I sat down with top fashion photographer Jacques Burga and asked how the current situation will shape the future of fashion and advertising.
2019 was a profitable year for the luxury industry, 2020 may turn that all on its head, however. While it’s still too early to quantify the toll that the coronavirus pandemic will have on the sector, there’s no doubt that the industry has been shaken to its core.
Some of the most traditional and foundational aspects of the fashion industry, for example, have changed completely. Social distancing protocols have put an end to fashion shows. Global lockdowns have trapped models, photographers, and other key industry professionals in separate countries. Stores have been closed to consumers, forcing sales to go online instead.
Of course, the luxury industry has historically been built on reinvention, and many brands are making massive changes to ensure that they emerge from the COVID-19 crisis more robust than before. Will these changes be permanent, though? What is the future of luxury advertising?
To unpack this in more detail, i sat down with Peruvian fashion photographer Jacques Burga who is based in Paris and has done photoshoots for some of the most prominent LVMH brands as well as most famous fashion magazines in the world, including Vogue, V Magazine, Bazaar, Elle, and L’Officiel. He is not just a photographer, however. He is also editor-in-chief of “Paris Social Diary,” a french digital magazine, as well as the founder of the “Lima Social Diary”, a leading digital magazine in Peru.
Similarly, I am more than just a model featured on covers of magazines. I am also the founder and designer of my own luxury footwear brand, Michaela V – a business I started on my own, learning as i went.
I thought we were perfectly suited to discuss the state of the luxury sector and where it’s going.
Michaela: Jacques you grew your career from an internship to shooting the most prominent covers and celebrities, what are some of the differences you’ve noticed over the last three years? Is there anything different about the process or is the direction different?
Jacques: We have all seen how things can change from one month to another after this virus. Social media has definitely changed. Three years ago, social media was important, but the social media teams were not as developed as they are now. Then, in terms of inclusion, there’s definitely been a lot of change. If you enter US Vogue’s Instagram account right now, you’ll see that 90% of the posts include black models or other minorities. I think that’s something that’s changed forever as well.
Michaela: Where do you see this going in the next five years? Will there be a stronger message behind magazine covers and advertisements rather than it just being about clothes?
Jacques: Yes, for sure. The boundaries have disappeared. I was recently speaking to a friend from Yali Tribe, which is a clothing brand with oriental-inspired pieces. We were discussing how experiences are becoming more important through fashion shows or trips, like Net-A-Porter is doing with influencers. Experiences are more important right now because a client doesn’t just want to see a fashion show, they want to feel experiences closer to the ground. Fashion shows won’t be happening again in the near future, so I think brands need to find other ways to approach the client. To answer your question about where I see this going in five years, I believe creativity will keep moving forward. As you say, the creatives will have more freedom to fullfil the requirements and needs of the clients.
Michaela: So the future of fashion shows will be more about experiences? Something like Chanel has been doing? Like the cruise?
Jacques: That’s exactly what I was discussing with my friend. I was expressing that when everybody is on the cruise show, they feel like it is something unique, and they all want to be there. That makes people feel like they’re special. If I had a brand and I had to have a show, I would definitely want it to be that type of experience. I would want people to travel somewhere, experience an exclusive collection, an exceptional dinner, a special after-party… I would do this for every presentation. A fashion show is one way to show your collection, but it should not be the only way. You can have an interview, you can have a business of fashion talk, it could be an exhibition… There are so many different things you could do.
Michaela: Now that I’m thinking about it, back to the 1990s, when Alexander McQueen was doing his shows, it was always this magical experience. It was almost like a concert venue, and there would be rain… It was a crazy experience. And I don’t know what happened, but there was a switch where the old became the same. Similarly, the fashion weeks became more business- oriented than experience-based.
Jacques: The brand today that is consistently delivering experiences is definitely Chanel – you have the rocket on the Grand Palais, you have the shopping centre… That’s an actual experience. I’m sure everybody is excited about the last day of fashion week and going to Chanel’s show. Not all brands have the budget to do that. But if you think about it, you could do it once a year instead of doing three traditional fashion shows. Why not rather do one big thing? If I had a brand, I would do an experience every year, and everyone would anticipate it. People would remember it and want more of that, and if it’s a success, then I’m sure I would get investors, and I’d be able to do it more than once a year.
Michaela: That’s excellent advice, and I’m so excited about the future of luxury advertising. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.