Outbreak Of Epidemic And Paris Fashion Week

Brands such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton and herm è s said they would hold offline fashion shows this fall. However, the sharp increase in the number of new crown cases in France may jeopardize the integration of live and offline shows envisaged by fashion week.

Paris, France - despite a surge in new crown cases in the French capital, some Paris fashion companies say they are still pushing ahead with plans to hold offline launches during this autumn fashion week.

France reported as many as 5500 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, the biggest increase since mid April, and on Thursday the number of new cases surged to more than 6100. As the country prepares for a possible second wave of the epidemic, restrictive measures to limit the spread of the epidemic are also being strengthened.

In Paris, people now have to wear masks on the streets, and any party with more than 10 people needs to follow strict social distance measures.

However, Louis Vuitton and Chanel, France's biggest luxury brands, confirmed last week that they planned to work with models for a live fashion show, although both companies said it was too early to judge whether guests would show up or just live online.

By implementing social distance and other hygiene regulations in the back office and audience areas, brands want these events to continue, but there is growing uncertainty about what events the organizers will be able to host and who will be able to participate in them when Fashion Week opens on September 28.

The French Federation of haute couture and fashion (FHCM), the organizer of the Paris fashion week, is due to announce its preliminary agenda this week. Most of its off-line brands and other digital media outlets are not expected to increase their presence. Other brands may only choose to publish online, and are expected to release short clips or other content during Fashion Week in September, as many brands did during Paris high definition week and men's wear week in July.

"We have been in touch with the authorities to understand what the rules are and how brands can safely host events. During this fashion week, the fashion house has a range of possibilities to choose how to combine offline publishing and digital content, "said Pascal Morand, executive director of the French Federation of advanced customization and fashion. Brands that are not based in Paris may have difficulty breaking travel restrictions, and are most likely to choose a purely online publishing model. "Obviously, the closer your headquarters are to Paris, the more viable it will be to have a face-to-face offline activity."

The only brands that want to host offline shows are not only big brands and well-known brands: in addition to herm è s and Christian Dior of LVMH, small brands including Koch é, Paco rabane, Nina Ricci and New York designer Gabriela Hearst will also hold offline releases.

Due to the need to strictly abide by health and safety regulations and ensure sufficient space and social distance, this will bring great logistics challenges to small brands, and the budget will also be tight. These small brands have been impacted by the epidemic on sales.

In July, Simon Porte jacquemus became the first French designer to host an offline fashion show since the outbreak. The show is located in a wheat field in the northern village of Paris, and most of the guests are local people. For brands that think they can do it safely this fall, the show could be a template to learn from.

But since then, the number of cases in France has multiplied, so authorities may be more vigilant and demand that brands meet strict and rapidly changing standards.

"It's not just about social distance, masks and hand sanitizers. This requires establishing a global code of conduct that makes guests, models and staff on every show feel safe, "said Lucien PAG è s, founder of public relations agency representing jacquemus." it requires a lot of flexibility. "

Show producer Alexandre de betak, who is preparing the Paris Fashion Week offline show for Dior, Hearst and Ricci, says the process requires careful consideration and flexibility. "From the beginning, we planned everything because we knew that things would change," he said. Social distance and other health precautions will change, and we may have 50, 100, 200 viewers, or none at all. "

In any case, the major brands are eager to grab their attention again this autumn and firmly grasp the halo brought by the display of clothes at Paris fashion week.

"These shows show how we make people dream and show creativity. If you don't, how can you get the same reputation? "Says Bastien daguzan, chief executive of PaCO rabane fashion. He added that the focus of Paris Fashion Week is also worth doing, despite the challenges and the dramatic changes that may occur at the last minute of the event.

With fashion sales expected to fall by 30% this year, and widespread travel restrictions mean that international buyers, media and stars will not be able to attend, it seems surprising that Paris fashion brands insist on promoting offline activities.

Uncertainty has prompted the trade show premi è re vision to cancel its physical activity in September during the rapidly changing public health crisis. In addition to fashion, many international events, such as the world economic forum in Davos in January, have already been cancelled.

Authorities say one reason why brands stick to their offline plans may be that the new coronavirus is mainly spread among young people in France. Although the number of cases has risen sharply, the increase in the number of inpatients is far less significant.

French Prime Minister Jean CASTEX said on Thursday that the French government wants to avoid a new round of blockade at all costs, but "we will respond quickly if we see the virus moving from young people to more vulnerable groups.".

Another reason is that these fashion houses want to hold face-to-face events because they are more efficient. On offline fashion shows, celebrities, Internet Celebrities and journalists can help brands enlarge their information by posting on social media or publishing videos and articles. The cost of pure online fashion shows is lower, but the participation of digital fashion shows in summer is low, indicating that such influence is weak.

Perhaps the most important reason is that if a whole season of women's ready to wear shows are cancelled, it may pose a survival challenge to the entire ecosystem of designers, event producers, stylists and photographers who make a living from Paris fashion week.

"Most brands want to return to some normal rhythm," says PAG è s. "they want to be an example of how we can continue to coexist with the virus."