{"id":82535,"date":"2023-10-25T10:05:07","date_gmt":"2023-10-25T10:05:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=82535"},"modified":"2023-10-26T17:12:33","modified_gmt":"2023-10-26T17:12:33","slug":"film-fashion-red-carpet-sag-aftra-strike","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/film-fashion-red-carpet-sag-aftra-strike\/","title":{"rendered":"Roll Up the Red Carpet"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"SAG-AFTRA
NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 26: Jeremy Strong is seen on the set of “Succession” on August 29, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by MEGA\/GC Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

[EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was written for GRAZIA USA’s Fall 2023 print issue, during the SAG-AFTRA strikes. The strike has since concluded, officially coming to an end on September 27.]<\/em><\/p>\n

Words by Cynthia Martens<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Fashion and entertainment are engaged in an awkward little tango. On the one hand, the two have never been locked in a closer embrace. To wit: Fran\u00e7ois-Henri Pinault, the head of luxury firm Kering, just snapped up a majority stake in the Los Angeles-based Creative Artists Agency, or CAA. Musician Pharrell Williams ascended to the throne as men\u2019s creative director for Louis Vuitton earlier this year. And Greta Gerwig\u2019s Barbie<\/em> is now the biggest global Warner Bros. movie ever, having raked in more than $1.34 billion at the box office. Legions of millennial and Gen Z fans dutifully documented their pilgrimages to the cinema in various shades of fuchsia, including many who decided this was as good an occasion as any to engage in retail therapy.<\/p>\n

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MILAN, ITALY – MARCH 10: Adam Driver and Lady Gaga are seen filming ‘House of Gucci’ on March 10, 2021 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s a golden era for intellectual property branding at the movies. Ridley Scott\u2019s House of Gucci<\/em> hit theaters in 2021, starring Adam Driver as Gucci heir Maurizio Gucci and Lady Gaga as his wife, Patrizia Reggiani, who was convicted in 1998 for ordering a hit on her husband. This year, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon\u2019s Artists Equity released Air<\/em>, a film about the development of Nike\u2019s Air Jordan shoe. And hold your popcorn: Ferrari<\/em>, a new sports thriller centered on Enzo Ferrari, just premiered at the Venice International Film Festival.<\/p>\n

At the same time, the Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA union strikes that kicked off last May and July, respectively, are still in full swing. Not since 1960 had the American writing and acting communities jointly walked off the nation\u2019s sets. Many of the issues at the heart of the labor dispute center on the streaming business model \u2013 which affects residuals, or the long-term payments negotiated by unions for airings after an initial release \u2013 and the increasing use of new technologies such as artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n

Industry rumblings suggest fashion, hair, and makeup stylists are paying attention: Studio use of artificial intelligence could affect their future, too. They clearly play a significant role in the success and marketing of films and shows, but many of them \u2013 like writers and actors \u2013 are freelancers, pinballing from one gig to the next.<\/p>\n

Consider Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny<\/em>, which came out in June and plays with the notion of time travel. According to Variety, over 100 artists at visual effects company Industrial Light and Magic spent several years on the project, relying on archival materials from previous Indiana Jones film footage, as well as various clay cast models of Ford\u2019s head to de-age the actor using machine-learning equipment. Union actors have expressed concerns about the ways in which their image and voice may be used in the future, while writers have objected to the potential use of AI to cut costs in scriptwriting. What happens if studios decide to intensify use of technology in costuming?<\/p>\n

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PARIS, FRANCE – JUNE 20: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY – For Non-Editorial use please seek approval from Fashion House) Louis Vuitton Men’s Creative Director Pharrell Williams acknowledges the applause of the audience after the Louis Vuitton Menswear Spring\/Summer 2024 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on June 20, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Aurelien Meunier\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lauren Gurganous, a friend and striking writer who has worked on 30 Rock<\/em>, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt<\/em> and Girls5eva<\/em>, said costuming and makeup were a \u201chuge part\u201d of what audiences respond to in viewing movies and shows. \u201cWriters only have so much space in a script to convey a character\u2019s look. And even if we had the page space, most of us are wearing the same hoodie for months on end, so you don\u2019t want us weighing in too much anyway. Your costume and hair and make up departments take tiny character descriptions and, at an absolutely ludicrous pace, work magic to bring those people to life at a level you could have never dreamed in your brain. I\u2019m always blown away by that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The impact of fashion on the success of streaming productions is undeniable. When Netflix released miniseries The Queen\u2019s Gambit<\/em> in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, it spurred not only a renewed enthusiasm for chess, but also a collective swoon over actress Anya Taylor-Joy\u2019s Peter Pan collars and A-line skirts, selected behind the scenes by costume designer Gabriele Binder and later displayed in a virtual exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum.<\/p>\n

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NEW YORK, NY – JUNE 10: Rachel Brosnahan and Milo Ventimiglia are seen at the film set of ‘The Marvelous Mrs Maisel’ TV Series on June 10, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Jose Perez\/Bauer-Griffin\/GC Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Similarly, actress Rachel Brosnahan\u2019s 1960s-inspired wardrobe from Amazon Prime\u2019s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel<\/em> was on display at Saks Fifth Avenue last April as part of a mile-long tribute to the show. Costume designer Donna Zakowska penned a book, Madly Marvelous: The Costumes of the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel<\/em>, in which she compared main character Midge\u2019s impressive array of colorful coats to \u201cthe equivalent of a superhero cape\u2014transfiguring, protective, emotional armor that emboldens and empowers her as a character.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most recently, the sly showcasing on HBO\u2019s Succession<\/em> of \u201cquiet luxury\u201d has led some midtier brands to position themselves as \u201cstealth wealth\u201d starter kits for the masses. Fashion companies have also seized on the popularity of the show\u2019s cast in advertising. Brian Cox, the British actor who plays media scion Logan Roy, starred in a Fall 2023 campaign for Kith, while his co-star Nicholas Braun \u2013 the hapless yet cunning Greg \u2013 landed in a Father\u2019s Day campaign for Brooks Brothers.<\/p>\n

“The impact of fashion\u00a0on the success of streaming\u00a0productions is undeniable.”<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Other HBO shows<\/a> have provided more opulent inspiration. The second season of The White Lotus<\/em>, a show that gleefully presents a cast of delusional tourists at a luxury resort \u2013 reportedly bumped U.S. Google searches for Sicily up by 50 percent, while also boosting the profile of costume designer Alex Bovaird, who told Vogue, \u201cWe kind of upped our game this season in terms of people dressing up and peacocking.\u201d Heidi Bivens, the head costume designer for teen hit Euphoria<\/em>, published a book \u2013 Euphoria Fashion<\/em> \u2013 about her micro mini skirts, zip-up hoodies and strappy heels.<\/p>\n

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JULY 14: Sarah Jessica Parker seen on the set of “And Just Like That…” the follow up series to “Sex and the City” in NoHo on July 14, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by James Devaney\/GC Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Meanwhile, And Just Like That<\/em>, the new Sex and the City<\/em> reboot, displays luxury logos with abandon; is it a coincidence that a Canal Street crackdown in August led the New York City Police Department to seize $30 million in knockoffs? We\u2019d have to ask costume designers Molly Rogers and Danny Santiago. All three shows, of course, spawned countless where-to shop listicles.<\/p>\n

The influence of entertainment on fashion is perhaps most explicit, however, in box office franchises, and recently, there have been a lot of them. Variety reported that 14 Mattel toy brands, including Polly Pocket and American Girl, are lined up to be the next Barbie<\/em>. The Marvel Cinematic Universe, populated by the likes of Spider-Man and Captain America, has unleashed its superheroes not just in theaters, but also on Asics shoes dropped in an exclusive with Kith. DC Comics lent its Gotham City glamour to Lanvin in Spring 2022, when models stomped out in Batman-inspired looks. And costume designer Ruth E. Carter won her second Academy Award for her work on Marvel\u2019s hit Black Panther: Wakanda Forever<\/em>, in which she outfitted the cast in diverse duds from Herv\u00e9 L\u00e9ger, Iris van Herpen and Adidas.<\/p>\n

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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 25: Margot Robbie attends the press junket and photo call For “Barbie” at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills on June 25, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Fashion companies have long understood the value of hitching their brands to star power.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Now, with American show business on strike, there is increasingly an off-camera spillover effect in fashion. Artists, of course, are no strangers to side hustles, but the walkout is putting a strain on guild members\u2019 personal finances: One striking writer told NPR he was now earning a living by selling handcrafted snow globes on Etsy. To make ends meet, or at least keep their name out there, many performers are weighing the pros and cons of front row appearances at global fashion weeks.<\/p>\n

Union rules prohibit members not only from performing in movies, but also from promoting them at film festivals or in puff pieces with the press. Technically, however, actors might be able to make a guest appearance at a boutique opening party \u2013 they just risk serious side-eye from the internet, not to mention incurring the wrath of their colleagues. It doesn\u2019t look great to be sipping prosecco at a Paris fashion junket while your fellow entertainers tug at the plastic on ramen noodle packs. SAG-AFTRA has even issued an ultimatum to social media influencers who are not yet union members but aspire to be: Accepting paid promotional gigs for big studios and streaming companies \u2013 or even posting fan content \u2013 is considered crossing the picket line and scuttles any chance of future union membership.<\/p>\n

\"SAG-AFTRA
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JULY 28: Jane Fonda speaks to the crowd as Starbucks workers stand on the picket line with striking SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America (WGA) members in solidarity outside Netflix studios on July 28, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. The show of support is part of a Starbucks Workers United \u2018The Union is Calling\u2019 summer bus tour across 13 cities in an effort to unionize more Starbucks stores with workers calling for a living wage and other protections amid a so-called \u2018hot labor summer\u2019. (Photo by Mario Tama\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

And yet, the shows must go on. Fashion companies have long understood the value of hitching their brands to star power. There are staffers whose entire job it is to finesse the\u00a0relationship between brands and entertainers. Fashion brands, after all, are a complex distillation of aspirations and associations; as the designer and consumer marketing scion Walter Landor famously observed, \u201cProducts are made in the factory, but brands are created in the mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fashion, like entertainment, sells \u201cdreams, imagination, and sparkle,\u201d to borrow a phrase from Barbie<\/em> \u2013 but there\u2019s a lot of hard work underneath the surface. This season, keep your eyes on the picket lines.<\/p>\n

Words by Cynthia Martens;\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>Photos by HBO, Getty Images<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

Read GRAZIA USA<\/em>\u2019s Fall Issue<\/a> featuring cover star Ziwe\u00a0Fumudoh<\/a>:<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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