Five industry heavyweights gathered for a virtual conversation recently. New York Times fashion critic Vanessa Friedman hosted the panel which comprised of Off White and Louis Vuitton men’s designer Virgil Abloh; actress and designer Gweneth Paltrow; designer Tory Burch and Antoine Arnault CEO of Berluti an offshoot of the LVMH Paris based conglomerate. 

The series explored the global state of the fashion landscape, under the theme ‘On the Runway – How Fashion is Meeting the Moment.’ There were several opinions brought to the table, as basically everyone was looking for inclusivity and diversity in their “new” normal of a complicated industry of many layers. Here are just a few of the highlights of the first in this series of monthly discussions. 

VANESSA FRIEDMAN

laid out the question of complicity in the fashion industry. Why is it the same three fashion photographers used in every major shoot? It’s the same stylist, the same creative crews. It’s the secret society of the same people getting work on that level. All of the panelists agreed that there must be more inclusion and more diversity among top-level industry decision-makers. 

VIRGIL ABLOH

said: “What I don’t want to see is a six-month campaign that’s diverse. We’re in positions to translate. The persons who make the decisions are the people listening to us now. New creativity coming from non-traditional places like Africa, being the new Berlin or the new Paris.”

ANTONIE ARNAULT

added:  “it’s not only diversity but working with everybody outside of this little magic we are in.” TORY BURCH continued: “We had to make sure it’s not just a change during the pandemic or for the next few months, it’s a change for the future.

elaborated: “We’ll see some restructuring, the bigger brands are going to do well, smaller brands will have a challenge, the agility you have when you are a growing brand in terms of sustainability is easier. There was a time of discernment within the group. My father doesn’t like to talk about what we do (in terms of philanthropy and giving) I told him, he can’t be quiet anymore. People challenged us on this topic. My Dad understand and he changed very quickly.”

ANTOINE

The question arose: What if covid19 continues as a pandemic for another 2/3 years? VIRGIL ABDOH said that he’ll answer the question by doing what he’s doing now. Getting to slow down and using this time to adjust and pause. “I want to think there is a silver lining to all this.”

GWENETH PALTROW

offered that she doesn’t think that will be the case for two more years. “We’ve lost some of that exploration. We’ll double down on our own product that is relatable to our community.” TORY BURCH added; “We’re finding a new normal to run a business, it’s honing down on what’s important products.” ANTOINE added; “2021 will be a super year for our business. We’ll have to be more creative and more agile.”

VANESSA rose the question of a new way to approach advertising. TORY BURCH said: “When I started, everyone said no one will ever buy online – they were proven wrong. I have a new CEO now, so I am sorely doing the creative. I am very proud of where we are going. We’ve never done traditional advertising. Customers are concerned about what brands are doing. It has to be authentic – people see that.” GWENETH PALTROW emphasizes; “Being incredibly authentic is the key, scrappy is out the window. Create your vision, have it close  to your heart, creativity is stronger than ever, get close to the creative product.”