Brands are trying, and God, like the Italian national rugby team, loves a trier. But for all the concerted effort throughout lockdown, digital shows just aren't the same as actual IRL shows. There's no hushed theatre over Zoom, nor is there a quiet sense of shared anticipation as buyers, press and pretty famous people huddle in as the models walk on. That sort of ceremony is impossible to replicate. What's more, it may be fashion's immediate future as infection rates flow and ebb, a huge question mark perpetually hanging over the logistics (and the morality) of packed out runway shows.
Salvatore Ferragamo's A/W '21 show reckoned with that future. In its co-ed clothing, yes. But also in its presentation as the storied Italian marque made the 'film' in 'fashion film' its operative word – and that was futuristic too.
Before the show even began, the YouTube holding pen was backdropped with a picture postcard of a utopia that looked a little like New York, but just with less shouty residents and more flying cars. Its gateway, carved from the finest Metropolis stone and illuminated by a distressingly fat moon, was Salvatore Ferragamo's signature 'gancini' – an interlocking reverse horseshoe that graces belts, loafers and bags favoured by both Milanese aristos and the wise guys who emulate them (see Uncut Gems' Howard Ratner for further details). Simple rehash this was not, though. Following an intro that paid kitschy homage to the WordArt opening credits of each and every Star Wars film, the audience was launched into an LSD wormhole, through the aforementioned marbled gancini gates, and into an inner sanctum that signalled a brave new world for Ferragamo.
Toto: I've a feeling we're not in Milan anymore. For here in this modish chamber, with its smooth Gattaca greys and Janet Jackson "Scream"-era light tunnels, creative director Paul Andrew realised the 'Future Positive' ideal that titled this most recent collection. In a marked change of pace for the brand, clothes were functional, and co-opted from fields that demand ultimate technicality from their kit like the military, motorcross, athletics and scuba – all things referenced in the collection notes. And yet, despite multiple strands of inspiration, Andrew plaited them all with a focus on clean lines and uniformity. Clothes seemed panelled together as opposed to simply stitched, a robot-like precision to geometric knitwear and louche leather jackets. Most strikingly, though? It was really fashion-y and now-ish, a break from tradition that pitted Ferragamo against other labels du jour like Daniel Lee's Bottega Veneta, and nascent eco-allies Botter.
One particular highlight gave good clothes and good scenery. In a shot that could've easily been taken from the late-Nineties golden age of the long-standing Final Fantasy video game franchise, a steely hero looked out into a strange city, the weight of the world on his shoulders and brow, his clothes ill-suited for the small task of planet saving but remarkably apt for the post-lockdown period. In a black papery trench with matching shirt and billowing trousers, it was a vision of the future we'd seen before and one in which we can all indulge. It was left-field and wearable. That doesn't happen very often. Plus, it also looked a lot like the music video for Linkin Park's seminal 2002 classic "In The End", which still slaps and we'll be taking no further questions on the matter.
Much of 'Future Positive' evoked that specific strain of turn-of-the-century cool before the whole Y2K thing was deemed achingly uncool (only to then be rescued once more by Ferragamo and friends). The show notes reference pre-millennium sci-fi films like The Matrix, and Wim Wenders' cult classic Until the End of the World – a time when we were properly, actually excited for the future, when flying cars and concrete utopias seemed in reach. Ferragamo goes a step further to futureproof with an eco-friendly focus, using responsibly-sourced wood for footwear and metal-free leather tanned with plant-based materials.
Now that the future has arrived, it's turned out to be far dimmer than originally anticipated. Despite this upheaval, brands continue to try – and amongst them, Ferragamo is trying great new things.
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