapsulated this in his collection, and then, as a final touch of irony, sold it back to us. With instant availability, of course.
