Fashion in 2023: what to look forward to

On the cusp of 2023, we look forward to another busy year in style – from Daniel Lee’s much-anticipated debut collection for Burberry in February 2023 at London Fashion Week, to blockbuster exhibitions on Karl Lagerfeld at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel at the V&A in London. Here are the fashion in 2023 moments to look forward to – so far.

FASHION IN 2023: A YEAR IN STYLE TO COME

Martine Rose will show at Pitti Uomo

In January, British designer Martine Rose will exchange London for Florence, showing her A/W 2023 collection at part of the historic menswear trade fair Pitti Uomo (as this season’s guest designer, she follows such luminaries as Raf Simons, Jonathan Anderson, Craig Green, Grace Wales Bonner, and more). The location will be the city’s Loggia del Mercato Nuovo, a 16th-century market known for the sale of leather goods and souvenirs. ‘Pitti was celebrating men’s design way ahead of the curve and many of the designers I respect have been a part of it,’ says Rose. ‘We are all so excited to come to Florence, a city I love, with our next collection.’

Daniel Lee arrives at Burberry

In October 2022, British designer Daniel Lee – the former creative director of Bottega Veneta – was announced as the successor to Riccardo Tisci at Burberry, who exited the heritage brand as chief creative officer in September. Lee will show his debut collection for Burberry as part of London Fashion Week in February 2023, releasing a campaign titled ‘Burberry Classics’ with longtime collaborator Tyrone Lebon a few weeks prior. While his vision for the British stalwart remains so far under wraps, he told American Vogue recently that he wanted to create an ‘iconic chapter’ in the brand’s history, at once surprising and familiar.  ‘I really would like them to see the new vision and feel reassured,’ he said. ‘Like, “Oh, yeah, this makes sense: This is what Burberry should be.”’

Gucci’s next chapter

In November 2022, Alessandro Michele announced his departure from Gucci, the Italian house he helped transform with eclectic, maximalist collections which spanned time and space in their inspirations. As of yet, no designer has been announced as Michele’s successor, though the house is slated to show a menswear collection as part of Milan Fashion Week Men’s in January 2023. Whether this collection is created by an in-house team, or by a last-minute appointment, remains to be seen – though all eyes will certainly be on the show, which takes place on 13 January 2023. 

The Met will celebrate the legacy of Karl Lagerfeld

Opening 5 May 2023, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York will celebrate the life and career of Karl Lagerfeld, whose tenures at Balmain, Patou, Chloé, Fendi and, most famously, Chanel, made him one of fashion’s definitive figures. ‘He was the Hitchcock of fashion. There was always a representation of Karl on his runway,’ said Andrew Bolton, the Costume Institute’s curator, at an event in Paris in September 2022. Titled ‘Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty’ and supported by Chanel and Fendi, the exhibition will also provide the theme of the coinciding Met Gala, with the typically star-studded guest list interpreting Lagerfeld’s designs with their own red-carpet looks. 

At London’s V&A, a new exhibition focuses on Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel

Lagerfeld’s forebear Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel will be the subject of her own exhibition in London, ‘Gabrielle Chanel, Fashion Manifesto’ at the V&A from 16 September 2023. The first British exhibition to celebrate the work of the French couturière, it will chart the advent of the house and its subsequent influence on the way that women dress today. The comprehensive exhibition – comprised of over 180 looks and spanning 1910-1971 – will include accessories, cosmetics and perfumes, and will no doubt follow the blockbuster success of the museum’s previous fashion exhibitions (‘Christian Dior: Designer Of Dreams’ and ‘Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty’ among them). 

2023 will mark 30 years of Pleats Please Issey Miyake

Pleats Please Issey Miyake – the offshoot of the Japanese brand that features Miyake’s unique technical pleating in oftentimes bold tones – will mark three decades since its advent in May 2023, having first been shown as part of the late Miyake’s S/S 1994 collection. Running with the motto ‘design is not for philosophy, but for life’, the lightweight, wrinkle-proof garments have since gained a devoted cult following. To celebrate, a small capsule collection will be released by the brand, comprising a colourful new limited-edition print.