Reminiscing about his earliest memory of Paris fashion week, Kenneth Goh talks about how mobile technology has changed the way we see fashion forever.
Reminiscing about his earliest memory of Paris fashion week, Kenneth Goh talks about how mobile technology has changed the way we see fashion forever.
One of my earliest memories of fashion week was 14 years ago in Paris—it was October 2002; I got my best friend to travel with me via Thai airways (the longest route possible!) and we stayed on the top floor of a tacky motel that cost a 100 Euros per night (the room smelled dank and we swear it was haunted). These rites of passage are important for every fashion journalist’s journey to Paris because everything else after that is a bonus. There weren’t as many shows then because there weren’t as many brands. We had to walk or take the Metro everywhere—Uber didn’t exist yet and cabs were just too expensive. And, might I just add, what I wore, what other editors wore, and what buyers wore was really from our wardrobes. I bought quite a few new outfits because well… that’s just the way I roll. But there wasn’t the same crazy fervour for what everyone wore to the shows: We just wore what we liked. No bloggers parading in front of the shows, no influencers taking snapshots of each other inside the tent, no stream of photographers standing en masse by the shows waiting to stick their lens in front of the latest designer bag/shoe/dress/coat. Those who had tickets queued to get in; those that didn’t waited patiently outside. Mobile phones weren’t as “smart”—they were, as stated, mobile phones; only to be used for brief texts or calls.
Many of the big shows of spring/summer 2003 were held across the long water walkway of the Palais de Chaillot, covered up and blanketed by a humungous tent so it turned into a runway that stretched forever. John Galliano at Dior had his divas powering down the runway, with faces made up like geishas and latex fetish skull caps. Michael Kors for Céline went down the Marrakech route with sexy swimwear, tanned limbs and beaten gold dangling earrings—perfecting the jet-set lifestyle he does so very well. Those were fun yet scary days because there were hardly any Singapore PR representatives to help with show tickets and many requests had to go through the regional headquarters in Hong Kong. I remember Peter Cheung, the magnificent PR for Dior, sneaking me in and seated just beside me on the steps of the runway, both of us peering behind heads and shoulders to catch a glimpse of Gisele stalking the catwalk. There were no mobiles out in their thousands—just happy, excited and smiling faces from an audience loudly clapping at the end of the show. When was the last time anyone clapped after a runway show instead of today’s deafening silence with everyone glued to their mobiles? It baffles me why everyone wants to capture their entire experience on a tiny screen, when what they see in front of them is a wondrous, live experience? I, too, am guilty of this and am learning to balance it out.
I miss the days when everyone waited for the dailies the day after—eager to read what the fashion scribes had to say about the collections. That fervour, that wait, is not so apparent anymore. Social media has given everyone immediate access to the shows via Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook Live, Weibo and Instagram. Everyone has an opinion and thinks they are a journalist. And to a certain extent, they are—the power anyone wields lies in the reach they have and the point of view they want to put across. Smartphones have created whole communities and actions that were never possible in the past. And that can only be a good thing. But can we please use our smarts when we use our phones—and don’t let our mobiles do the thinking? Live for the moment. Enjoy what’s in front of your eyes and relish it. And perhaps, finally, we can get back clapping to show designers our appreciation.
Memories of Paris from my iPhone
From top: with Miss J; with Ines de La Fressange; standing by the glittering Eiffel Tower; in front of the Hôtel de Ville; with Dries van Noten
