Kim Kardashian appeared at the Balenciaga show over the weekend, and there was the usual media circus. The tabloid industrial complex were preoccupied with one thing specifically, though: ‘Kim Kardashian appears to make fashion faux-pas as she slips into figure-hugging lace dress for the Balenciaga show during PFW’ said The Daily Mail in the most depressingly Daily Mail headline ever. We’ve all done it. But this minor transgression has become a lightning rod for the gossiping class of Paris Fashion Week. Was this a mere accident? Or was Kim K, the incumbent mastermind of the media set piece, doing this on purpose?
In the Kardashiverse, nothing is an accident. And so labelgate begins, and the questions abound: what does it all mean? Leaving the label on clothing is nothing new; in fact, it's a trend that has boomeranged back and forth over the last few decades. Balenciaga, in particular, has been known to incorporate this particular design element into its collections, often leaving tags and labels visible as part of the garment's aesthetic, and the brand signature. The plot thickens.
One interpretation is its association with the concept of 'brand bragging rights' in the age of 'quiet luxury.' At a time when conspicuous logos and overt displays of wealth are increasingly seen as gauche (which usually happens in times of recession), subtle signals of status have emerged as, maybe, a more sophisticated way to signpost affluence. By leaving labels intact, fashion’s stunt people can showcase their allegiance to high-end brands without overt logomania – and thus the exclusivity element that keeps fashion turning remains intact (albeit in a quieter way).
Susie Lau, a fashion writer at The Business of Fashion and Perfect magazine, saw it as Demna, Balenciaga’s creative director, “commenting on our consumer culture.” Which is perhaps why attendees also saw a digital wall of ‘Get Ready With Me’ TikToks. “It’s him embracing this glut of content and the tags are an expression of that,” Lau told GQ via Instagram DM. So this stunt shouldn’t come as a shock. Demna’s Balenciaga is famous for flipping ideas of beauty, celebrity, money, and power on their heads – and creating viral moments, and grail products, doing it.
And those very TikToks – and social media at large – have warped our ideas of authenticity and originality. In an age where everyone strives to stand out in a content mudslide, leaving labels attached can be seen as a way to showcase one's insider knowledge of fashion trends and subvert traditional notions of 'perfection' in favour of a more raw and unfiltered aesthetic. The accident is intentional.
The phenomenon of leaving labels attached originates far before Friday. Back in the early 90’s, visible labels gained popularity among hip-hop artists like Tupac, NWA, Biggie and Aaliyah. Think the reflective sticker on New Era caps, or the leather tag on Timberland boots. This trend eventually crossed over into mainstream fashion.
And so it can be assumed that Kim K’s label, like the stars before her, did this on purpose. And where better to do that at a Balenciaga show? This is the most satirical high fashion brand there is, and one that’s constantly reckoning with (and celebrating) the madness of clothes in the modern age. It won’t convert everyone. But as Demna aptly put it backstage post show: “you like it, you don't like it, whatever.”
