2018 Fashion Highlight: From Gucci's Iconic Fashion Show To Nike's Collaboration with Ambush

Written on December 28, 2018 by Diandra Israhmaniar

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2018 is coming to an end and before the new year begins, GABSTER Fashion Consulting has curated the fashion highlights of this year. From iconic fashion shows to important markets, we covered it all. Keep reading to reminisce on this year’s fashion.

Iconic Fashion Shows

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During the Fall 2018 Ready-To-Wear show, Gucci surprised us with a model cradling a baby dragon and some models holding their own head on the runway. It was sensational, yet disturbing and creepy but people loved it. Another exciting about fashion show was Fendi’s as the brand showcased its collaboration collection with Fila. Not only was the show a success, but the collection itself became popular amongst the market.

Fendi was not the only brand to showcase their collaboration collection. Kith outdid them by doing a four-part show featuring collaborations with Tommy Hilfiger, Greg Lauren, and Versace. A highly anticipated fashion show was Celine’s Hedi Slimane debut since becoming the new artistic director. The show received mixed reactions and many were not happy with it because many pointed out that the collection looks very similar to Slimane’s previous works.

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A unique fashion show we had this year was Calvin Klein’s . Instead of a usual runway platform, the brand used popcorn for the models to walk on. Then, finally we have Dior Men’s Pre-fall 2019 show which was held in Tokyo, Japan. This show turned heads with its futuristic theme and celebrity guests.

Brands Re-Branding

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2018 was the year of re-branding and changing the brand logo into a more minimalistic one. Especially because brands need to stay relevant in order to keep up with the fast-changing customer, especially the Millenials, Gen Z, and soon Alpha.

Burberry changed its logo and monogram under Riccardo Tisci’s direction. Their new monogram, a T and B interlocked, pays tribute to the brand’s founder, Thomas Burberry.

Berluti also unveiled a new logo under the artistic direction of Kris Van Assche. It has been created in collaboration with graphic design studio M/M Paris. The designer drew his inspiration from the brand’s origin. The new “1895 Berluti Paris” logo features the brand’s name and the year the founder established himself as a shoemaker. The corners have been subtly erased to symbolize new beginnings.

For the first time in 80 years, Balmain is rebranding and coming out with a new logo. The brand is planning to transform from a niche player to a powerhouse, therefore some strategies have been established. Balmain introduced its new logo just as the company is about to launch its accessories.

Lastly, Celine debuted its new logo under artistic, creative and image director Hedi Slimane. The french luxury label’s new logo is influenced by the original design from the 1960s with a modernist typography from the 1930s resulting in the accent on the ‘E’ being removed and the spacing between the letters tightened to create a balanced and simplified logo.

Unexpected Collaborations

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In 2018, we had some unexpected collaborations coming from classic brands partnering up with streetwear brands to a furniture company with a clothing brand.

One of the least expected collaborations was between Palace and Polo Ralph Lauren. This was the first time that Polo Ralph Lauren collaborated with a streetwear brand because they aimed to be more relatable to the current market. The other classic x streetwear brand collaboration was between Kith and Tommy Hilfiger. Kith dug into Hilfiger’s archive and redesigned classic and rarest pieces through a modern lens.

Following their Spring/Summer 2018 collaboration, Supreme and Levis released a new exclusive collection for the Fall/Winter 2018 collection with six styles. Alexander Wang and Uniqlo also collaborated on creating a unisex line that used Heattech fabric and includes bodysuits, T-shirts, leggings, bras, and briefs for men and women.

The oddest collaboration though this year was by Ikea and Off-White. The range of furniture was designed by Virgil Abloh in which he added the signature Off-White quotation marks. Some other collaborations we had this year were Fendi x Fila, Kaws x Dior, H&M x Moschino, Nike x Ambush and from our local brands was a collaboration between Socky x Never Too Lavish.

Important Markets

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In 2018, we gained new important markets and brands are adapting to it. With the increase of modest wear, millennial Muslims are becoming a target. Modest wear has become increasingly popular, not only in the Middle East but also in Europe and America. There is a global demand now from people and millennial Muslims who want to dress modest and stylish.

Chinese millennials are one of the most important market, especially for luxury brands. This year, it has been proven that they play a big role in the sales of luxury goods.

Millennial parents are also becoming an important target market. They enjoy dressing up their children and do not mind spending extra money to buy their children cute clothes. Not only that, but matching outfits between a parent and their child has also become a high demand.

Now, is the time for brands to listen to the demands of the generation z. It is important to know how to approach them and brands need to adapt to that. The Tokyo Men fashion scene has become very popular this year and brands such as Dior has proven it by holding the pre-fall 2019 fashion show there. This market is becoming important for menswear and brands need to keep that in mind.

Market Mindset Shift

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The market mindset has shifted in 2018 and many brands have adapted to that. Inclusivity has been one of the major topics this year and the market wants just that. This has been applied by Tommy Hilfiger by offering a line for people with disabilities and by lingerie lines such as Savage x Fenty by featuring a diversity of models.

As a brand it is also important so support causes like Diesel‘s campaign that raises awareness on anti-bullying. Politic has spread to fashion and designers want to make a statement and promote human rights and environmental issues. With the rise of K-pop globally, Korean beauty is also loved by many. Lastly, people are becoming more conscious of climate change, therefore, sustainability is sought after.

Major Shakeup

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This year, several major shakeups happened in fashion. Chanel closed their headquarter in New York as the company centralizes its global operations in London. Though this does not mean that Chanel will be closing its US operations, executives who oversee the US business will remain in its offices in the city but the majority of the global function is now based in London.

Michael Kors acquired Versace for $2.12 billion as they aim to become America’s first-ever luxury conglomerate. Versace has been struggling to grow in business and Kors plans to increase Versace’s global retail footprint.

A major shakeup from Indonesia, came from Mataharimall.com that closed down in November. Lippo Group then announced that the commerce will merge with Matahari Department Store on Matahari.com.

Trend Recap

trend-recap.png We have analyzed this year’s fashion trends and have recapped it for you. Chunky sneakers or Dad Sneakers have been very popular this year, alongside with the streetwear fashion. As for materials, PVC was seen a lot on runways and on the streets applied to garments and accessories. Dior’s saddle bag also came back on trend. This trend came back with celebrities and influencers styling it in various styles. The bag itself has been reimagined this year for the first time by Kim Jones.

trend-recap2.png Tracksuits have been trending too this year and the ones from the Adidas x Daniëlle Cathari has been people’s favorites. Soon after, tracksuits became a high demand. The checkerboard pattern and fanny pack have been trending quite some time now and this year is no difference. We will have to wait and see how long this trend will last.

trend-recap3.png Animal prints are big again, from leopard to snakeskin prints. These patterns are becoming a favorite for statement pieces. With the rise of streetwear brands like Kappa and its characteristic of the logo printed repetitively on the side of the garments, other brands are following suit. Because it is very liked by the market.

Favorite Brands

favorite-brands.png Lastly, we have curated GABSTER Fashion Consulting’s favorite brands of 2018. From the sports and streetwear side we have Nike, Adidas, and Kith.

favorite-brands2.png Then, we have Fila and Champions. As for the more casual brand, our favorite this year is Uniqlo.

favorite-brands3.png Now, for the more classic ones. This year has been big for Tommy Hilfiger, Fendi and Gucci and therefore they have become our favorites.