An invitation to travel in the name of style which is about to regain its full meaning
Since the 2000s, certain haute couture houses are no longer content with presenting their spring/summer and fall/winter collections during Fashion Week, they also invest in the cruise collections which were launched in the early 2000s. For two years, the pandemic has paralyzed the whole world and especially travel. Fashion, also strongly impacted by restrictions, had put a stop to cruise fashion shows. This year, they are coming back to the forefront more than ever and the big fashion houses are reconnecting with their need to escape.
You have to go back almost 100 years ago to understand where the concept of cruise collections was born. Initially they were intended for wealthy and privileged customers, needing a new wardrobe adapted to each of their trips. Indeed, as winter approached, this wealthy clientele boarded a cruise to sunny destinations.
These events were first developed in the United States to satisfy the desires of American jet-set women. It was Jean Patou and Coco Chanel who were the first to answer the call and it was a real success. European bourgeois women have also fallen under the spell of this style, perfect for walks on the French Riviera.
However, cruise fashion shows quickly lost their authenticity and some originality. On the one hand because since the introduction of paid leave in 1936, going on vacation has become common and accessible to a large number of people. On the other hand, because the chic and elegant style is gradually losing its notoriety, giving way to much more casual looks. So we would have to wait until the 2000s to see the reappearance of cruise collections, brought up to date.
Today, where the collections are punctuated by the fashion week calendars, the cruise shows are an opportunity to bring freshness to the collections of the big houses. The shows generally take place between May and June and offer an exceptional and unique show in often spectacular and exotic locations all over the world. When we talk about cruise collections we also think about the places, the atmosphere and the aesthetics, which are as important as the collection itself.
At Louise Marcaud , we do not offer a cruise fashion show but a capsule collection every mid-season.
Cruise fashion shows: strategic and economic issues?
Despite the enthusiasm for the events, they are also sometimes very criticized. Firstly because the cruise collections are part of an already busy schedule; overwhelmed creators are crumbling under pressure and the working atmosphere in the Maisons is no longer there. Submerged, the press no longer seems to find its benefit there either. However, designers continue to impose a sustained pace, because cruise fashion shows have their real importance on an economic and strategic level.
Strategically because it is during fashion shows that brands can assert their universe, their aesthetics. This is the opportunity to take their customers into a dream and fantasy world of luxury homes.
Cruise fashion shows are a real strategic move because they make it possible to reach a local, fresh and new clientele, depending on the location chosen. Finally, on an economic level they are very interesting: they represent 50% of the annual turnover of a certain brand, because unlike the rest of the collections, the pieces presented during the cruise fashion shows would remain in stores for eight months.
Focus on the Chanel 2022-2023 cruise fashion show at the sumptuous Hotel Beach in Monaco
This Monday, May 5, the House of Chanel launches the cruise fashion show season by presenting its 2022-2023 collection in Monaco. More specifically, the show took place at the sumptuous Beach Hotel; an emblematic place in the history of the House of Chanel and especially for Karl Lagerfeld; he had a particular attachment to the place, because from the hotel terrace you can see the Vigie, the majestic Villa that Karl occupied between 1986 and 2000. For Virginie Viard, currently at the head of the Chanel house, the choice of location is a tribute to her predecessor, she confides “because for me it’s a story of affection.” This allows him to remember the happy moments they shared there. For the occasion, sixty-seven silhouettes paraded, mixing a touch of modernity with a lot of elegance.
This year, many houses will present their mid-season collection during a magical event. The cruise fashion show calendar is full, we've given you everything here so you don't miss anything!
The dates of the next cruise fashion shows
Chanel in Monaco
- May 5, 2022
Louis Vuitton in San Diego
- May 12, 2022
Gucci in Puglia
- May 16, 2022
Dior Homme in Los Angeles
- May 19, 2022
Balenciaga in New York
- May 21, 2022
Dior in Seville
- June 16, 2022
Max Mara in Lisbon
- June 28, 2022