Carol Christian Poell - Mainstream Downstream (SS 2004)

The title says it all, really--Poell’s presentation served as a metaphor for the state of fashion as he saw it, where the mainstream fashion collective uniformly flows in one direction without thought. If this sounds pretty bleak, you wouldn’t be wrong, but consider the fact that Poell’s presentation, in all it’s depressing splendor, also eliminates some aspects of the typical fashion show that arouse anxiety. There’s no front row seating, no backstage politics, no influx and outflow of stressed out fashion people throughout the venue. There’s no front row seating, no backstage politics, no influx and outflow of stressed out fashion people throughout the venue. It’s just people along the banks of the canal, a public space. Fashion enthusiasts and pedestrians alike have access to the same view and in this sense Poell has democratized the elitism of the fashion show.