Fashion Is Reinvented, Not Disrupted, at BoF 500 Gala


The BoF 500 gala dinner tackled a big question amid its star-studded event: What’s the future of Fashion Week?

Everyone from Tiffany Haddish to the Hadids to Troye Sivan turned out for the dinner at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge to celebrate fashion’s movers and shakers. Attendees talked about everything from inclusivity to the effect #MeToo has had on the industry.

“There is this awakening happening in the industry now,” Tommy Hilfiger told The Hollywood Reporter. “People are in tune with the #metoo movement. The kind of models who work in fashion are changing. It is becoming more inclusive.”

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Inside the mind of one of the fashion industry's biggest executives: François-Henri Pinault. The chairman and CEO of Kering is focused on maintaining the spectacular momentum of Gucci, Saint Laurent and Balenciaga, while accelerating growth at Alexander McQueen and revitalising Bottega Veneta under a new creative director — all while building a business where profits go hand-in-hand with a sense of purpose beyond making money, a philosophy he picked up from his time at FNAC. In an exclusive interview with BoF, the cover star of our latest special print edition talks to Imran Amed about his belief that strong business performance must be accompanied — even enabled — by an equally strong focus on doing the right thing. [Link in bio] #kering #fashion #gucci #saintlaurent ?: Karim Sadli

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The event honored the 96 inductees to the BoF 500 list, some of who included Virgil Abloh, actress Yara Shahidi and workers-rights activist Kalpona Akter. BoF’s Imran Amed was the master of ceremonies, and he addressed each inductee’s relationship to the issues that face fashion, from inclusion to sustainability. “What BoF has become known for is asking the right questions at the right time about the issues shaping fashion,” said Amed.

Haddish, of course, provided a little comic relief. “I’m starving. Can we get this party started? I’m a comedian, and I need to eat. Please take your seats,” she told the crowd at the beginning of the gala.

The soirée also celebrated the launch of BoF’s latest print issue, with cover stars Shahidi, Akter, Abloh, and Henri Pinault all starring on the cover. After what Amed called a “harrowing year” for fashion, he gave his thoughts on what comes next.

“The end is unclear,” he said. “No one knows what is coming next. Everyone says the word ‘disruption’ but perhaps it is more of a reinvention. Reinvention is a more positive word.”

 

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