Fräulein’s Top Six Fashion Films of 2020 

For consumers and industry experts, digital has been the direction for designers to keep themselves relevant in times of lockdowns and home office. New formats, that would never of gained as much coverage with audiences before, have had to be considered…and thankfully succeeded. Fräulein selected our top fashion films of this year. Netflix and chill? More like, fashion and film.

 

GmbH

For SS21 the Berlin-based GmbH, which was founded on the principle of creating a conversation of issues surrounding politics, unveiled their season collection via a 3 series project entitled “Rituals of Resistance”. As a brand, a key focus on each seasonal collection is to bring importance and relevance to issues surrounding race, sex, and gender. For Benjamin Huseby and Serhat Isik’s slot in the online Paris fashion week schedule, the duo presented GmbH’s short-film “Season of Migration to the North,” by artist Lars Laumann with activist Eddie Esmail. Based on the true story, the film explores Esmail’s journey to Khartoum in 2010 while preparing a fashion show with his friends. During this time, homosexuality was illegal in Sudan, and the Sudanese architect and refugee Eddie Esmal recalls his fleeing over the country and seeking refuge to Norway. The film focusing on LGBTQ+ rights and racial discrimination experienced. For their final part of the project, GmbH showcased their SS21 collection which featured memorable motifs from past seasons that incorporates vegan leathers and ribbed athleisure knits.  SK

 

SITUATIONIST

SITUATIONIST shot their collection with a near-voyeuristic approach, on the streets of the Georgia capital, with models walking alongside and intermingling with the locals in very normal day-to-day doings. Seeing these garments worn on the very streets they were created in allowed for a much greater appreciation and awareness of the atelier’s inspiration. It is a behind-the-scenes glimpse into what makes Situationist tick, and will serve and age well years down the line, when masked masses are (hopefully) a thing of the past. We interviewed the art director Salome Potskhverashvili; which you can read about the process of the film and more here. JS

 

Louis Vuitton Men’s

Whatever your opinion of Virgil Abloh, the artistic director of Louis Vuitton Men’s was able to think creatively and come up with the concept for “The Adventures of Zoooom with his friends by Virgil Abloh,” which served as a prelude for the then-upcoming SS21 mens show which debuted in Shanghai and Tokyo later in the summer.  The animated film presented bright and colourful cartoon characters alongside male  counterparts sees the cast go through the ups and downs during Paris fashion week. The short-film was developed by Reggieknow, the film features an original score from The Sa-Ra Creative Partners.  SK

 

MM6

The MM6 atelier took restrictions as a creative challenge. They clearly were happy to accept. The result is a video of surreal and bizarre proportions: necklaces are oversized rings. The studio portrait backdrop is actually a scarf that is actually a shirt. The mannequin legs are pants that are boots. Or whatever those things are. The other boots are sandals. That can with a string is a purse, or a phone, or an, I don’t know- you decide what to do with it. There are also nods to Maison Margiela’s beginnings from his first fashion show, in which the white papered runway was stamped by the now-iconic Tabi boot prints, which later served as the paper for the invitations to the line’s next show. The video is beautifully and masterfully produced, topsy and turvy and all around a visual delight. JS

 

LGN Louis Gabriel Nouchi

Founded in 2017, the eponymous label of Louis Gabiel Nouchi is gaining positive momentum due to the designs of the Parisian brand interweaving together classic tailoring with sub-culture influences. Literature is one of the key influences in Nouchi’s work and the SS21 collection was no different. Directly inspired by the philosopher and author Albert Camus, the season collection was a direct ode to the writer. Models dressed in Camus-inspired garments which included an updated version of the trench coat – famously worn by Camus – had plenty of room for the wearer and the lapel tips were extended to the shoulders. For the rest, silhouettes were loose, both in tailoring and knitwear (knitwear being a signature for the brand). The garments were presented in a short-film which was produced by Keffer, and worn by actors from the Comédie Française who read excerpts from Camus’s The Stranger. For anyone who has a love for literature, take note and listen. SK

 

Gucci

Alessandro Michele continues to take Gucci on a new path of showcasing it’s collection and designs. Having previously announced that the brand would reduce the number of shows per year from 5 to 2 per year, as well as them becoming seasonless Michele debuted its own alternative to fashion week, calling it ‘GucciFest’. The 7-day-long film festival showcased upcoming talents including Stefan Cooke, Jordan Luca and Rave Review, as well it premiered Gucci’s own film project, a seven-part collaboration with Michele and the award-winning director, Gus Van-Saint. The mini-series, titled Overture of Something That Never Ended, follows the story of the eccentric character named Silvia as she awakens in her apartment in Rome and proceeds to wander around the city. Throughout the episodes cameos appearances from Harry Styles, Florence Welsh and Billy Ellish drift into scenes draped in looks from Gucci. You can see all episodes and fashion films on GucciFest.com.  SK

 

Text: Sam Kavanagh & Janna Shaw