Scandal, Sex, and Awe: Fashion Journalism @ Spring Studios

Spring Studios, located in Soho, is a hub for creatives every fashion week, buzzing with activity. 

This season was no different. From runway shows to art installations to speaker events, Spring Studios hosted the fashion world’s most pivotal NYFW events.

Spanning multiple floors, the setup at Spring Studios was home to multiple runway show spaces and panel venues, as well as plenty of activities for attendees to enjoy between events. The Art of Rodarte, a multi-piece installation featuring gowns from Rodarte’s best known collaborations, was the shining star – Kate and Laura Mulleavy’s talents were displayed and explained beautifully through the expertly crafted designs. On the top floor, Alo Yoga setup a lounge complete with wellness lattes and beverages, complimentary reiki and massage sessions, a meditation floor with daily classes, and plenty of sun-filled space to lounge around and catch up with other creatives. At the ground level landing space, Spring Studios had a Bluestone Lane popup with coffee and matcha, a LoveSac interactive display where guests were able to take cute videos and photos among the plush beanbags, a UPS gear popup, and custom fashion sketches inspired by Rodarte with a mile-long queue. Post-show, attendees gathered in this landing space to browse the exciting activities and discuss the week’s events.

 

On Sunday afternoon, we were able to catch the talk Scandal, Sex, and Awe: Fashion Journalism, moderated by Amy O’Dell and featuring Lauren Sherman, (Chief Correspondent, The Business of Fashion), Bridget Foley (Editor, Women’s Wear Daily), Emil Wilbekin (Award Winning Editor & Founder of Native Son), and Dr. Valerie Steele (Director & Chief Curator, The Museum at FIT). They discusses what constitutes a ‘scandal’ within the world of fashion journalism – scandal in the fashion itself or in the journalism, or a combo of both? All panelists agreed that in American culture, sex is always scandalous, and makes a big splash when used in fashion journalism or ad campaigns. Sherman recalled breaking a story on Ivanka Trump clothing being re-labeled and sold without her potentially inflammatory name attached. Although that practice is common in the fashion industry, it was her “most retweeted tweet ever” within a few hours due to the politically scandalous name attached. 

Dr. Steele and panelists debated when designers copy other designers versus inspiration, when cultural appropriation arises (the protocol according to Dr. Steele is: credit, compensate, and collaborate), and how businesses that survived the pandemic are in a better place than they were before due to “pent up” post-pandemic demand. Finally, they considered the apparent lack of criticism in traditional fashion journalism as compared to other industries, such as film journalism. The panelists agreed that people are more “protective” of each other in the fashion world due to its relative size, but tiktok and other social media platforms have given voice to brutally honest Gen Z’s who aren’t afraid to call a major designer’s show bad.