What's the deal with all these shows around the world Celebrating the host country, or exploiting it for media attention?

When Dior presented its Fall 23 collection in Mumbai, the Maison repeatedly stressed that the show served to emphasise the strong bond between Indian craftsmanship and that of the French brand. Just over a month later, Dior announced that the next Cruise show will be held in Mexico City. For years, fashion houses have been travelling the world to present their collections, but this incessant succession of shows, framed by breathtaking settings and beautiful yet forgettable garments, raises the doubt that all this need to celebrate distant countries is just a cunning attempt by the biggest fashion houses to keep the media spotlight on them.

The traditional cruise was originally intended for affluent consumers, who, in order to set foot in overseas places considered «exotic», decided to visit them briefly and absent-mindedly, leaving it to the photographs and souvenirs to show their friends how much they had travelled - and just how much they could afford it. Similarly, cruise shows take their inspiration from the same niche phenomenon, portraying in a simplistic and romanticised way, as tourists often like to do, the history of countries whose cultural roots go much deeper than the collections staged by the host fashion houses let on. It is all well and good that fashion wants to retain its glamorous, spectacular side, a throwback to the days when elegance and pageantry were the sole driving force behind design, but if all these Cruise shows are about is ingratiating themselves with investors, advertisers and consumers, then the artistic sense of the collection is not about the clothes, but about the landscape that frames them.