NYFW Highlighted The Importance And Creativity Of Face Masks
Prior to an untraditional New York Fashion Week, I had one expectation: face masks. I wondered: how much of face masks will we be seeing? On the one hand, including them as part of a collection would mean embracing the new normal. As we’ve gotten used to wearing masks 24/7, we’ve become more comfortable with experimenting with them. Masks have the potential to become more than a safety requirement - they can become a fashion staple, a creative (and profitable) outlet. If face masks can and have become part of fashion’s visual language, designers can use their creative willpower to make something unique, beautiful, and empowering out of a commonplace accessory. Rather than thinking about face masks as limiting, perhaps we should be thinking of them as promising, stylish, and fun.
Not surprisingly, masks had a prominent place on the runway at NYFW this September. The spectrum of maximalism and minimalism once again mingle to show the world that “fashion-forward” is taken seriously, even during a pandemic that stops time and turns its back on progress. More than reasserting itself as a cultural maker and bearer, this season is in charge of sending out a message about the times we're living in. NYFW will be remembered for demonstrating the attitudes and the humanity behind the facts. Face masks on the runway are present for a practical and a symbolic purpose. The masks send out a message of carefulness, citizenship, and empathy. But they also demonstrate an image of liveliness, movement, and strength — qualities that endure in adversity.
Designers such as Chromat, Anna Sui, and Rebecca Minkoff have taken up the stylizing potential of mask-wearing, playing with them as they would with pieces of clothing. Chromat is leading with bold, vibrant masks that compliment the energizing aesthetic of the brand. Rebecca Minkoff’s models wore masks with different patterns and color schemes as a finishing touch to the overall outfit. Christian Siriano emulated the drama and creativity of NYFW by hosting his SS21 collection in his backyard, and masks were front and center, if not the finishing touch, throughout his show. The collection included an assortment of masks ranging from warmer to darker tones, elaborate patterns to monochrome. Moreover, Siriano showed that face masks, and fashion in general, can carry aesthetic as well as political meaning. Siriano designed masks with the word “VOTE” boldly written around the mask. Siriano gracefully intersected the pandemic, fashion, and politics, embedding a crucial aspect of our reality to provide a way of looking forward. While Siriano is encouraging voting, Zero + Maria Cornejo is advocating for sustainability. Not only are they creating colorful and eclectic masks, but they are also producing them with organic, renewable materials, opting for a less abrasive face mask and proving that designer masks do not have to hinder ethical fashion goals.
Streetstyle this year was by default less crowded, but it was striking - could less really be more? The streets once again saw color and vibrancy against the dimness of a pandemic. Decked in face masks and over the top accessories, street style became a runway show of its own. There was a large variety of masks, ranging from monochromatic, simple cotton masks, to intricate designer masks and even a space helmet. All the masks were unique, each embodying a particular style evident of their arbitrariness. Streetstyle showed that face masks can accentuate an overall look, not hold them back.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that the fashion industry’s power comes from its adaptability. And how designers are approaching this challenge is a testament to the fashion industry’s creative diversity. Fashion is a zeitgeist, which (by its nature) takes no breaks. Rather than go on a hiatus, many players in the fashion industry are committed not just to trace a cultural past, but celebrate and make something vibrant and everlasting out of the present. While fashion is quieter, as Jonathan Anderson puts it, it is not less glamorous or visionary.
