After what felt like a very relaxed decade, the fashion industry has been experiencing major changes over the past couple of months. From Vivienne Westwood’s passing, to Alessandro Michele exiting his role as creative director of Gucci, the fashion world is yet again transforming.
In March, Moschino announced that Jeremy Scott would be stepping down from his role as creative director of the Italian fashion house after a decade.
Moschino was founded in 1983 by the late Franco Moschino in Milan, Italy. Scott brought in an era of camp that earned both the house and Scott a place at the forefront of not only the fashion industry, but contemporary pop culture as well.
Scott took over as creative director of the house in 2013, replacing Rossella Jardini who had been at the helm since 1994. While Jardini had as much of an affinity for camp as Scott, Jardini had a more refined, tame approach toward the concept.
Scott’s debut collection with the house was the iconic Fall 2014 Ready to Wear collection, which featured vibrantly-colored garments referencing pop culture iconography such as McDonald’s and SpongeBob. It was pop-art, parody perfection. The McDonald’s inspired pieces made waves throughout the internet, with the iPhone case imitating a McDonald’s box of fries becoming all the craze on Instagram and Tumblr.
Before I go any further, what is ‘camp?’ I’m sure you’ve heard the term at some point throughout the past four years thanks in large part to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 2019 Met Gala theme, ‘Camp: Notes on Fashion.’
Camp, as described by Susan Sontag in her 1964 essay “Notes on ‘Camp,’” in short, is a sensibility or an aesthetic that is extravagant, exaggerated and unserious. In her own words, when something is camp, “It’s good because it’s awful.” Think of slasher films or those “Precious Moments” figurines you might see at thrift stores sometimes. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for what makes something camp, you just kinda know when it is.
Scott is no stranger to the concept. He sent his models down the runway wearing construction site inspired Chanel suits, gaudy animal prints, bright colors, ridiculously chunky gold jewelry and even draped in Moschino candy wrappers and chip packaging referencing brands like “Hershey’s” and “Cheetos.” His designs are often even considered to be a commentary on consumerism.
Another collection that made waves throughout pop culture was the Spring 2015 Ready to Wear collection, which featured Barbie-inspired garments, many of which even had the word “Moschino” printed all over in a vintage Barbie logo font. When I tell you the internet girls were obsessed, they were obsessed. The models even looked like Barbies. You just had to be there.
The collection was not just limited to Barbie-inspired pieces, it also featured brightly-colored beachwear, poufy, over-the-top dresses and gold-ridden pieces. But ultimately, the true star of the show were the Barbie inspired garments. Perfectly pink, humorous and almost cheap-looking. It was all so fabulous.
Throughout his decade-long tenure, Scott brought fun back to fashion. When Moschino showcased a new collection, you knew you were in for a good time. The fashion industry tends to feel very serious and pretentious at times, after all, fashion is art. As an outsider looking in, there’s a seriousness that unfortunately pervades the art world, fashion included, which can be intimidating.
Watching his shows was like a breath of fresh air. The atmosphere was bright and fun. Scott’s approach to fashion was inviting because it wasn’t meant to be taken too seriously. It was meant to be enjoyable. He utilized the ‘everyday’ and pop culture iconography to create fashion that was colorful, chic, fresh and accessible. You didn’t have to be some sort of fashion nerd to celebrate or even wear his designs. Anybody was welcome to join the Moschino cult.
The future of Moschino, now that Scott has left, looks a bit uncertain. He leaves behind a legacy at the house that will be celebrated for years to come. To many, throughout his tenure, Jeremy Scott was Moschino. His designs and personality honored and embodied the house’s campy and humorous spirit, established long ago by the beloved Franco Moschino.
If you would like to take a look at the collections mentioned in this blog, or any other Moschino collections, you can do so via the Vogue Runway app available on the App Store and Google Play store. The app serves as a wonderful archive of runway collections dating all the way back to the 90s.
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