Looking back on 2021, it is fair to say it has been one helluva year for fashion. After 2020, when the whole world went virtual, this year has ignited a fashion flare. With designers and industry names thriving on our need for more, we saw a world of colour, creativity and celebration. Here are some of the biggest moments from the year...
#1 Pyper Moss’s Debut on the FHCM Calendar
Designer Kerby Jean-Raymond made history as the first Black designer invited by France’ Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture to present on the official schedule. Shown at the historical estate of the US’s first female Black self-made millionaire Madam CJ Walker, the Pyer Moss collection was a celebration of Black inventors of the past. It shined a light on the often-overlooked role of Black individuals in shaping American history.
#2 Balenciaga’s First Haute Couture Collection in 53 years.
For its first haute couture offering since 1968, Georgian fashion designer Demna Gvasalia went back to Maison's roots and hosted the show at Balenciaga salon at 10 Avenue Georges V, Paris. The fashion world went crazy and it broke with the internet, with feeds flooded with reposts from the few inside shots. The show presented a distinctly modern take on high fashion, mixing casual garments with formal gowns, a personal favourite would be the tangerine skirt suit complete with a Philip Treacy lampshade hat.
In the first physical show since last January, Dior submerged us into a psychotropic desert sky, morphed into a Texan desert and gardened with human-sized cacti. The collection drew on Dior’s couture house heritage and Scott’s refined public image and record label imprint, fusing them together in what Kim Jones called “Cactus Jack Dior”.
#4 Lila Moss Hack Brings Diabetes to the Runway
For Milan Fashion week Donatella Versace and Kim Jones and Silvia Fendi switched archives for the first time creating Fendace. However, the biggest thing we took away was the large step forward for inclusivity in fashion. As Lila Grace Moss Hack strutted the runway in a gold-and-white Fendi x Versace swimsuit, she proudly wore her Omnipod insulin pump. Used to treat Type 1 diabetes (T1D) which she was diagnosed with at 8, it was visibly spotted on the top of her thigh.
#5 Oscar Isaac's Viral Scenes From a Marriage Fits
The menswear look that went viral, impossible to miss on any social media platform this year was Oscar Isaac donning his costume fittings for his Scenes from a Marriage. Instagram, Twitter—each platform filled with appreciation for not only his wiry hair and glasses, but his impeccable style. The world went crazy for stylist Miyako Bellizzi curation of slouchy brown corduroys, tweed jackets, and normie New Balance trainers.
#6 In Honour of Virgil Abhol
Everything I do is for the 17-year-old version of myself
This November the fashion world was rocked by the death of trailblazing fashion mogul, Virgil Abhol. As the fashion world mourned, we all looked back on his accomplishments and how he paved the way for diversity. From the chairman of LVMH, to establishing his signature identity with Off-White and raising £1 million to support Black fashion students through his ‘Post-Modern’ Scholarship Fund. Virgil Abloh was not only described not only as a genius but as a truly kind soul.
Across 2021 we have seen fashion fluidity become more than a trend, it has become freedom. From Andrea Grossi dramatic toile print gown for Lil Nas at the BET Awards and Olly Alexander's Harris Reed two-piece at the BRIT Awards to the major brands such as Stella McCartney, Maison Margiela and Marc Jacobs championing gender-fluid collections. We have seen a wave of fashion that has no rules. If we had to mention one highlight it would be Balenciaga'sSimpsons collab SS22 at Paris Fashion. The clip features Homer Simpson convincing creative director Demna Gvasalia to make Marge a dress – it results in the entire town of Springfield appearing in a Balenciaga fashion show and Waylon Smithers iconically opting for a red gown.
