Back in 2017, with Vogue on the cusp of its 125th anniversary, someone—Sally Singer, actually, Vogue’s then Digital Creative Director—thought that one way we could celebrate was by bringing all sorts of industry figures into conversation with each other as well as with our editors. The idea was to get together and talk about that thing we all love the most—you know, fashion. Oh—and to have a really good time while we did so.
And so Forces of Fashion was born: The likes of John Galliano, Dries Van Noten, Stella McCartney, Marc Jacobs, Andre Leon Talley, and Rihanna all turned up to talk, and we listened. (Rihanna was also almost on time for her conversation with Hamish Bowles—we were still a few years away from my all-time favorite quip of hers, when she turned up at a Dior show, perhaps a little after the start time, and a paparazzo pointed out to her that she was late: “No shit,” Riri replied. Iconic.)
Fast forward to 2024 and, yes, Forces of Fashion is back! Back in New York on October 16 for its eighth year, and again at the Vogue offices in lower Manhattan. (We all loved having you here last year, and where better to have you again?) Back in Mexico City, Mumbai, and Rome, and London—and now, for the first time, Forces is landing in Munich and Madrid. Given that we’re going more global than ever, we decided on an equally expansive theme: Vogue and the runway show or, more accurately, runway shows, because in each of the above cities, we’re inviting many of the brilliant creatives who make the magic happen—from designers to models to makeup and hair superstars— to talk about the shows, those phenomenons which take up so much of our waking hours every new season. Just how much we think about it you can learn for yourselves in New York, when Vogue Runway Director Nicole Phelps and her team reveal what goes into writing their reviews—and our attendees will have their own chance to write reviews themselves and have the team critique them. (Opinions about fashion? We know you have them!)
The day-long event will also include a conversation with Simon Porte Jacquemus, the brilliant young French designer who will be showing his next collection in Capri next week. At the first Jacquemus show I ever attended, in Paris, the audience had to wear smocks, like we were in a kindergarten art class. Now Jacquemus has an expanding global empire—he understands well the power of the runway. So too does Raul Lopez of Luar, whose unbound inventiveness always draws a crowd—including last season, yes: Beyoncé. Honey Dijon—DJ, designer, and all-around style superstar—knows everything about the runway: She has walked them, soundtracked them, and studied them to the nth degree. And Dame Pat McGrath, the artistic genius with a makeup brush, returns to Forces after appearing last year, and she’s cooking up some fun ideas you’ll want to see, and hear, and… well, you’ll find out. And of course Anna Wintour will lead our day of Forces in New York. Maybe you can ask her about her favorite runway shows. (Actually, I’d love to know what they are, too.)
