The 10 Moments That Shocked the Fashion World in 2023
The fashion industry is never short of surprises, and this year was no different. Who would have thought Barbie was going to be the biggest celebrity of the year?
From major industry moves to a pair of stolen Maison Margiela shoes, here were 10 of the most shocking moments of the year.
Pharrell Joins Louis Vuitton
In an unexpected move this February, Louis Vuitton appointed musician and entrepreneur Pharrell Williams as its new men’s creative director. In June, he debuted his first collection at the spring summer ’24 menswear show during Paris Fashion Week. And just days after Williams’ debut runway show, Louis Vuitton officially launched his first campaign featuring none of other than Rihanna.
Rihanna Returns to Puma
Speaking of the megastar — Rihanna made her way back to the footwear industry. In September, she launched her first shoe back at Puma with the Fenty x Puma Avanti. The surprise partnership was first revealed in the middle of Paris Fashion Week in March, not long after her headline-making Super Bowl Halftime Show performance. Puma revealed the news with a simple statement: “She’s back.”
Phoebe Philo Is Back
After years of speculation and months of anticipation, Phoebe Philo finally launched her own fashion brand in October. The British designer debuted her direct-to-consumer, eponymous label this morning on PhoebePhilo.com. Her first collection made up of 150 pieces and launched in limited quantities.
‘The Supermodels’ Reunite
A new docuseries from Apple TV+ brought together fashion’s biggest supermodels from the ’80s: featuring Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington. The four-part doc, titled “The Supermodels,” centered around their lives and how they shaped the fashion industry as we know it today. In August, the models reunited again to cover Vogue.
Sarah Burton Exits Alexander McQueen
Sarah Burton exited Alexander McQueen, the brand where she has served for her entire career in fashion. “The Alexander McQueen fashion house and creative director Sarah Burton announce the end of their collaboration after two decades together,” Kering said in statement. The spring ’24 fashion show in Paris in September marked the conclusion of the partnership that began when Burton became creative director of the fashion house in May 2010.
The ‘Barbie’ Effect
Barbie took over fashion this year. The Greta Gerwig-directed film earned more than $1.4 billion worldwide to become the highest-grossing film in Warner Bros.’ 100-year history and was the largest worldwide film release of 2023. On top of that, the “Barbie” effect seeped its pink into the fashion industry. This summer, a number of brands capitalized on the film’s popularity among consumers by launching collaboration after collaboration. Then, there was star Margot Robbie, who used luxury fashion houses to re-create the Mattel doll’s original outfits through the decades for her “Barbie” press tour appearances. She also worked with Manolo Blahnik to create custom pairs for each look.
Tabi Theft
In a viral TikTok video, designer Alexis Dougé shared how a Tinder date stole her Maison Margiela Tabi Mary Janes. After calling on social media to track down the “Tabi Swiper,” Dougé eventually was reunited with her shoes at Grand Central Station in New York City. The moment garnered 1.6 million views.
MSCHF’s Big Red Boots
In February, Brooklyn-based creative group MSCHF raised eyebrows with its Big Red Boots. Inspired by the classic Japanese television series and video game character “Astro Boy,” MSCHF’s shoes went viral due to its cartoonishly large appearance. Launching with a $350 price tag via the MSCHF sneakers app, the Big Red Boots sold out in minutes.
Tapestry Inc. to Buy Capri Holdings Ltd.
In August, Tapestry Inc. revealed its plan to buy Capri Holdings Ltd. The roughly $8.5 billion deal, which is expected to close in early 2024, brings together Tapestry’s Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman labels with Capri’s Michael Kors, Versace and Jimmy Choo brands to create a $12 billion giant.
Taylor Swift Takes Over
It’s Taylor Swift’s world and we are just living in it. From being the top-streaming artist this year on both Apple Music and Spotify to headlining her history-making Eras Tour, Swift continued to make an impact across entertainment, music and fashion. For one, “The Eras Tour” concert movie delivered the largest opening weekend for a concert film ever and is among the 20 highest-grossing movies of the year. She inspired fans to dress up for her concert, creating a whole new fashion category of “Eras Tour” outfits. Her fans also went feral for her merch — specifically for the now-viral blue crew neck sweatshirt that caused fans to line up for hours before her tour stops to get their hands on the product, which then resulted in an uptick of sales on the resale market. Most recently, Swift’s December birthday outfit created a viral moment for Aquazzura. The star stepped out in a pair of the Italian luxury brand’s Atelier Plateau sandals and since then, searches for the label have risen by 186 percent internationally.