Runway Crashers Are Camp (In the Best Way)
People crashed the Louis Vuitton show to protest overconsumption, and we should talk about it.
Runway crashers are as much a fashion week staple as the sight of Anna Wintour's bob in the front row. It’s a little corny, and some might even say camp – but is that a bad thing? Sometimes it's just someone giving a bit of a performance, à la the Chanel crasher that Gigi Hadid bodied on the runway in 2019. Other times though, like at today’s Spring / Summer 2022 Louis Vuitton show, the crashers are trying to make a point.
In the middle of the show, which took place at a gorgeous venue in Paris filled with chandeliers, a protester from the Extinction Rebellion hopped on the runway carrying a giant sign that read, “Overconsumption = Extinction.” As she got to the end of the runway, she was swarmed by security guards dressed in all black who swiftly lifted her up off the ground that she had dropped to and kicked her out of the show. Another crasher appeared at the end, but was immediately tackled, making his sign impossible to read. Extinction Rebellion describes themselves as a non-partisan movement that uses non-violent direct action to persuade governments to “act justly on the climate and ecological emergency.” They aren’t new to the European fashion weeks – last season they showed up on the Dior runway with a similar message for the fashion elite: slow down the amount of clothing you're producing, or the climate crisis will get worse.
Whether or not you agree with the tactic, the idea of doing something visible and radical to get the attention of those in power is not useless. Just look at PETA. For years, the organization, which fights for the ethical treatment of animals, showed up during fashion shows throwing fake blood and protesting in front of very visible models. Within two decades, fur was taboo. Last week, Kering even announced they would ban the use of fur for every one of their brands. I don’t think that would have happened without consistent and visible protest.
But let’s get back to what that sign said, and where a brand like Louis Vuitton fits into it. Arguably, they are not the worst of the worst – fast fashion is certainly the biggest culprit of overproduction. Luxury still has responsibility, though. They dictate how much clothing we are making and buying by continuing the seasonal cycle, showing and making new collections more than five times in a year. I wasn’t able to find the amount of garments produced by the parent company LVMH last year, but I could find the revenue: $54.5 Billion. Even recognizing that this is coming from multiple brands at a very high cost per piece, that’s still a huge amount of product being made. LVMH has made commitments to be more sustainable in the last year, by promising to use 100% renewable energy in production by 2025 and 0% single-use plastic by 2030, but there haven't been movements toward making less clothing.
I understand the argument that these protests may take away from the artistry and all the work that went into putting on the show. Overconsumption is certainly not the fault of the models, hair and makeup artists, or seamstresses who made the clothing, but I would be reluctant to put words in their mouths. When PETA crashed Giselle’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show moment, it seemed awful for her, but later, she said it changed her relationship to fashion for the better. “I was in the hamster wheel: I’m just going to go out there and be a good girl and do what my agent tells me to do. What do I know? It wasn’t until that shock—it stopped me in my tracks. They sent me all these videos. I wasn’t aware of what was happening, and I was devastated," she told Vogue in 2018. "So I said, ‘Listen, I’m not doing fur campaigns.’ It put me in the driver’s seat, finally. The universe comes to you and says, ‘Hello, maybe you should notice this.’ You need to be responsible for the choices you make." Ever since, she's been a sustainability activist and staunchly anti-fur.
Also, let's not forget, it was the brands like Dior that said protest was en vogue when they used women's rights signs as part of their runway set. Is it only OK if it's sanctioned? If the most that happens is that a powerful person in fashion thinks twice about consumption because now they feel associated with the backlash, I don’t think that’s a bad thing.
Louis Vuitton and Extinction Rebellion did not immediately respond to my request for comment.