[dropcap]B[/dropcap]y far the Moschino show was the biggest story at Milan Fashion Week, and is still on everyone’s lips and iPhone screens three weeks later. Jeremy Scott’s sophomore collection with the house proved to be divisive, with models made up to look like Barbie dolls prancing down the catwalk in garments fashioned from plastic and sequins. For a designer who has continuously made heavy use of logos in his work, it’s not surprising that he would turn his attention to one of the biggest toy brands in history. Some critics, like Lou Stoppard, found the presentation of these women to be insulting to the customer. Compare this with Scott’s 2013 debut which received almost unanimous praise for his innovative translation of McDonalds uniforms into high fashion. Has his pop culture appropriation finally strayed into bad taste? Or does the critical reaction say more about the growing divide between fashion journalists and the people to whom these clothes are actually directed?
What critics may fail to see however is that the controversial attitude surrounding Jeremy Scott’s work is exactly what draws such a large youth audience. He ironically rails against a problem in the fashion industry while in the same breath perpetuates it.
During Stoppard’s SHOWstudio panel discussion she proclaimed “scary” the idea of women presented as objects, particularly because the clothes appeal to a younger customer. The trouble with Barbie is that the iconic doll represents far more than a mass-produced toy to girls growing influenced by Western culture, setting the standard for body image just as the fashion industry does later in life. Despite fervent criticism, Barbie has not been altered to include dolls with more realistic proportions; similarly size 0 models remain to be the preference on catwalks and on billboards. Instead of Scott merely sending thin, blond, Barbie-esque women down the runway, he makes sure that every girl is explicitly made to look like the doll. The deliberately cheap synthetic wigs and plasticine sheen of their skin gave the models an unrealistic look. By doing so he has accosted the audience with this stark reminder that, like Barbie, fashion still remains a locus of debate regarding body ideals. Instead of treating the model as “blank canvas”, Scott foregrounds the model herself as well as the clothes she’s wearing. This satirical statement resonates with the fashion industry as a whole.
Despite the critical backlash from certain outlets, images from the show are receiving overwhelming attention on Instagram and Tumblr, but Scott’s aesthetic has always been well received by a young demographic. His utilisation of pop icons (Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus) and iconography both reflect and optimise the currency of internet sharing. Even if you’re not keenly following his work it’s almost impossible to avoid seeing the gold Moschino belt either self-consciously placed in a music video or on a red carpet. For the past two seasons Scott has released a more reasonably priced capsule collection of accessories to accompany the core collection. Last season’s French fry iPhone case and soda cup bag proved to be huge successes, selling out almost instantly.
Will young people overlook the more problematic elements of Moschino’s last collection? What critics like Stoppard may fail to see however is that the controversial attitude surrounding Scott’s work is exactly what draws such a large youth audience. He rails against a problem in the fashion industry while perpetuating it in the same breath. The immediacy of the ironic message means it doesn’t need to be mediated by a critic. It’s less of a cultural commentary and more a slap in the face, but that’s what’s so fun about it.
Scott himself has denied any cynicism in his latest collection, speaking to The Telegraph, “I think some people dig way too deep about this. It’s a doll. It’s a toy. And on my side — it’s only fashion. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it! It’s that simple.” But it’s not that simple; Moschino is changing how we engage with fashion both by making their ready-to-wear collections available straight off the runway, and in bypassing traditional media and speaking directly to its consumers. Scott structures his collections to be shareable and recognisable because he knows that his core audience cares more about what their friends are sharing online than what magazine editors publish. So, is Moschino smarter than it looks? We think so.
Illustrations by Clara Murray.
