The new generation: Fashion week’s freshest guestlist

Written by Grace Oliver.

This year’s fashion month saw the revival of the 2000s among other preloved trends and decades of anniversary celebrations. Those attending the shows, however, were far from long-established faces. From actors to activists, famous family members to rising influencers, the ‘new generation’ has firmly secured itself on fashion week’s guest list.

Louis Vuitton in particular hosted many of these fresh faces. This included brand ambassador and one of Gen Z’s biggest digital influencers, Emma Chamberlain. She arrived in a statement double denim set complete with embellished buttons and brown leather accents. Also seen at Louis Vuitton was Bridgerton’s now renowned Phoebe Dynevor, who exploded into the spotlight late last year and has made her name as both an actress and an activist. She arrived in a metallic co-ord, adorned with fun scalloped edges and chunky white straps encapsulating a large part of the autumn trend of ‘peek-a-boo dressing’.

Netflix’s biggest hits were also present at some of fashion’s biggest names. Outer Banks star Madelyn Cline and 13 Reasons Why actor Ross Bulter attended the Ferragamo show, and The Umbrella Academy’s Elliot Page made a strong statement on the Balenciaga x The Simpsons red carpet. The presence of these famous faces could indicate that designers are trying to broaden their reach in who they invite to their shows. However, it could also highlight the gradually increasing acknowledgment of the influence these figures have over their audiences.

Despite many of these famous names emerging from nowhere, there are many influencers today that come from a long line of icons. They have worked to rebrand that legacy to fit into this generation. Two examples of this would be Iris Law and Ella Richards – the former being Hollywood actor Jude Law’s daughter, and the latter being Rolling Stones legend Keith Richards’ granddaughter. Both Missoni and Loewe styled Iris Law in her signature bright, statement look. It was both fun and undeniably sexy with a mixture of figure-hugging ruching, sculpted body pieces, and colourful knits.

Romeo Beckham’s model/influencer girlfriend, Mia Regan, was also at Missoni, displaying her own personal style through a rainbow array of crochet and sporting a trendy spiky bun. Meanwhile, Ella Richards at Stella McCartney demonstrated a mix of stereotypical British formality and her inherited sense of youthful rock and roll. She wore a structured blush pink blazer and knee-high white leather boots.

However, the biggest emphasis on Gen Z’s cultural influence, and transition into the world of high fashion, was arguably Noah Beck, Dixie D’amelio, and Blake Grey making the Valentino guest list. TikTok’s prominence in both the online and real-life community has also been seen through influencer-turned-model Wisdom Kanye attending Prada. However, the rise of the video platform’s most famous faces appearing at fashion week is truly a testament to the place social media has become.  It sheds a spotlight over the reputation it cultivates for itself and its influence in the world of the likes of Anna Wintour and Karl Lagerfeld.

If you want to learn more about how Gen Z is influencing the future of fashion, have a look here.