In the past fortnight a plethora of fashion shows by luxury brands have
been broadcast around the globe. While there is no official fashion week
calendar at this time of year in any of the major four runway capitals, it
is the season of Resort 2020, aka Cruise, which largely takes place in May
and June.
Christian Dior debuted its resort collection in idyllic Marrakech on April
30th, followed by Prada in its uptown New York headquarters, Chanel in the
Grand Palais in Paris, and Louis Vuitton at the historic TWA Flight Center
in New York. There was a gap of six days in between the shows presented by
Prada and Louis Vuitton in New York, meaning most international editors
would have flown in twice. What is the point, exactly, of these Resort
collections, one could be inclined to ask.
Cruise collections were clothes for the elite
Once upon a time cruise and resort were collections with a purpose to dress
elite customers going on end of year holidays. Department stores stores
were traditionally full of parkas and winter items at this time and a need
for summery fabrics, swimwear and a holiday wardrobe was missing from
the racks. But end of year holidays, think cruises to the Mediterranean,
are no longer privy to an era of jet setters in the age of affordable
commercial air travel. And online shopping has made it possible to buy
bikinis at arctic temperatures and snow boots at the height of summer. In
short, you can buy anything, anywhere, at any time of year.
To each their own
Luxury brands must cater to many different markets, with clients living in
different temperates with different fashion needs. Arab and Russian markets
require clothes for different temperatures than those living in the west,
but that still doesn’t justify the need for an additional runway collection.
Resort runways are international spectacles
Some would argue that Resort collections are expensive and a waste of time,
costing millions of dollars for clothes that will be available in store
from November to April, but are not a part of a brand’s mainline campaign.
Luxury brands often choose international spectacles to show their Resort
ranges, like Fendi’s 2007 extravaganza on top of the Great Wall of China,
or Chanel, which has shown everywhere from Cuba to Salzburg, Edinburgh,
Dallas and Shanghai.
Still others are of the opinion that brands could easily merge resort wear
as capsule collections into their main lines shown during global fashion
month, rather than as a stand alone collection mid-season. For editors and
buyers it would mean a longer stretch of no travel between ready-to-wear
which ends in March and menswear which starts in June and haute couture in
July.
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But this is just surface chatter. In the age of Instagram every runway
collection has an expiry date. With ever-growing appetites for new fashion
and greater speed to market, Resort collections fill the gap between
mainlines and pre collections. More importantly, there are less
restrictions with a Resort collection, which brands can show on their own
terms outside of the industry regulated fashion week schedules and
locations.
For luxury brands where budget is not a primary concern, the world is their
oyster when it comes to showing Resort. They can opt to show in new
locations and burgeoning markets, bringing their unique brand value and
aesthetics to customers who do not necessarily travel to traditional
fashion week cities. They can partner with localised press and celebrities,
all the while bringing the fashion buzz and glamour from back home. What’s
not to love?
Photo credit: Chanel Resort 2020, source: Chanel website