Prudent fashion houses and observers know that it isn’t merely the clothes on the runway that captivate audiences at a fashion show; it’s the runway itself. Combining the related disciplines of art and fashion, the best runway installations are able to transport show attendees to another world through thoughtful set decor and creative audio and visual effects.
Whether it’s Bottega Veneta’s colourful wonderland designed by Gaetano Pesce or the grotto that served as a backdrop to Maria Grazia Churi’s dark French regency glamour at Dior, there was no shortage of beautiful set design during the spring/summer 2023 season. Herewith, a few of our favourites.
1. Louis Vuitton’s yellow racetrack
The Louis Vuitton SS23 menswear show was a tribute to the late creative director Virgil Abloh and featured a performance by Kendrick Lamar. The looks were developed by the Louis Vuitton studio team, under the premise that “toys are tools for the imagination,” with the collection highlighting the transition from childlike naivete to grown-up refinement by elevating childhood symbols and playing with shapes and silhouettes. Fittingly, the show, set in the Musée de Louvre, took place on a magnified playground centred around a winding yellow toy racetrack. Built by PlayLab Inc, the racetrack is joined by giant red balloons dotted around the cobblestone floor of the courtyard.
“Like a magnified playground, a giant children’s toy racetrack erected in the Cour Carrée of the Louvre becomes a yellow brick road for the imagination,” says Louis Vuitton, “an evolutionary path for the mind where childlike fantasies come to life.”
2. Fendi’s pastel industrialism
For SS23, Fendi explored the intersection of effortless minimalism and pop-infused eclecticism that anchored the turn of the millennium. The union of femininity and fluidity with function and utility was reflected in the show space, with a sparse warehouse punctuated with metal beans in shades of coral, lilac, and lime green; echoing the primary hues of the garments.
Exploring the intersection of effortless minimalism and pop-infused eclecticism that defined the turn of the millennium, femininity and fluidity meet function and utility in Fendi SS23. The union of the seemingly disparate design codes continues into the space, with the show set in a warehouse punctuated with metal beams in hues of coral, lilac, and lime beams.
3. Bottega Veneta’s vibrant fantasy
Composed by renowned Italian multidisciplinary architect and designer Gaetano Pesce, a vibrant playground juxtaposes Matthieu Blazy’s pared-back stealth wealth style collection for SS23. Comprising a multi-toned poured resin floor and 400 straight-backed chairs adorned with smiley faces, ‘Bottega Veneta’, bags, and bottles of drink, all hand-drawn by Pesce, the set is a response to Blazy’s desire to visualise “the whole world in a small room.”
“This space is a tribute to diversity,” says Pesce of his work. “It is about the human being; we are all different. We are all different and this is our defining quality – otherwise, we are just a copy. We are all originals, and this is one of the themes of my design.”
4. Tod’s concrete jungle
Held at the Pirelli HangarBicocca, a contemporary art venue on the outskirts of Milan, the 1990s-style minimalism of the Tod’s SS23 collection took place between seven gargantuan concrete towers. The permanent installation by German artist Anselm Kiefer is titled The Seven Heavenly Palaces and stands tall over the show, yet doesn’t — conceptually — overshadow the pieces on display.
5. Dior’s beautifully disconcerting grotto
Serving as the backdrop for Maria Grazia Churi’s Dior SS23 womenswear show inspired by French queen Catherine de’ Medici, a scenography designed by artist Eva Jospin works to reinvent Baroque grottos. Pairing opulent moulded archways and eerie motifs with dry-stacked stone details, the set design complemented the opulent regency style collection.
Words by Arabella Johnson
