“Art first, sales pitch later…”
… is more or less what my former professor said in the hallway at Vaba Lava when I congratulated her on a successful show at Tallinn Fashion Week last night. I was caught off guard and a bit perplexed by that statement. To me, her collection appeared to be a well executed commercial statement: still very much her (except less black), normal and wearable, with just enough extraordinariness to make her design a compelling choice over something already available on a clothing rack at your nearest department store. “Once you start thinking about what will sell, it’s over” she continued, and disappeared into a crowd of people.
(Vilve Unt’s collection at TFW, Copyright © Olga Rattik)
The thing about Tallinn Fashion Week is that it doesn’t really serve the same kind of purpose as New York, London, Milan or Paris Fashion Week, or even Moscow, Berlin or any big city with a strong market behind it. The industry flocks to the fashion capitals to see the collections and to strike business deals. Buyers place orders, celebrities become the faces of brands, models get cover shoots and so on. Everyone involved is looking to buy and sell something, so naturally, one must have that end goal in mind when designing a collection.
There are some local designers for whom showing at TFW can be capitalisable, but I would argue that their clientele would come to them regardless, and for those that are just trying to make a name for themselves, I wouldn’t hold out too much hope at being inundated with orders the following day. No, TFW is entertainment. People want to dress up and be dazzled for half an hour, they want to gush over the glamour and spew scorn at anything less than that.
(Piret Kuresaar’s collection at TFW, Copyright © Olga Rattik)
For designers TFW is a platform to say what’s on their mind through fashion. Don’t worry, they’ll pay their bills making the same kinds of dresses they’re already known for, but here is where they can go a little nuts. It’s a night at the theatre, to put on a show and to make people dream. So many times designers say they’d do this or that, if only they had x, y and z, and yes, not everyone can afford to do anything they want, to make art and to not worry about how, but plenty of designers at TFW do have that luxury.
(Liina Stein’s collection at TFW, Copyright © Olga Rattik)
I’d like to see more designers take the plunge, make peace with the fact that this amazing garment they’ve thought of might never leave the studio after the fashion show is over, but so what. I’d like to see more creative free falls from designers other than the Embassy of Fashion trio. For some, the risk may be a sequined swimsuit, feather cocktail dress or a T-shirt with a glittery cat on it, or maybe a lime green coat after years of black and grey, or something entirely different. Different is the key word here, even if it’s just a show element that’s meant to distract you.
(Ketlin Bachmann’s collection at TFW, Copyright © Olga Rattik)
(Riina Põldroos’ collection at TFW, Copyright © Olga Rattik)
(Aldo Järvsoo’s collection at TFW, Copyright © Olga Rattik)
Designers, think of how many times you’re able to see your original idea through, and make it completely as you wanted. How many times does a design change and lose its features when working with a client? I’m going to guess “a lot”. Think of fashion week, or any fashion show for that matter, as the one place where you can do exactly as you please, because you are the client, you are the only person you need to please, and you’ve already made the sale.
(It's hard to pick a favourite, but this year my 12 points would go to Aldo. I just adore when gowns move and create a dreamy cloud around the wearer. While the chiffon gowns created the biggest impact, I was most impressed by how precisely the satin dresses were cut. Satin is horrible to work with. Cutting it on a bias requires incredible skill and patience - it takes one misstep to ruin a dress before it’s even made its way to the sewing machine. To see satin look so effortless, simple and chic was the highlight of the night for me. Browny points for an unexpected colour palette too!)