Fashion folk treat Fashion Week like the Olympic Games.
Theres drama, theres action, theres…exhaustion.
This yearsVogueForces of Fashion conference, taking place on October 16, will pay homage to the runway show.
Atmosphere at the Marc Jacobs spring 2003 show.
Daniel Rasmussen, Lede Company
Opening Ceremony, fall 2016.
For the set, Desi Santiago designed amazing giant inflatable spaceships based on his paintings.
Im talking flat tarps on the ground, limp balloons hanging from the ceiling.
Opening Ceremony, fall 2016.
We had 700 people waitingCharli XCX,Jaden Smith, every big editor you could think of.
Thankfully, the show space was behind a giant garage door so no one knew what was happening.
It was Valentines Day night, so half the guests got pissed waiting and left for their dates.
John Galliano, fall 2001 ready-to-wear.
I turned into a beer maiden and started shoving them into everyones hands.
We made it a party so everyone forgot they were even waiting.
Shout out to Tiger Beer.
John Galliano, fall 2001 ready-to-wear.
I remember our amazing production team trying everything to fix the electricity, butnada.
It would either solve it, or the person doing it would get electrocuted.
The vibe went from dealing with a relatively unserious mishap to something potentially really dangerous.
Tom Ford and Stella Tennant,Vogue, December 2010 by Steven Meisel.
Everyone was gagged because they thought it was part of the show.
I remember throwing poor Twin Shadow in a third row seat because it was all that was left.
But it just felt like one big party.
Karen Elson and Tom Ford,Vogue, December 2010 by Steven Meisel.
Jacky Tang got Teengirl Fantasy to do the music, I think the mix is still on Soundcloud.
We had to apologize to a lot of people the next day, though.
Olivier Bourgis, Ritual Projects
John Galliano, fall 2001 ready-to-wear.
Amber Valletta, Joan Smalls, Anja Rubik, Karen Elson, Stella Tennant, Carolyn Murphy, and Edita Vilkeviciute in Tom Ford, spring 2011,Vogue, December 2010 by Steven Meisel.
When I started my career at John Galliano working for his eponymous house, we were a small team.
I think the look I worked on was 29 or 34… At the time, I was too young and too enthusiastic to grasp the gravity of these moments.
They were just jobs, exhilarating but ephemeral.
Marc Jacobs, spring 2008.
Yet, one event stands out in my memory, transcending the rest: theTom Ford spring 2011 show.
It was 2010, and I had just launched REP, my agency.
This would be my last freelance gig, and it was a fitting grand finale.
Marc Jacobs, spring 2002.
We were asked to surrender our phones, unconventional but not unheard of for privacy reasons.
The atmosphere that day was surprisingly relaxed and joyous.
Watching these extraordinary women interact, laugh, and celebrate Mr. Ford was a spectacle unto itself.
Off-White, fall 2018 ready-to-wear.
His personal involvement and meticulous attention to detail were both instructional and inspirational.
Rachna Shah, Global CEO, KCD
Marc Jacobs, spring 2008.
My journey at KCD started in 1997.
Nina Westervelt/Getty Images
But that also meant that the shows were between 400 and 2,000 people, which was crazy.
Its just not the reality of what everyone can do now.
Back then, it was with these aluminum bleachers you would have in a gym or football field.
Magliano, fall 2024 menswear.
Every season I was worried they would collapse with so many people standing on them!
Then came thatone epic showthat started at 11PM.
Ill never forget it.
It was stressful, and I remember I was mentioned in theWomens Wear Dailyreview.
I was worried I would get fired because I was in the review [laughs].
But after that season he switched to going super on time, famously.
Talk about the power of one runway show.
Marc Jacobs, spring 2002.
The night before 9/11 was another epic Marc show on the pier.
It was also the launch of the fragrance.
At the time he was one of the first people to do something like that.
Everyone got up from their seats and then walked out and it was magical.
No one knew how the world would change the next morning.
We forget that sometimes our creative, amazing shows juxtapose themselves against these historic events.
Kevin Mcintosh Jr., Founder, KMJR.
World
Off-White, fall 2018 ready-to-wear.
Virgil had launched a sneaker that week and there was a pop-up for that not too far away.
I remember thinking I was definitely going to get the boot for this!
Still, it was one of the most challenging and exhilarating shows.
Bohan Qiu, Founder, BOH Project
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Windowsen, 2021 couture.
As it happens in Shanghai with Labelhood, we did two shows.
The first showing finished and then came the second.
I have to go back, change into my normal clothes, and do it all over again.
The whole time Im just watching this happen, not working, and going crazy.
When he arrived that morning he realized they had done it wrong.
It was Gong Mark.
He was crying and screaming.
We had to calm him down, but its funny looking back.
They kept saying they were sent to cover the show, but we knew this person didnt actually exist.
We were practically doxxed and got hundreds of spam emails coming through.
She was early, and it was all very organized.
Mumi Haiati, Founder, Reference Studios
Magliano, fall 2024 menswear.
Ive been doing this for 20 years now, and have been running my own company for seven.
Which is like little Luca in Italian.
We were all pretty nervous, but also very excited!
I would always have to be like, Luca will be here in one minute!
and say he was with his family, or something else, you know…family is everything!
He always knew where to hide, because the team knows the backstage well.
One time I finally found him sitting on the toilet, smoking a pack of cigarettes.
This happened again at Pitti, and it was the most dramatic one because it took around 40 minutes!
I will never forget it.
But then, this past show in Milan, he was there after ready for everyone.
