From street casting to sustainability, the creative minds behind Y/Project, Gyspy Sport, Ambush and Martine Rose took the stage to share their take on the future of fashion. Even the crowd seemed to reflect this future with jubilant students, buzzing interns and young creatives flooding the seats (especially when compared to the concurring Clare Waight Keller panel). Throughout the conversation, Glenn Martens, Martine Rose, Rio Uribe, Yoon and Verbal offered their unique interpretations on how traditional runway fashion is evolving and how a younger, more street-conscious community is propelling this change.

While the five creatives hail from completely different upbringings, one thing was clear from the beginning—each cares immensely about diversifying their label in an industry often relegated to a binary definition of haute couture or streetwear. Rose, for example, discussed her runway show in London which was presented in a residential neighborhood, integrating the larger community into the show. On street-casting, Martens shared how Y/Project was the first Maison to hire North African models while Uribe shared his holistic reasoning for casting Madonna’s daughter in Gypsy Sport’s runway show.

Uribe also mentioned that sustainability wasn’t a priority until he realized the amount of inventory he was sitting on (this led to a decision to create more one-of-one garments). The discussion of one-off pieces transitioned the focus of the conversation to streetwear with Yoon mapping its origins to Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren’s punk London boutique SEX (which also featured an array of one-off handmade designs): “Streetwear’s nothing new. Usually what’s happening in a society in a political sense gets reflected in the streets. And [people] manifest that stuff through what they wear.”

Rose added: “The term ‘streetwear’ feels like an outdated description. It’s so one dimensional.” Yoon mentioned that streetwear has been present from hippies to the youthquake generation and punk and later qualified her statement, explaining that luxury brands are adopting a “drop” model similar to streetwear and hinting that the connection between the two isn’t as tenuous as it seems. It’s in this dismantling of an established industry that younger creatives are finding a voice.

Martens said it best: “When I moved to Paris, it was so set in its heritage…But about four years ago, something changed. There's finally an alternative think the youth really stood up because they wanted to have something to say."

Attempting to understand the creative mind behind one of the most premier couture houses in the world is no simple feat. Luckily, Pierpaolo Piccioli, Creative Director of Valentino, makes this strenuous task effortless through his humble authenticity and transparency: “I’m not the kind of designer who sits alone in a room with flowers and candles sketching.” Despite his low profile, Piccioli strives to bring change to an industry dominated by tradition. While speaking with Hamish Bowles, Piccioli discussed his transition from Fendi to Valentino and his attempt to unify couture and community.

While Fendi allowed for more creative freedom, Valentino was very organized and precise. Piccioli immediately disregarded this notion, even choosing to wear flip-flops on his first day at the Maison. However, this wasn’t a means of insulting the house’s legacy. It was symbolic of his belief that change is crucial to the success of couture. “For me, it’s very important to be a couture house, but it has to be relevant for today—not to live in the past.” Piccioli went on to explain that he loves couture when it’s “in the moment” rather than looking to the past for inspiration. It’s for this reason that Piccioli never goes back into his archives. He prefers to think about the past instead of looking at it.

Piccioli illustrates couture as “the poetry of doing.” At a time when anxiety and polarity are dividing society, as a culture we tend to gravitate towards the ethereal, something greater than ourselves. He goes on to describe couture as an escapist's haven because “[it] means beauty and imagination.” The attention to detail and craftsmanship is an art in itself, one that is very personal for Piccioli. He explains that growing up in Rome gave way to an inherently eclectic perspective, referencing the politics and street culture there. His personal history anchors Valentino through his roots. “Communities are groups of people that share values. I want to move Valentino from the idea of lifestyle to the idea of communities. Moving Valentino from the idea of an exclusive brand to an inclusive brand, keeping the idea of luxury and couture, but moving into a more inclusive world.”

Arguably one of the most anticipated panelists at the conference, Clare Waight Keller’s appointment as Artistic Director at Givenchy in March of 2017 marked a new era for the house; becoming the first woman to lead the design team. The dress was the first topic on the table, the audience of only a couple hundred listened intently—a personal recount of a historical moment, Meghan Markle’s triple-silk organza, bateau neckline wedding dress; literally and figuratively transparent haute couture. Waight Keller described the design process as a “personal and iconic moment” for her and Markle. The communication between the two was “very discreet... literally just us; no one else was involved.” The duality of Markle’s wedding dress—simplicity and intricacy—embodied the individual: “Fabric, cut, and color can really change the way you see someone,” emphasizes Waight Keller. With the advent of social media and other platforms to exchange ideas and provoke discussion, Keller notes that all of these things are simply “connecting people into a community;” communication being the foundation to a community—a nexus of relationships—with merit.

In an age where fast fashion continues to infest the wardrobes of teenagers and adults alike, couture remains as the antithesis to it all. The question of haute couture’s resiliency in an increasingly expediency-favoring industry has surfaced time and time again over the last several decades, but Keller’s vision at Givenchy served to disrupt the narrative. Her design heritage is omnipresent; the sartorial and the feminine fed back into the body of Givenchy. From her time at Ralph Lauren working on men’s tailoring to her reign at Chloe—with an influence comparable to Phoebe Philo’s at Celine—her efforts at Givenchy could not be more indicative of her design philosophy. Waight Keller’s vision at Givenchy is historical, filling several voids from couture, to tailoring, to sensuality as intent.

Despite their numerous differences, the Mulleavy sisters of Rodarte and Simone Rocha both spearhead uncompromisingly independent labels. These three women coexist in a world that reconciles femininity with strength. One that eschews all criticism from their male counterparts, and perhaps most importantly, a world that belongs to them and nobody else. Vogue’s Lynn Yaeger sat down with the Mulleavy sisters and Rocha to discuss a range of topics from helming independent brands to understanding what it means to be a woman in the industry.

Yaeger immediately posed the concept of the “living contradiction,” describing their general oeuvre as “ruffly, fluttery, tough women.” Laura Mulleavy aptly responded: “Because we’re women, the universal question we always get asked is, ‘Do you design for yourself?’ And my answer has always been, ‘No, I’ve actually never designed for myself.’” She goes on to explain that femininity doesn’t have a singular definition. Rocha reinforced this idea, describing her use of tactile textiles and practical hand embroidery to fortify stereotypical femininity with a degree of strength and purpose.

When discussing the nature of their independence Kate Mulleavy responded, “At a certain point, independence starts to give you an interesting freedom.” Conversely, Rocha claimed that independence is a “luxury,” perhaps hinting at a myriad of M&A consolidations occurring in the industry as of late. However, just like today’s climate, any discussion of independence led to one regarding politics.

The Mulleavy sisters voiced a concern for the value and art of women being under-represented in the world. Kate Mulleavy claimed that many would describe Rodarte’s earliest designs as “crafty,” and that a man’s art would never be relegated to such a simplified definition. Rocha got a bit more political, discussing her understanding of Brexit as an Irish designer. “To suddenly feel like you are not a part of the community and not wanted is disgusting, actually. And especially with how the world is so small now."

Successful, savvy altruists Neil Blumenthal and David Gilboa, co-founders of the online prescription eyewear company Warby Parker, offered one of the more unique takeaways of the event: when it comes to longevity at a local and global scale, preservation of authenticity is an absolute. The reason behind his efforts are perhaps more simple than one might assume. Blumenthal noted that it wasn’t anything in particular, that his mother was a nurse, but there wasn’t really anything else he could think of that would have led him to where he is today. Turns out, good people really do just exist sometimes.

Warby Parker is everything that our current era of retail should stand for, and yet it isn’t, all at the same time. The company relies on a direct-to-consumer model, integrating data retrieval into their design and business processes. It exemplifies the times we live in, the age of online retail. On the contrary, it does something most companies today wouldn't dare to do: invite skepticism, and disregard the bottom line. Warby Parker thrives on its ability to contradict expectations.

The two industry moguls explained that when they developed their business model, they wanted to solve a common issue. For eyewear, it was the lack of accessibility: Eyeglasses are a very personal thing, they are a part of who you are and how others identify you. Blumenthal and Gilboa sought to fill the gap: “we were introducing a product with a price point that could invite skepticism about the quality of the product, and, as we were designing and getting samples of the product, we were so excited about the quality and the look, and we just wanted to get as many glasses on as many faces as we could.” The bottom line for Warby Parker is not necessarily the dollar amount, but rather about improving the lives of others; a collective effort as opposed to the singular.

Fulfilling what is essentially a basic human need, Warby Parker offers thoughtful, affordable eyewear; a thoroughly democratic approach that extends beyond just their business. The company emphasizes the importance of giving back to the community with their Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program. The two noted that over “40,000 kids in New York City are misdiagnosed with a learning disability” simply because they do not have access to proper eye care. Warby Parker’s program provides young professionals the opportunity to administer proper eye exams, and for school-aged children receive proper eye care at the convenience of their classroom. The company’s philanthropic model is at the forefront of what community should mean today: connecting with others and improving the quality of another’s life.