What's the real value of books for fashion? From book clubs to bookshops, a new medium from the past
In 2022, it was celebrities who suggested we wear books as a statement, making it a media sensation before an aesthetic one. In 2024, books have become a matter of positioning, entertainment, and a microcosm to explore predominantly strategically. Strategy, with the benefit of the exception to the rule, can even lay down the weapons of marketing and branding to rediscover an almost ancestral editorial and informative purpose: read about La vita delle forme. Filosofia del reincanto, a treatise written by philosopher Emanuele Coccia and Alessandro Michele, now at the helm of Valentino. The cover of this book published by HarperCollins has a graphic style reminiscent of a sacred text to show "that fashion is the most powerful art because it is the only one capable of changing our lives, our bodies, our faces in an instant," as the treatise stems from long conversations that began on calls during the pandemic, using an "ancient" format to reflect on the metaphysical nature of fashion. On the other hand, the editorial project of Style Not Com lives in instantaneity, using the book format as a graphic expedient to collect the electric blue copies published on its Ig feed. Amid research, escapism, and product placement, what value do books have today for fashion?
The latest literary quotes on the catwalk
The former photographic studio of Karl Lagerfeld, also a library founded by the designer in 1999 - now owned by Chanel - boasts 33,000 accessible volumes and since 2023 has launched a multidisciplinary program aimed at artistic promotion. "The library itself is like a living projection of Karl Lagerfeld's mind," explained Laurence Delamare, head of 7L. The new services include the relaunch of e-commerce, a tailored curation of the library, and an exclusive membership. Also in Paris, amid the excitement of organizing the 2024 Olympics, Anthony Vaccarello announced the opening of Saint Laurent Babylone at 9 rue de Grenelle, in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. Conceived as an extension of the creative director's curation, Babylone presents itself as a cultural meeting place in the heart of Paris - between book signings, subversive publications, and out-of-print music recordings. Adrian Joffe, president of Comme des Garçons, confirmed that, in anticipation of the opening of the new Dover Street Market concept store in Paris, the 3,500 square meters of showrooms and offices of Rei Kawakubo's brand will also include a section dedicated to books, Librairie 1909. This sort of alignment with the world of literature, also undertaken by Enfants Riches Déprimés with the Anti Public Library, is probably one of the most authentic ways to build a narrative beyond clothes - will such a frenetic system be able to deal with the multi-layered shelves of paper and plenty of time? If the glamorization of books, libraries, and booksellers were to go beyond the trend stage, would it be something already seen?
