The annual Coachella music festival, which is held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert, is one of the world’s largest music festivals. Fans from all over the globe flocked to California for the festival, but in a desert with an average high of 107°F and low of 78°F, poorly made garments are no match for the heat, and videos of people’s shoes melting brought up an important question about the superficiality of fashion. Do we buy clothes for functionality? How important is the craftsmanship that goes into garment production? When did bad quality become a luxury? This year at Milan FW23 fashion week, AVAVAV took this and poked fun at the reality of the problem.
AVAVAV Disrupts MFW with its Thought-Provoking Collection
With the Fall/Winter 23 fashion season coming to an end, reminiscing about the collections is to be expected. Fashion week went by fast, yet one brand left a lasting impression. There is a viral TikTok that shows a runway collection where the clothes are falling apart as the models walk. The curtain call of the collection involved the backdrop of the runway falling and revealing a group of people working behind it. Stay up to date on the newest in the world of Fashion, Arts, Beauty and Lifestyle; Follow FAB on Instagram.
The viral sensation was so fascinating that the behind-the-scenes activity equally gained traction online. It was funny, fresh, and managed not to come off as gimmicky. But this isn’t the first time AVAVAV is going viral on the internet; their Spring-Summer collection had the models don big furry boots paired with coats, and the models all tumbled in the middle of their catwalks. This skyrocketed the brand into mainstream fashion and cemented Beate Karlsson as a master of live runway shows.
Doja Cat Elegantly Dons Avavav
Beate Karlsson was hired for the role of creative director of AVAVAV in 2020, and in less than 5 years, she has completely changed the trajectory of the company. AVAVAV has been worn by many celebrities, such as Doja Cat. So AVAVAV is definitely having its moment. However, a key part of AVAVAV runway shows is often overlooked: its theme. AVAVAV tells a full story with their collections; the theme and message give a wider insight into the performances. The FW23 show, which had both the clothes and sets falling apart, was titled “Fake it till you make it,” and the show acted as an allegory for fast fashion.
“I’ve been asking myself: why is luxury so serious? Is it because we strive to be perfect? Could bad quality still be luxurious? The last collection was all about keeping up a fake projection of wealth and the personal failure of losing face when this illusion crashed. I’m still on that theme; there’s something very interesting about shame and what happens when we are vulnerable. I asked myself, What is the most embarrassing thing that can happen to a fashion house? and I figured garments breaking might be it.” Beate Karlsson on the collection
With this in mind, the concept of beads falling off a dress, heels breaking off, straps cutting, and visors separating from caps despite the outfits looking visually stunning makes the subject clearer and provides an extra layer to the joke. The backdrop falling and revealing a group of people working was the icing on the cake. The quality of luxury garments has declined over the years, and though luxury houses aren’t guilty of using sweatshops, the conditions of the garments don’t necessarily match the price. So seeing Karlsson poke fun at this was exhilarating; her first runway show had similar satirical undertones.
Avavav’s Filthy Rich
Titled “Filthy Rich,” the collection playfully comments on fashion’s fixation on status and wealth. The collection showcased models falling in enormous sunshades, bejewelled attire, knee-high furry boots, oversized hoodies, and leather jackets. The aim was to conceptualise the ideals of success and failure. Karlsson manages to find the perfect balance between showing her skill as a designer and fusing her personality into her work. Proving she is really a force to be reckoned with.
