We are in the midst of Paris Fashion Week and Lagerfeld decided to take the show to a more down to earth location: the grocery store. Imagine rich housewives being forced to do the shopping instead of their helpers: that is the scene at Chanel’s catwalk show.
No matter who you are, whether Anna Wintour or a broke student a trip to the supermarket will always be needed. Lagerfeld is known for making what seem to be random choices in terms of how to present his collections. However, is it really random?
This is not the only designer of this season’s Fashion Week that has brought consumerism into fashion. Jeremy Scott didn’t miss an opportunity to poke fun at one of the biggest money making machines of all: McDonalds, at Milan Fashion Week. His debut show as creative director for Italian brand Moschino had a host of McDonald fonted “M’s” on sweaters and handbags; some being served as a meal. It is not a surprise that there are people in the world who would rather be served a designer bag than actual nourishment.
What are these two designers trying to say? Fashion is a whole part of consumerism, but surely they are not criticizing it completely, because where would they be if we did not become obsessed with consuming their goods. That is after all, how they make their money. I doubt this message could be compared to George A. Romero’s message of consumerism and popular culture film Dawn of The Dead. Perhaps they are saying that fashion is just as necessary as our food intake or that you too can look fabulous while on a trip to the market.
Or all we are fashion zombies…some food for thought.
Words: Vanessa Dos Santos
