From London and Milan to Paris and New York, Fashion Week has long been a precursor for the trends to come. And just as influential as the ensembles are the runways they’re presented on, with styles ranging from clean and theatrical to bizarre and otherworldly. For many designers, the settings are contextual, telling the stories behind the collections on view.
The most recent iterations of Fashion Week were no exception. At Bottega Veneta, Italian design pioneer Gaetano Pesce transformed the simple bones of a warehouse space into a glorious funhouse, filling the floor with a sea of color that traversed along 400 unique, colored resin chairs. “This space is a tribute to diversity,” shares Pesce in a press release. “It is about human beings; we are all different.” Other sets were equally as vibrant sans color: At Dior, French artist Eva Jospin created a Baroque-inspired fantasy scene entirely out of cardboard. (Similar thinking was had at Prada, which presented wears inspired by papier-mâché at its SS23 show in Milan.)
The fashion-interior mergers continue off the runway into the showrooms, with collaborations between Totême and Svenskt Tenn as well as Orior and Christopher John Rogers debuting during Fashion Week 2023. Below, find the trends to take note of this season, as they may soon make their way into the home.
Dior Crafts a Transportive Scene—Out of Cardboard
In the heart of the Jardin Tuileries in Paris, Dior’s show began with a dimly lit theatrical performance on an equally dramatic stage. Only upon closer look did it become evident that the intricate set was entirely constructed out of cardboard, drawing on the enchanting traditional Baroque gardens seen around Italy. It is the work of none other than French artist Eva Jospin, who has become known for her architectural artistry through the medium of cardboard.
Of course, it is not the first time we’ve seen cardboard used for higher design means: Since 1969, Frank Gehry’s iconic wiggle chair has graced many homes in the pages of AD. But Jospin’s stage could signify taking the basic material to the next level; when shading, cutting, and sanding techniques become involved, we’ve seen just how transformable it truly is. In this age of sustainable mindsets, we expect the medium’s potential to be further explored.
Gaetano Pesce Imbues a Sea of Color at Bottega Veneta
“As a designer, I make originals, not standardized series,” says influential creative Gaetano Pesce. “If we see the same thing each day, then we die.” For Bottega Veneta, the multidisciplinary designer brought a sterile industrial space to life with originality. Show attendees sat on 400 hand-painted chairs made out of cotton and hand-dipped in resin, each displaying different colors and motifs—some included letters, others a smiley face. As the models (Kate Moss among them) walked the runway in meticulously structural ensembles, they followed a vibrant resin path of lilac, blue, orange, and pink.
