Walking Away from the Runway Thesis – One Year Master Textile Manage ment Christina Christodoulou Year: 2015. Thesis id number: 2015.11.06 Acknowledgements I would like to wholeheartedly thank my supervisor David Goldsmith for his guidance and knowledge and most of all for his positive spirit. Also, I would like to thank my parents who really supported me the whole year with their love under any circumstances. Thanks to the designers who accepted to participate in my group discussion and enlightened my thesis with their ideas. Lastly, the paper is dedicated to my favourite uncle that I lost during the master thesis. He was a smiley person who loved to be educated. English title: Walking Away from the Runway Year of publication: 2015 Author/s: Christina Christodoulou Supervisor: David Goldsmith Abstract Fashion shows in a common western context were focused on the garments that were presented. Albeit, the latest decades a shift has been observed from what is presented to how it is presented to the audiences. Particular designers are the leaders of this evolution. Does this phenomenon imply something long term for the fashion system and how fashion is displayed? The purpose of the research is to inquire into the metamorphosis of the runway presentations from the expected status quo to new forms. The compass of this exploration is an observation about fashion shows in retrospect and a focus group discussion with fashion designers master students from the Swedish School of Textiles. It contributes an insight into designers’ approach towards fashion presentations, yet it is used as tool to enable them illustrate their vision on their future presentations. The method of the group discussion unveils that new designers are influenced by the times, their education and background. The future of presenting collections seems to be related a lot to the technology and the cultural context of the time. The findings of the study create visualization of the future of the fashion shows. Also, they explain to what extend shows can formulate role models, lifestyles or even whole societies, from how individuals dress themselves to their social behavior. Keywords: fashion shows, runways, shift, models, new designers, presentations, fashion system, past, present, culture, role models, society, collections, communication, media. - 1 - Contents Preface.......................................................................................................1,2 Introduction................................................................................................3,4 Problematization..........................................................................................................4 Questions.....................................................................................................................4,5 The form of the paper....................................................................................................5 Method...........................................................................................................5 Choice of method...........................................................................................................6 Focus Group Discussion.................................................................................................7 Participants’ profile........................................................................................................8 Interaction.......................................................................................................................8 Interaction among the specific group.............................................................................9 Limitations of the discussion..........................................................................................9 Ethics.............................................................................................................................10 Validity and Reliability.............................................................................................10,11 Desk Research................................................................................................................11 Literature Review...........................................................................................11 Books.........................................................................................................................12-14 Digital........................................................................................................................14,15 The Presentation of Fashion: Past and Present..............................................16 The genesis of the catwalk- Early History.................................................................16-19 1960’s-1980’s: Recent History..................................................................................19,20 The importance of performance.................................................................................20,21 The avant-garde of 1980’s to 00’s..............................................................................21-28 Fashion Presentations of Today.................................................................................28-37 Cultural Phenomena and the presentation of Fashion....................................37 The cultural context....................................................................................................37,38 Communication..........................................................................................................38,39 Social Media...............................................................................................................39-41 PR....................................................................................................................................41 Visual Media..............................................................................................................41,42 Aesthetic..........................................................................................................................42 ‘Human’ Role Models.................................................................................................42-44 Discourse and Discussion...............................................................................44 The setting..................................................................................................................44,45 - 2 - The form.........................................................................................................................45 Discussion of Fashion Designers’ Quotes.....................................................45 Quote1............................................................................................................................46 Quote2............................................................................................................................47 Quote3........................................................................................................................48,49 Quote4........................................................................................................................50,51 Quote5........................................................................................................................51,52 Discussion of Fashion Design Students’ Presentations.............................52,53 Hilda................................................................................................................................53 Kate............................................................................................................................53,54 Daphne............................................................................................................................54 Stella...........................................................................................................................54,55 Summary....................................................................................................................55-57 Conclusion................................................................................................57-59 Future Research..........................................................................................................59,60 Reference List...........................................................................................61-68 Illustrations................................................................................................................68-70 Appendix.................................................................................................71-104 - 3 - Preface The first step into the world of this research is accomplished by introducing how the rationale about the shift in the presentations of how fashion garments are presented to the public emerged. Which are the reasons that make it significant to examine this specific phenomenon? Observing people’s attitude towards runway shows, it took me by surprise the way the collections are presented, can stimulate viewers’ attention more than the collections do. When it comes to fashion shows from big houses, Maison Margiela’s fashion show for the fall-winter 2015/2016 lighten my personal interest in writing about “Walking Away from the Runway” (illustration1). The first ready-to-wear show by John Galliano as creative director of Maison Margiela included aggressive models grimacing while walking on the runway resembling the movie ‘clockwork orange’ by Stanley Kubrick