#StayAtHome: 7 fashion houses who built communities to comfort us
In these moments filled with uncertainties as we isolate ourselves at home to flatten the COVID-19 curve, the one place most found solace from is the Internet (especially for those who are living alone).
To help comfort us with love, light, creativity, strength and passion, many fashion houses have stepped up to build communities on social media where we can get a brief escape into a world of fashion wonders – from the Bottega Residency to the Gucci Community, Team Karl and Dior Stands With You.
Here, we give you a list of fashion houses that you can check out on social media for an interactive and engaging social experience to lift your spirits up!
#BOTTEGARESIDENCY
Over the course of each weekend, Bottega Veneta (@bottegaveneta) hosts the Bottega Residency, which is a space each week, featuring its collaborators, muses and talents to celebrate the creative minds and works.
This is where you can find live music performed by collaborating artists, cooking and recipes from rising-star chefs, and a Sunday movie night in collaboration with a film industry partner, mirroring an average weekend to provide a sense of familiar normality. Plus, during weekdays, there will be a series of Insta Stories feature to showcase interviews with each talent (the first week was of creative director Daniel Lee).
Accessible across Instagram, Youtube, Weibo, WeChat, Line, Kakao, Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud as well as unique mini-site on www.bottegaveneta.com, Bottega Residency will continue to live on within the brand’s overarching strategy.
#GUCCICOMMUNITY
Over at Gucci (@gucci), the Gucci Community is built for us to join the fight against COVID-19. Aside from its contribution to the cause through the World Health Organisation, Gucci is also putting up various content on social media on the latest updates on COVID-19.
On top of that, there is also a new Podcast collaboration – The Sex Ed podcast for Season 3 – where it is an intersection of sex, health and consciousness. The #TheSexEdxGucci episodes feature host Liz Goldwyn (@goldilocksg) in conversation with clinical experts across sexual medicine fields and reproductive health, as well as cultural voices, artists and influencers that are shaping the dialogue around sex education, sexuality, gender, entertainment and wellness.
#DIORSTANDSWITHYOU
For Dior, the Parisian fashion powerhouse has #DiorStandsWithYou, where it shares various content to talk about its rich heritage – from the iconic Miss Dior fragrance to the story of Catherine Dior and its legendary couture creations.
On top of that, there is also a new Podcast titled "Dior Talks – Feminist Art", where you can explore contents like Maria Grazia Chiuri on how feminist art inspires her and independent curator and critic Paola Ugolini on the increasing visibility of feminist art.
#TEAMKARL
Karl Lagerfeld announces the launch of the Together with Team Karl program, aimed at engaging and inspiring his global community with activities, courses and entertaining content.
Each week, the Maison presents exclusive engaging content on its Instagram account (@karlagerfeld). Created in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the initiative aims to entertain people during this difficult time, hoping to make them smile when asked to stay inside their homes.
Celebrating a keen sense of community, the organized performances include various members of the #TEAMKARL family: a drawing lesson by Hun Kim (design director of the House), a home training course by Sébastien Jondeau (former personal assistant) by Karl Lagerfeld and ambassador for men's fashion), or a yoga lesson led by Alexandra Raoufi (an employee of the brand and certified yoga teacher).
The event will then be broadcast through stories, then republished the next day on the stream for those who wish to watch or practice again. Subscribers are invited to join this initiative using the hashtag #STAYHOMEWITHKARL.
#BALMAINENSEMBLE
Initiated in order to calm fears, share laughter, or simply hear familiar voices, Balmain (@balmain) wishes to unite an entire community with the #BalmainEnsemble, even though it is physically separated.
To help make this possible, #BalmainEnsemble hosts a series of different content including The Style Files, The Global Atelier, The Intermission and The Sketches – where each brings unique content for your pleasure.
The Style Files is based on videos, illustrations and images taken from Balmain's 75 years of archives including photo albums by Olivier, while The Global Atelier offers the Balmain Army the opportunity to discover the background and the process of a collection and The Intermission where Rousteing contacts weekly friends, muses and inspiring creators around a frank conversation on various subjects.
Lastly, The Sketches where Olivier provides sketches in black and white of some of his most emblematic creations which he can indulge in colouring sessions at home and the designer has planned other surprises to brighten up our confined days ...
#MCQUEENCREATORS
Right now, Alexander McQueen (@alexandermcqueen) has unveiled the McQueen Creators initiative, where it aims to inspire and initiate creative conversation. You are now invited to engage artistically with their favourite pieces from a selection of images shared on our social channels.
A selection of these works will then be republished across Alexander McQueen's social media networks. For the first round, the iconic Rose dress from Fall/Winter 2019 collection is chosen for followers to create their own artworks.
#FLVFROMHOME
For Louis Vuitton, the fashion house goes through Fondation Louis Vuitton (@fondationlv) to provide us with various contents with the #FLVFromHome (or in French, #FLVchezvous). Here you can delve into virtual tours of the artists showcased at the museum of Fondation Louis Vuitton including Yayoi Kusama, or a musical treat where you can relive the concert by Boris Berezovsky (piano) and Henri Demarquette (cello).
You can find snippets and the schedules of the week on their Instagram or head over to YouTube to watch the many video contents.
