The Autumn/Winter 2021 collections are a cumulative expression of months of panic, experimentation and no-holds-barred creative output. Back in February, I was ready to watch everything and anything at my desktop screen for weeks at a time. From music videos to virtual clothes that snapped onto your AI-recognised body shape, I revelled in the experimentation, which this creative industry does too little of in traditional cycles of overproduction. By the end of that period, with hundreds of virtual runway shows, Zoom interviews and folders of fabric posted my way, there was no doubt that this was not a sustainable, healthy (I think I need glasses now!) or inspiring way to be introduced to new ideas fro the designers I admire most. The collections that stood out to me were made with sincerity (Mame Kurogouchi), an embrace of pure creative expression (Daniel Roseberry’s Schiaparelli), a punk attitude and trust in community  (Marco Rambaldi), or slick and sexy fantasy in mind (Allesandro Michele for Gucci, with his harnesses and crystal heart-shaped clutches).

But just as our empty highstreets need major retail reinvention, the way we communicate fashion needs an overhaul too. Sure, an iconic image will stand the test of time, as will a dress that makes you feel like a million bucks. Still, while I can’t wait to get back to seeing fashion IRL, I really don’t want to end up at a traditional fashion show where the only thing that has changed is that we’re all outside, socially distanced. And while TikTok proves to be even more addictive than Instagram (my algorithm knows me far too well) ephemeral content from social media has us all overstimulated and undernourished. Where is the Chef’s Table for fashion: well-lit stories of craft and imagination, or the incredible backstories behind garments – the hundreds of contributors that make up a single piece of clothing, from the cotton farmer to the personal shopper? Fashion is most powerful as a tool for telling stories. And now, more than ever, it is important to tell enchanting stories through the medium of responsible, meaningful and above all, beautiful fashion. Caroline Issa