When and why does fashion go viral? And is it good?

But characterized by what once could be defined as marginal. And that has gradually become an integral part of the proposal of each brand. Just look at the fashion shows seen in January and February, between Haute Couture and men’s / women’s fashion, to realize that it is the latter that affirm it, and they are not ashamed of it, because the origins of their actions are more than noble.

The forerunners of “viral”

Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Vivienne Westwood and Gianni Versace, just to name a few, have undoubtedly been the pioneers of what, extreme or not, has taken place on the catwalk during these last few seasons. Because their influences are not limited to the boundaries of cyclical trends or references to dated collections, rather they reach the human mind and habituate it to spectacular presentations in which sculptural models mimic a murder, other more dramatic ones get smeared by monstrous mechanical arms and still others interpret rouged ladies.

Thus the catwalks have taken on the appearance of film sets, almost on a par with Hollywood, staging real performances that many will remember and tell to posterityas is already happening through pages like @unforgettable_runway.

But the narration has always been centered on the collection, and then on the frame of this. And the result is not accidental, because it was the fashion designers who knew how to dose clothes and entertainment in that lethal mix which is the fashion showwithout giving in to the temptation to overdo it and reach the masses at all costs.

The iconic moments of the fashion month

If this happened between the nineties and the early 2000s, when social networks were a chimera, now the legacy of the great artists mentioned above has turned into a run-up to the most viral moment. Almost everything boils down to views, sterile debates and follower spikes, because this dynamism manages to drive sales and make a collection successful. For both the public and marketing teams.

However, virality is multifaceted: from Coperni’s robot dogs to Heliot Emil’s fiery clothes, up to the fake lion head worn by Kylie Jenner for the Schiaparelli fashion show and the Måneskin dancing in the front row at Gucci. Without neglecting the transformist show of Anrealage and the models of Sunnei who all of a sudden lay down on the public.

Regardless of the place, be it Paris or Milan, or New York, the epidemic of notoriety and chatter has infected everyone. Spread due to social platforms based on hyper-fast algorithms, capable of catapulting you into popularity as much as destined to oblivion. The impression you can make during the first 8.25 seconds countsas claimed by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, because at that juncture the user will decide to ignore the content or linger, giving you attention.

When the brand doesn’t want to give in to the dynamics of social media, and it’s not said that everyone wants to, they let the celebrities do it. Which voluntarily or involuntarily, and spurred on by someone or by themselves, manage to fill the void of certain collections by wearing notoriously questionable creations or moving to the rhythm of music. So doing what they’ve always done: exploit one’s image with skill and apparent nonchalance.

Pros and cons of viral content on social media

There is no doubt that public attention is gratifying, especially when people talk about their event for more than 24 hours. Timings to be defined as records for today’s society, constantly hyper-stimulated by images and videos that flow without ever stopping, weakening the rationality of each of us. But if it is legitimate to appreciate the moment of glory, it is equally right to ask the actual contribution of that viral moment. And maybe, thinking about it even just for a moment, we will realize that the concept of “viality” is not so much a friend of fashion.

Feeding the public spectacular presentations and theaters created ad hoc for – or by – celebrities, this gets used to satisfying the innate need for novelty and change, emphasized by TikTok and Instagram. And clothes, which are the ultimate goal of the fashion system, even when they are created to raise awareness or spread specific messages, risk drowning in the chaos of likes and comments, trying with difficulty to re-emerge. Without the certainty of succeeding.

In the end who will remember the spray-dress created on Bella Hadid’s body during the Coperni Spring – Summer 2023 fashion show? Probably few, because it was the act itself that attracted them. Nor will the other items of clothing have the deserved, or undeserved, space.

Those inhuman rhythms, children of the internet and its platforms, for which it is necessary not only to produce collections every six months, but also to fill the “dead time” with capsule collections, to always be seen wearing a star on the red carpet and begin eternal games of functional chairs to select the most contemporary stylist, are already inherent between us and going back would be difficult. However, since there is man at the head of those captious machines such as fashion houses, there is still time to do it.

Rebelling against what one was unconsciously forced to do, and returning to the origins made up of locations as suggestive as the pieces of fabric assembled according to one’s taste. In view of a future in which “like catch” ideas can ceaseeven for the youngest, sadly revealing where the content is only social.