What value do books have for fashion today?

In 2022, it was celebrities who suggested we wear books as a statement, making it a media sensation before an aesthetic one. In 2024, books have become a matter of positioning, entertainment, and a microcosm to explore predominantly strategically. Strategy, with the benefit of the exception to the rule, can even lay down the weapons of marketing and branding to rediscover an almost ancestral editorial and informative purpose: read about La vita delle forme. Filosofia del reincanto, a treatise written by philosopher Emanuele Coccia and Alessandro Michele, now at the helm of Valentino. The cover of this book published by HarperCollins has a graphic style reminiscent of a sacred text to show “that fashion is the most powerful art because it is the only one capable of changing our lives, our bodies, our faces in an instant,” as the treatise stems from long conversations that began on calls during the pandemic, using an “ancient” format to reflect on the metaphysical nature of fashion. On the other hand, the editorial project of Style Not Com lives in instantaneity, using the book format as a graphic expedient to collect the electric blue copies published on its Ig feed. Amid research, escapism, and product placement, what value do books have today for fashion?

The latest literary quotes on the catwalk

“Things get broken, and sometimes they get repaired” reports an excerpt printed on a pair of jeans recently proposed by Maison Valentino during the presentation of the SS24 men’s collection – The Narratives. It’s not just the name of the show staged at the Università Statale di Milano, paying homage to the novel Little Life by Anya Yanagihara, but also the eponym underpinning a series of initiatives developed within the realm of promoting contemporary literature by the Roman Maison. What do books and literature represent for brands and creative directors? Are we still within the realm of inspiration or homage among creatives? For Anna Sui, it was like immersing oneself headfirst into tweed and crocheted collars, bringing Miss Marple by Agatha Christie back to life and dedicating a collection, FW24, inside the New York bookstore The Strand – WHODUNNIT???. Staying within the realm of recent literary quotes, one of the most interesting works was the operation of reinterpreting the universe of Edgar Allan Poe by Thom Browne: FW24 intertwined black mohair, silk, wool crepe, cashmere, and shredded tailored suits with readings by actress Carrie Coon, creating a dramatically dark sartorial orchestration.

Hot librarian, podcasts, and literary clubs

Roland Barthes, in 1967, wrote of Coco Chanel, likening her timeless style to Courrèges’ futuristic approach. It should not be surprising, therefore, that one of the quintessential luxury brands has devised a podcast entirely dedicated to literature: Literary Rendez Vous by Chanel, in 39 episodes set on Rue Cambon, narrate the creative journey of contemporary writers such as Alice Renard, Sheena Patel, or Maria Larrea through the lens and microphone of ambassador Charlotte Casiraghi. Bringing writing into the realm of aesthetics may indicate the luxury brands’ desire to intellectually connect with a higher consumer bracket – sensitivity as texture to soften raw marketability. A literary scenario that has always fascinated the genetically anarchic universe of Antonio Marras, whether in the form of quotes – the FW13 collection envisioned a Bloomsbury Group contaminated by floral prints and dramatic hues – or initiatives within the spaces of Nonostantemarras in Milan.

Among the designers who recently inaugurated their virtual reading hour is Marc Jacobs: his Instagram feed boasts a selection ranging from The Women by Hilton Als to Querelle de Brest by Jean Genet, and The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis. “Fashion designers draw inspiration from books,” explained Sarah Andelman, founder and curator of Just an Idea, to the Financial Times. “But this trend of reading novels is a way to stop time. Everything is moving so fast, we’re producing more [fashion] collections and more [fashion] shows, and the idea of showing support for reading is a way to appreciate the moment. I love how Marc [Jacobs] shows what he’s reading. It’s super stimulating. It’s something we can all do, you don’t have to be a millionaire, we can all read the same book. We can all be part of a book club.” The fascination with books, deeply rooted in bookshelf tours on TikTok, found in Miu Miu the Trojan horse to breach the snobbery of intellectuals towards fashion: during the last edition of Design Week, the hottest brand according to Lyst organized its first Literary Club, Writing Life, transforming the Circolo Filologico di Milano into a high-fashion literary salon. Its models, appearing for the first time in Paris for the FW23 collection, clad in monochromatic crewneck cardigans, brown derbies, and bayonetta glasses, became the paladins of “hot librarian” style – where does the contamination operation between fashion and literature begin and end?

Fashion brand libraries

The former photographic studio of Karl Lagerfeld, also a library founded by the designer in 1999 – now owned by Chanel – boasts 33,000 accessible volumes and since 2023 has launched a multidisciplinary program aimed at artistic promotion. “The library itself is like a living projection of Karl Lagerfeld’s mind,” explained Laurence Delamare, head of 7L. The new services include the relaunch of e-commerce, a tailored curation of the library, and an exclusive membership. Also in Paris, amid the excitement of organizing the 2024 Olympics, Anthony Vaccarello announced the opening of Saint Laurent Babylone at 9 rue de Grenelle, in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. Conceived as an extension of the creative director’s curation, Babylone presents itself as a cultural meeting place in the heart of Paris – between book signings, subversive publications, and out-of-print music recordings. Adrian Joffe, president of Comme des Garçons, confirmed that, in anticipation of the opening of the new Dover Street Market concept store in Paris, the 3,500 square meters of showrooms and offices of Rei Kawakubo’s brand will also include a section dedicated to books, Librairie 1909. This sort of alignment with the world of literature, also undertaken by Enfants Riches Déprimés with the Anti Public Library, is probably one of the most authentic ways to build a narrative beyond clothes – will such a frenetic system be able to deal with the multi-layered shelves of paper and plenty of time? If the glamorization of books, libraries, and booksellers were to go beyond the trend stage, would it be something already seen?