Ludwig Spies
Fashion shows are notorious for running late. In September 2007 guests waited two hours for a Marc Jacobs show to start. An enraged Suzy Menkes, fashion critic at The International Herald Tribune, declared her desire to murder the designer with her bare hands and said she never wanted see another of his shows again. To understand fully poor Suzy’s frustration, one should remember that while attending a Marc Jacobs show in 1991 a piece of the venue’s ceiling crashed down on her.
At this year’s SAFW AW16, the Scouting Menswear show scheduled for 6PM was also delayed. In this case, however, it was not due to designer faffing or late models. Someone had arranged to stream ‘n screen the Rugby World Cup semi-final match between South Africa and New Zealand on the runway backdrop, and a wise decision was made not to cut the screening before the end of the game. There was something rather amusing about a tent full of ‘fashion people’ not only watching, but rowdily cheering, a Springbok rugby match.
Josh Patner, former assistant designer at Donna Karan and co-founder of Tuleh, regularly answers questions about fashion week in Slate Magazine’s build-up to New York Fashion Week. In one article he says that fashion is both democratic and exclusive. At the major international fashion weeks, entry to all shows is by invitation only, and scandal erupted when it emerged that buyers and PR people were selling their passes online to the general public. How fortunate then that we were able to purchase tickets legitimately for SAFW, and for under R200 at that.
There is a definite philosophy of accessibility at SAFW. It is evident amongst the designers, media-relations staff, new talent initiatives and – most clearly – a large group of people with ‘General Standing’ tickets. These are the people (us included) who have to wait for all the other guests to enter and sit down.
They have to squeeze together – in heels and elaborate outfits – and crane their necks to see as much as possible. If they’re lucky, there may be some seats open in the back rows. They are undeterred, however, and fabulously so. Before the show they mingle in the reception area with the professionals and the influencers. They ask questions and take selfies with their idols, which means a lot to an aspiring fashion professional.
SAFW has been flourishing steadily for the past 19 years. If people initially doubted the necessity or potential of the initiative, its growing legitimacy and appeal must have convinced them otherwise by now. As SAFW continues to develop, however, one just hopes that it will retain its genuine and sincere character; that instead of increased levels of FROW fever, we’ll see a bigger area for General Standing. We’ll even keep hoping for greater interaction between influencers and the general public, but most of all we hope that another rugby match will be screened on a SAFW runway in upcoming years.
