Gucci Sent Out Vegetable Invitations For Its Latest Show And We'd Expect Nothing Less

From ELLE

Getting your mitts on a fashion show invite has long been revered as one of the highest honours in the fashion industry.

For years, a show ticket has symbolised a person’s expertise or notoriety and (wrongly, we might add) created a hierarchy of power on the FROW among designers, stylists, journalists, celebrities, influencers and fans. After all, not everyone can be lucky enough to witness such beautiful, experimental and innovative creations grace a catwalk firsthand.

And, ever vying for special attention, over time designers have tweaked traditional notions of what fashion show invitations – previously, embossed cards or handwritten notes – should entail and started to send invitees everything from balloons, handbags and masks, to digital notes (and about time, too, for this last one).

As of 2014, The World Count reports that 50 per cent of waste produced by businesses is comprised of paper, while 93 per cent of paper comes from trees. 'Every tree produces enough oxygen for three people to breathe,' it claims.

So, what better way to champion sustainability than rid the fashion industry of paper invites altogether and use them as yet another way of communicating a collection's theme through other forms of creativity?

In 2019, luxury labels such as Dolce & Gabbana went paperless with videos about their Milan Fashion Week Men’s show sent on digital tablets, while Prada have been known to send corrugated cardboard boxes wrapped with white stickers.

Here is a list of the best fashion show invitations, from Gucci to Fendi:

Gucci

In July 2020, Gucci’s Epilogue presentation invites were made up of an assortment of organic, locally sourced fruit and vegetables. The presentation was described as a playful experimentation ‘aimed at reversing traditional fashion rules and perspectives’.

'Casting the team from his design office, the Epilogue will be presented through a unified collection, with the seeds of what will be the near, imminent future,' a press note describing the show reads.

Prior to creative director Alessandro Michele’s AW19 show, guests were sent invitations which were made of papier-mâché mask of the head of Hermaphroditus delivered in a museological crate with rope handles.

Hermaphroditus is the child of Ancient Greek gods who is believed to have been intersex – a fitting choice of icon given that Michele regularly presents unisex collections.

Stella McCartney

The eco-conscious designer has long championed environmentally-friendly invitations for her shows.

In 2018, McCartney sent out envelopes that were 100 per cent compostable. A year later she sent a biodegradable silver foil envelope and invited them to dedicate a tree to a loved one.

Fendi AW19

Honouring the late Karl Lagerfeld, Fendi placed cards on seats featuring the date the day the designer died alongside his signature.

Jil Sander

Ahead of its AW19 show, the brand sent guests a tea towel with stitched edging that referenced the design details in collection.

Chanel

Paying tribute to the late Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld last September, guests received blue speckled invites on white paper with two interlinking double ‘C’ Chanel logos.

The invitations were sent out for the luxury brand's 'Winter Wonderland' show, which featured ski chalets and pine trees in an alpine setting at Paris’ Grand Palais, marking Lagerfeld's final show for Chanel.

A Lagerfeld-drawn illustration was also included in show packs which featured drawing of Lagerfeld and Coco Chanel, with the phrase: ‘The beat goes on.’

Ashish AW19

Ahead of his show at London Fashion Week in February 2019, the designer sent out invitations in the form of a doctor’s drug prescription.

‘Sequins 5mm. Warning do not swallow – prolonged use may cause addiction. Common side effects – user may experience feelings of euphoria,’ the invitation read, much like a drug slip.

Four years prior, he sent out bracelets to guests meaning you could quite literally wear Ashish to the show, even if you hadn't previously owned a piece from the designer.

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