Getting a front-row seat to Milan Fashion Week seemed to be harder than ever this year, with uninvited influencers and buyers nursing bruised egos as the shows started last week under Covid-19 restrictions.
The virus, which is resurgent in Europe, forced many luxury houses to put off confirming their presence until the last minute – and in the end, only a third committed to appearing.
Nevertheless, said the Italian fashion chamber's head Carlo Capasa: "In this year marked by the Covid-19 epidemic, fashion has demonstrated, despite the difficulties that lie ahead, a great strength and sense of unity."
Read more: Want to be in the fashion week front row? Check out TikTok or Pinterest
Missoni, the Italian label known for its explosions of colour, kicked it off, presenting its new collection virtually, just like 41 other labels among the 64 Spring/Summer 2021 runways on the calendar.
In these social-distancing times, brands from Moschino to Versace and Prada have opted to simply stream their shows on social media. Not so Giorgio Armani, who showed his collection on Italian prime time television.
Twenty-two houses are braving a live audience, from Fendi and Dolce & Gabbana to Etro, Ferragamo and Max Mara.
"Organising a fashion show with public present is a real headache at the moment," confessed an organiser at a major fashion house, who preferred to remain anonymous.
"The number of seats has been drastically reduced and the seating plan, a diplomatic and political Tetris at the best of times, is driving us wild. We don't want to offend anyone, but we don't have enough room for everyone," he said.
Masked selfies
The ban on fashionistas travelling to Europe from China, South Korea or the US certainly freed up some strategic places. But their absence was also symbolic of the continued crisis in the sector, despite signs of recovery in China in recent months.
Italian fashion revenue fell 30 percent in the first half of 2020, with a marked contraction in the second quarter.
Those who get to physically attend shows had to go through thermal scanners and use hand gel and face masks – rendering the obligatory pouting selfie in front of sashaying models rather less sexy than usual.
Read more: The rundown on fashion weeks and how they're coping with going digital
Houses kept their fingers crossed, with hopes that Italy's relatively low numbers of new cases – some 1,500 per day – did not dramatically rise to match those in Britain or France (up to 10,000 daily).
That could have forced last-minute changes for big names such as Valentino, which has already bowed to virus pressure by moving its Paris show to Milan this year to limit travel.
Making an unprecedented fashion week even odder, Gucci did not show, the house having decided to reduce the number of its shows from five to two per year and hold them outside fashion weeks.
Read more: Milan Fashion Week announces inclusion of a 'Black Lives Matter' event
Milan's edition this season reflects the major themes in the headlines in recent months. That includes an initiative organised by the Black Lives Matter In Italian Fashion Collective to present five black designers under the title "We Are Italy".
And in solidarity with the people of Beirut, still recovering from the vast explosion in August that killed over 190 people, it shone a spotlight on young Lebanese labels such as Azzi & Osta, Emergency Room and Hussein Bazaza. – AFP
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