Can Fashion Films be More Important Than Shows?

Fashion films have been around for some time, but they're mostly there to serve as complementary ads to print campaigns and shows at fashion week. But now, with the digital-first and mobile-friendly culture, brands are turning to more democratic and effective ways to spread their campaigns. In one click, everyone can see the full collection on YouTube — even Rag & Bone prefers a fashion film over the runway. With moving pictures, brands have more freedom to tell their narratives, while combining music and cinematography at the same time. But can films replace traditional runway shows?

This morning, Rag & Bone released a six-minute fashion film starring actors Kate Mara and Ansel Elgort. The brand’s Creative Director Marcus Wainwright decided to show the entire collection in the Why We Can’t Get Along film rather than at New York Fashion Week. This doesn't come as a surprise. Before Rodarte and other designers opted out of a runway show this season, Rag & Bone has been anti-runway since last year — for the Fall 2017 collection Wainwright exchanged a show for a portrait exhibition in his 13th Street studio.

 “This is way more dangerous, way more inspiring, much more complicated. If I’ve got to spend three months organizing something, I’d rather it was this than a show,” told Wainwright to the New York Times.

Watch Elgort roll in a wheel and Mara’s hip-hop moves to the soundtrack by Thom Yorke, lead singer of Radiohead, below:

For its Spring 2018 campaign, the luxury brand decided on a six-episode cinematic film, titled Reflections. The first episode, Mirragio, features model Vittoria Ceretti walking with a handbag on fire, towards a burning car (very different from Bottega's usual classic style). A new vision for Bottega is coming our way, especially with the brand's first show in New York next week instead of Milan. Director Fabien Baron said in the press release, "What was important to us was to tell the Bottega Veneta story through the most narrative medium available today; film." 

Watch the first episode below: 

Directed by Steven Miesel, the new Givenchy Spring 2018 ad campaign is a paradox. Young models in rock-inspired outfits roamed around an old, abandoned mansion, as they stare at reflections of themselves through ancient-looking mirrors. The film is both outdated and relevant. On one side, it portrayed the self-absorbed society we are living in today (hence the models repeatedly looking at their self on mirrors). And on the other side, they were chasing a cat and clapping with each other — not to mention the whole film was shot in black and white. 

For her Spring 2018 ready-to-wear and couture collection, Creative Director Clare Waight Keller turned to Hubert de Givenchy's sketches and adapted it to be modern today. And the fashion film captures that nuance. 

You can watch the clip here.