Season one of “Next in Fashion” premiered in early 2020 with the impression that it would be a more inclusive version of other landmark fashion competition shows like “Project Runway.” The first season fell short of its potential to show the camaraderie that can exist in the fashion industry. The lack of respect shown to Black women for their designs, as well as the consistent fascination with East Asian contestants and their storytelling abilities (while providing criticism of their non-Western designs), drew attention away from the show itself. If one was not willing to disregard all methods of critical thinking before opening Netflix, it would be hard to enjoy what season one of “Next in Fashion” had to offer. However, Tan France (“Queer Eye”) and Gigi Hadid (debut) truly delivered as co-hosts in the new season, demonstrating not only an improvement in the show but in reality television as a whole.
“Next in Fashion’s” second season follows the same premise as its first: 12 up-and-coming fashion designers grind through 10 fashion challenges, competing for $200,000. All the while, the two co-hosts provide commentary and offer their explanations of why the selected competitors for the next episode deserve to become the “next in fashion.” Famous guest judges like fashion legend Donatella Versace and American model Hailey Bieber also spice up each episode, and their areas of expertise aid the co-hosts in deciding who is a winner and who should be eliminated.
The show highlights aspects of the fashion industry that are often disregarded. The difficulties of running a business while having a family, the existence of disabled people in the fashion community and the importance of accessibility of fashion to people of all socioeconomic stances were themes all heavily addressed throughout the show. Each competitor’s sheer amount of talent was not lost on the judges; everyone’s inspirations and backgrounds were thoroughly respected with each assessment of clothing. The body and age diversity of the models also pushed the notion that anyone from any background can engage in fashion and enjoy it. This is especially apparent in one of the designers, Nigel Xavier, known for his patchwork designs that originated from his inability to buy expensive clothes as a child. The judges respected his streetwear designs and pushed him to model women as well, rather than limit his clothing to male models. The constructive criticism offers a more diverse perspective on who can wear what, thus pushing the envelope of what streetwear looks like.
Even so, the irony bleeds through this reality television show in regard to all of the things it claims to fight against. The fashion industry has a tendency to mask its ridicule of the idea of reusing clothing and of people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds with progressive ideals in an attempt to distract the consumer from the problems the industry perpetuates. This is made most apparent in the episode focused on sustainability, in which the designers must use old articles of clothing to make new ones. An episode about sustainability on a show where every garment of clothing would likely only be worn once seems like a sitcom joke. Not only that, but the constant use of the word “cheap” as an insult for the appearance of clothing goes against the idea that fashion should be affordable without harming others.
Even with vast improvements, “Next in Fashion” still has a long way to go before it can no longer be considered problematic. Nonetheless, the spirit raging in all of the designers to make it in the fashion world along with the beautiful products that come out of each challenge makes this show great binge material. One can only hope that with every new season comes further improvement, and “Next in Fashion” seems like a show capable of that.
Daily Arts Writer Avery Adaeze Uzoije can be reached at auzoije@umich.edu.