“Sweatpants are the current fashion trend. I haven't left my house in seven months,” a source says.

Do you think this is the case? Fashion, on the other hand, merely changes its shell.

At the moment, new fashion codes are loading. For so many years, Anna Wintour, Beckham family, and the influencer army were the ultimate front-rowers, yet now they'll have to watch fashion shows on their Macbooks. All we have to do now is turn on our laptops and grab a cup of coffee to find ourselves in the front row without even having to get dressed. Sorry, Anna.

So, what should be on our future-agenda? When we think about runway shows, the first thing that comes to mind are influencer-filled front-rows, eye-opening street styles, and flash lights that were illuminating the runaway. Indeed, brands stepped away from flashlights throughout that period and discovered a new persona. The pandemic clearly shifted global brands' marketing plans in an opposite path. To make a real difference, the fashion industry and customers must change their season-oriented shopping habbits and increase awareness. In relation to that, Turkish designers have also created anti-season collections, mindful fabrics, and sustainable pieces. Turkish designers have left the backstages of Fashion Week Istanbul to lead into the film industry by creating their own short films.

‘Made in Turkey’ label is no longer just a symbol hanging from the blouses of models during fashion weeks. Backstory is quite peculiar. Behind the tag there is a strong message that reflects Turkey's progressive manufacturing and vicious role in fashion industry. Last October, the digital fashion base for Fashion Week Istanbul was Tophane-i Amire Culture and Art Center and Galataport Istanbul. After a short break, Istanbul has returned in the backdrop of short films of brands preparing to launch in digital media with their seasonless collections; and its polyphonic atmosphere.

Self-referential, gender-neutral, and anti-trend future is on it’s way, and this time for real; of course sustainability is the big boss here. These game changers have undoubtedly been on the minds of Turkish designers for a while. Hatice Gökçe, Mehtap Elaidi, Meltem Özbek, Hakaan Yıldırım, Sudi Etuz and other Turkish pioneers had a line; “Fashion is not dead.”

The new digital version of FWI, could help everyone adjust to the new reality. It’s not about Spring/ Winter or Women/Men dualism, at least not anymore. Fashion world is welcoming a fresh blood of creatives and offers a comfort zone where designers can loudly speak their ideas, feelings and dilemmas without feeling the necessity to link their designs to a season or gender.

Author: Zeynep Gür