The Evolution of Fashion and Publishing + Fashion Exhibitions in 2023
Fashion exhibitions to check out in 2023; nostalgia for print media and how the fashion and media industries are evolving
Happy Monday!
I'm popping into your inbox to say hi after a long time and also welcome some new faces (thank you for subscribing!) 😊 Life can get pretty busy at times, but spring always brings a sense of new energy, and I finally feel like reawakening after a few months of hibernation 🌸
Speaking of spring, this spring trends piece was one of the recent PR hits I've worked on, and it's definitely a great feeling seeing your work come to life 🙌. It made me recall how print fashion magazines used to play a big role in how we learned about trends.
I felt a little bit nostalgic of teen times when I looked forward to a new issue of Elle Girl Russia and then Seventeen, or secretly reading my mom’s magazines (…I can’t recall now whether she enjoyed Elle or Vogue Russia more). With Y2K back on the runway, it definitely brings a lot memories of how we consumed media back in the day. Maybe print media could have a resurgence of a sorts some day?
It definitely has been a while since I flipped through the pages of a print magazine (…is there still someone who buys them anymore these days?). But last Sunday when I was taking a train from Bologna to Milan I decided to stop by a newsstand to get a magazine to read on the road. I was actually looking for Harper’s Bazaar Italia (which had recently launched a print edition) that surprisingly was sold out, so I picked Vogue Italia instead.
It took me flipping through over 90 glossy pages of major luxury brands print ads (Gucci’s Jackie campaign with Dakota Johnson was definitely my favorite one out of all), and then a few more pages between editor’s letter, summary and masthead to finally land at the first article I could actually read. Ugh, imagine the physical effort required for this when we’re so used to easily scrolling through ads on our phones 🤪 But I must say it felt pretty good for a change to have an actual magazine to hold in hands.
How Affiliate Marketing is Keeping Fashion Publications Afloat
Reader subscriptions and ads are no longer only source of revenue for publications. Long gone glitzy old days of fashion magazines (covered this briefly a few years ago), but the publishing industry strikes back thanks to affiliate links, as per BoF:
“As the traditional media business model of selling ads has become less lucrative, publishers have sought alternative ways to generate revenue. Revenue from affiliate links has made up for some of the decline, a trend that accelerated during the pandemic. […] The growing importance of affiliate income to media companies’ bottom lines has fundamentally changed how fashion editors choose which clothes, bags and shoes to feature.”
On the PR side of things, affiliate marketing has become something I deal with day-to-day, and it's amazing how the publishing and media industry in general, at least in the US, has evolved in the past years. It's not just magazines; affiliate has become integral part of how brands and their PR & marketing teams work with influencers, too.
What’s Next for 2023 and Years To Come
Now, with AI on the rise, one can only wonder what the fashion and publishing industries will look like in a few years: from ChatGPT being used for marketing, copywriting and customer service to AI-generated models being featured on the cover of a magazine (not just any magazine, but Vogue Singapore's recent March issue, to be precise) and e-commerce photography (Levi’s has already jumped on the trend).
Related reading: Generative AI: Unlocking the future of fashion
Art & Fashion
Now it's time to get to the fun part! One of the things I enjoy doing a lot in my free time is visiting art museums and exhibitions, and fashion exhibitions are definitely included in that category (gonna share some interesting finds from my recent visits!). As Diana Vreeland used to say, "The eye has to travel", and my eyes definitely do!
A throwback to Vogue Paris 1920-2020 exhibition at Palais Galliera
Every time I visit an exhibition, I'm amazed by the work of curators from the communication and storytelling standpoint, as each exhibition tells a unique story. Whether it's a painting or a dress displayed on a mannequin, there’s always a great source of inspiration and discovery to be found. If you're planning on traveling anytime soon, here's a comprehensive list of all the major fashion exhibitions that will be taking place throughout 2023:
List of fashion exhibitions around the world in 2023 (updated)
🇮🇹 Milan
👗 MR & MRS CLARK. Ossie Clark and Celia Birtwell | Fashion and Prints 1965-74 at Fondazione Sozzani - now through April 10, 2023
👚 Momenti di Moda a Palazzo Morando. Dal busto alla salopette at Palazzo Morando - now through May 30, 2023
📷 Helmut Newton. LEGACY at Palazzo Reale - now through June 25, 2023
📷 Guy Bourdin: Storyteller at Armani Silos - now through August 31, 2023
🇮🇹 Venice
📷 Lee Miller - Man Ray. Fashion - Love - War at Palazzo Franchietti - now through April 10, 2023
📷 Chronorama: Photographic Treasures of the 20th Century at Palazzo Grassi - now through January 7, 2024
🇮🇹 Treviso
🎨 Moda e pubblicità in Italia at Museo nazionale Collezione Salce - now through April 30, 2023
🇫🇷 Paris
👚 Années 80, Mode, design et graphisme en France at Musée des Arts Décoratifs - now through April 16, 2023
👗 GOLD by Yves Saint Laurent at Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris - now through May 15, 2023
👘 Kimono’ at Quai Branly Museum - now through May 28, 2023
👚 1997 FASHION BIG BANG at Palais Galliera - now through July 16, 2023
👗 Azzedine Alaïa, Arthur Elgort. FREEDOM and Forms and Patterns of Azzedine Alaïa by Thomas Demand at Fondation Alaïa - now through August 20, 2023
Upcoming:
👚 La mode en mouvement at Palais Galliera - from June 16, 2023 to September 7, 2025
👚 Mode et sport at Musée des Arts Décoratifs - from September 20, 2023 to April 7, 2024
👗 Iris van Herpen retrospective at Musée des Arts Décoratifs - from November 29, 2023 to April 28, 2024
🇫🇷 Calais
Yves Saint Laurent: Transparencies at Museum of Lace and Fashion - from June 24, 2023 to November 12, 2023
🇨🇭Zurich
🆕👗 Akris. Fashion. selbstverständlich at the Museum für Gestaltung - now through September 24, 2023
🇧🇪 Brussels
📷 Peter Lindbergh. Untold Stories at Espace Vanderborght - now through May 14, 2023
🆕👗 Diane von Furstenberg. Woman Before Fashion at Fashion & Lace Museum - now through January 7, 2024
🇧🇪 Antwerp
👗 Geometrically Wired. IO Van Oostveldt: Between Clothing and Art at MOMU - now through July 30, 2023
Upcoming:
📷 Man Ray and Fashion at MOMU - from April 22, 2023 to August 13, 2023
🇳🇱 Groningen
👗 Gianni Versace Retrospective at Groninger Museum - now through May 7, 2023
🇺🇸 New York
👚 Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop at the Museum at FIT - now through April 23, 2023
👚 Designing Women: Fashion Creators and Their Interiors at the Museum at FIT - now through May 14, 2023
👗 Thierry Mugler: Couturissime at Brooklyn Museum - now through May 7, 2023
📷 Richard Avedon: MURALS at the MET - now through October 1, 2023
Upcoming:
👚 Claire McCardell: Practicality, Liberation, Innovation at the Museum at FIT - from April 5, 2023 to April 16, 2023
👗 Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty at The Costume Institute at the MET - from May 5, 2023 to July 16, 2023
🇬🇧 London
👚 Africa Fashion at the V&A - now through April 16, 2023
Upcoming:
👚 Andy Warhol: The Textiles at the Fashion and Textile Museum - from March 31, 2023 till September 10, 2023
👗 Crown to Couture at Kensington Palace - from April 5, 2023 till October 29, 2023
👗 Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto at the V&A - from September 16, 2023 through February 25, 2024
🇦🇺 Melbourne
👗Alexander McQueen: Mind, Mythos, Muse at the National Gallery of Victoria - now through April 16, 2023
🇯🇵 Tokyo
👗 Christian Dior : Designer of Dreams at the Museum of Contemporary Art - now through May 28, 2023
🇨🇳 Beijing
🆕👜 Fendi. Hand in Hand at Temple Beijing - now until June 16
🇨🇳 Shanghai
🆕👗 Gucci Cosmos at West Bund Art Center - now through June 25
Thanks for reading! Have a great week ahead! 😃
Assiya