Films, documentaries, and TV series focused on fashion populate our schedules, bringing the lives of great designers to the forefront. It is a phenomenon that has grown especially in recent years, parallel to the desire of luxury fashion houses to invest in the big screen.

BOOM IN TV SERIES, FILMS, AND DOCUMENTARIES ABOUT FASHION

Today’s film productions seem eager to reveal the ‘behind the scenes’ of the lives of great fashion figures, exploring the scandals, rises, and successes of these personalities. They delve into their psyches, with varying degrees of success, to piece together the puzzle that brought them into the spotlight. A showcase of clothes, accessories, and characters.

And recently, there has been talk of a real boom in films and TV series focusing on the events and protagonists of the fashion industry. Since last January, in fact, the following have been launched: Cristóbal Balenciaga, a Disney+ series focused on the life of the French designer; The New Look, on Apple TV+, dedicated to the story of Christian Dior and his legendary rivalry with Coco Chanel; Becoming Karl Lagerfeld, on Disney+ for just under a month, which focuses on the life of the great couturier.

But documentaries are also being discussed, such as High and Low: John Galliano, which made its debut in the United States but has not yet been purchased in Italy for distribution. “I’ll tell you everything but right now I’m trembling, I need a cigarette,” John Galliano promises, staring directly into the camera of director Kevin Macdonald, who questions him about his life, focusing on the highs but dwelling even more on the lows, as reported by Vanity Fair.

Louis Vuitton also did this on YouTube, presenting a new digital format titled “Nicolas Ghesquière: Shaping Fashion,” a 10-minute segment hosted by journalists Lynn Hirschberg and Sylvia Jorif. This is a “new digital chapter” designed to celebrate the decade-long bond between the artistic director and the historic fashion house, retracing – alongside friends and collaborators – the creative’s career through fashion, cinema, music, and personal anecdotes.

Who is Sabato De Sarno? It’s the tool used by Gucci’s creative director, Sabato De Sarno, to tell his story to Paul Mescal, following a common thread from his first collection. The 20-minute short film, directed by Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost, offers an overview of the creation of the Gucci Ancora fashion show, which took place in September 2023 and marked De Sarno’s debut. It also includes unreleased footage and content that illustrate the designer’s personal experience, revealing his passions and vision for Gucci.

CINEMA ATTRACTS THE FASHION INDUSTRY

And fashion, besides being the protagonist, also invests in it, on the big screen. It’s the case of Saint Laurent, which launched its own production company, Saint Laurent Productions – debuting at Cannes with ‘Strange Way of Life’ starring Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke. Driven by the desire of Anthony Vaccarello, creative director of the brand, to “work with all the great cinematic talents to give them space.”

Following suit, LVMH also took action, declaring in February 2024 its intention to expand into the film industry with the launch of the division 22 Montaigne Entertainment. This initiative is dedicated to exploring the narrative potential of its 70 maisons. Indeed, it is presumed that the project could directly involve the creative minds leading the luxury brands: one only needs to think of the series on the professional life of Nicolas Ghesquière mentioned earlier, or the collaboration of Jonathan Anderson (heading Loewe’s style) with his friend Luca Guadagnino for the costumes in ‘Challengers’.

Even Tom Ford seems fascinated by cinematography. After serving as creative director at Gucci and Saint Laurent and founding his own brand, Ford ventured into filmmaking with ‘A Single Man’ and ‘Nocturnal Animals’, and appears to still be working on similar new projects.

We are witnessing a trend change by major fashion houses, which are stepping beyond their boundaries to embark on a strategic penetration across multiple levels. Food? Already done. Design? Already done. Cinema? Perhaps it’s really time to invest.

After social media, the next showcase for fashion seems to be cinema.

by Giorgia Dallasio
5th July 2024