How The Fashion Industry Made History This Year
The 2015 runway season has officially begun, and as with past seasons, designers are recognizing the public desire for fashion that will blow their minds. This is a task that only gets harder as the demand for unrepeatable and individualistic clothing increases. It takes time, dedication and passion for designers to make memorable fashion statements at runway shows. So far this year, these statements were inspired by international campaigns, movements, current events, and impact around the world. Designers have demonstrated how the fashion industry is moving away from recruiting plane jane models who are exceptionally thin, to models who reflect the important and noteworthy changes through the clothes they wear and the statements they make.
1. Special Needs ModelsPresent at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, American Horror Story actor Jamie Brewer made history as the first person to walk the runway with Down Syndrome. Brewer walked in a Carrie Hammer designs dress – a professional line for modern business women. Hammer features models, like Brewer, as part of her Role Models Not Runway Models campaign, which empowers everyday women to pursue their dreams while feeling and looking effortlessly beautiful. Other’s to walk in Carrie Hammer designs include women who are handicapped and impaired.
2. Plus Size Models Although this isn’t the first time plus size models are walking the runway, rumor has it that the term “plus size” will soon be incorrect. The New York Fashion Week featured a handful of plus size models. One being Denise Bidot who made history as one the first plus size models to walk in designs for CHROMAT and the Serena Williams’ HSN line. This is more than just an uprising trend; women of all sizes are owning the runway.
3. Zoolander Returns to the RunwayIn the 2015 Paris Fashion Week, actors Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson made an appearance on the runway, reprising their roles as male models from the popular 2001 film Zoolander, to announce a sequel. Although this wasn’t as serious as other statements, it was definitely quirky and entertaining!
4. Free the Nipple CampaignYes you read that right. The #FreeTheNipple campaign is nothing new, but has recently made an appearance on the runway. Renowned model, Cara Delevingne showed her support through social media while posting provocative photos of her walking the runway with a nipple exposed. That’s not all folks! Not only is there a campaign supporting woman’s rights to go topless, but also a fashion line showing males “peep holes.” In the Paris Fashion Week, designer Rick Owens featured a display of male nudity, with flesh-flashing ensembles. Several male models stormed the runway with glimpses of their full-on frontal area exposed. This statement makes an interesting conversation of social acceptance and comfort with female nudity versus male nudity.
5. Empowering Body ArtThis fashion statement couldn’t be more literal, as words like “brave,” “strong,” and “fearless,” were written on Maybelline models during the Berlin Fashion Week. Maybelline’s words were meant to inspire any woman, but particularly noteworthy for models, who are seen by the public as nothing more than human mannequins. This statement helps recognize models as remarkable women, not just the clothes they wear.
6. Anti Censorship : After the Charlie Hebdo shooting last January in Paris, conversations of free speech and censorphip peaked. Designer Walter van Beirendonck, made a clear anti-censorship statement with his new menswear collection, Explicit Beauty. One powerful clothing item was a clear, plastic tank top that featured the phrase, “stop terrorizing our world.” This statement speaks to more than the people of France, but additional countries affected by ISIS and other terrorist groups. A fashion alliance was formed on the runway that day.