A Fashion Show in an Apartment and a Barbie Anniversary Show

[ 2/22/2009 ]

The global fashion industry is responding to the economic downturn with “creative destruction,” the British business weekly The Economist recently reported. According to the magazine, last week’s New York Fashion Week showed how the industry is changing to survive. One clear change was the smaller scale of the shows. A runway presentation lasting about 20 minutes typically costs more than $100,000. This time, however, designers Vera Wang and Betsey Johnson held smaller shows in their own showrooms. Menswear designer John Bartlett held a show in his apartment. At one collection presentation, models simply stood still like mannequins. The British newspaper The Telegraph reported that Marc Jacobs sharply reduced his guest list: a show that would normally draw about 2,000 people had seating for only 500. Another notable change was the fashion industry’s collaboration with a brand aimed at the wider public. At a show organized by Mattel to mark Barbie’s 50th anniversary, models styled like Barbie dolls wore outfits designed by 50 prominent American designers, including Vera Wang, Anna Sui and Donna Karan.