When is a fashion runway not a fashion runway? When designers take the liberty to be storytellers, making garments part of a living theatre.
In recent years, the most memorable presentations have broken away from the norm, replacing the normal stage with sites charged with meaning and mood.
Either that, or the collections are shown in a different format altogether.
Gucci unveiled the debut designs of its new creative director, Demna (as he is known within fashion mononymously), through a short film, The Tiger, last week.
Written and directed by Spike Jonze and Halina Reijn, it starred big names the likes of Demi Moore, Edward Norton, Ed Harris and Keke Palmer.
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Other brands also pushed the boundaries recently.
Instead of a conventional runway show, Diesel presented its collection with models displayed in egg-shaped vessels.
The concept extended into a citywide campaign in Milan, where the public was invited to hunt for hidden capsules revealing pieces from the collection.
At New York Fashion Week early this month, Collina Strada showed on a helipad. While most labels opt for tents or indoor venues, the brand broke convention with a runway on an exposed helipad platform overlooking the river.
Elena Velez went even further off-script in 2023, staging her presentation as a mud-wrestling match.
Models grappled and slipped in the dirt, their garments tested in real time by chaos and contact – a raw, visceral spectacle that rejected polish in favour of something unruly and confrontational.
Malaysia has its fair share of unconventional runway shows.
Two years ago, the Kuala Lumpur Tower staged a fashion spectacle with models strutting 300 metres above ground on its sky deck.
A few months later, model Amber Chia took it even higher, walking a makeshift runway two floors above the same structure. It was part of a promotional campaign for a video game.
In 2023, Behati organised a show right smack in the centre of Kuala Lumpur’s busiest street.
Onlookers stared as models strolled down Jalan Bukit Bintang, framed by tall buildings and huge billboards instead of spotlights and trusses.
The city itself became the runway, its everyday chaos repurposed as a stage for spectacle.
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Even retailers have joined the movement. In 2022, Aeon put up a fashion show inside an MRT train in Kuala Lumpur. Passengers watched as models navigated the aisles in ready-to-wear looks, blurring the line between everyday commute and performance.
All these only prove that fashion can find a stage anywhere.
Whether for pure spectacle or deeper storytelling, they show how fashion today is as much about the experience as the clothes.
Fashion brands and designers look beyond conventional runways
Staged outdoors on a helipad, the show will be remembered for years to come. Photo: Collina Strada
An egg hunt or a clever way to draw all attention? Photo: Diesel
Sometimes, a designer has to allow his clothes to take to the streets. Photo: Behati
Models grapple in mud during an unconventional presentation. Photo: Elena Velez
An MRT carriage becomes an unexpected runway too. Photo: Aeon
A skyscraper like the Kuala Lumpur Tower can be a thrilling location for a fashion show. Photo: Handout
More brands are now realising that films make a great creative medium. Photo: Gucci
