New Take on Runway Challenged the Fashion Industry

Sep. 20, 2022

Fashion weeks all over the world have long been criticized for unhealthy beauty standards and unsustainable events. In connection to Stockholm Fashion Week in September, a project named The Mud Runway was therefore arranged – an initiative from the Swedish kids’ clothing brand Kuling to showcase what they think a fashion show should be.

Every year, over 40 different fashion weeks take place around the world. With its focus on art, beauty, and glamour it has, however, been criticized from time to time. Among other things for unhealthy beauty standards, elitist structures, and unsustainable events.

In connection to Stockholm Fashion Week in September, The Mud Runway was therefore created – an initiative from the Swedish kids’ clothing brand Kuling to showcase what they think a fashion show should be.

Nate Travers, Head of Growth at Kuling said:

"Fashion Week is about as far away from our view of fashion as you can get. Our clothes are created to give kids the opportunity to play and be themselves, no matter the weather. A runway for us is therefore quite naturally a place to run and play. That was our starting point"

 

This resulted in The Mud Runway – a muddy obstacle course built on a playground in central Stockholm. Here, kids could run, play and explore for a few hours while trying out the brand's fall collection.

Guests were offered coffee and cinnamon rolls instead of canapes and champagne, the infamous after-parties were replaced by a kids-friendly live band – and the size 0 models were replaced by children playing, with their parents being happy spectators. Among them were Fanny von Schmalensee and her two-year-old son August.

She said:

"I would say that I'm interested in fashion, but I’ve never been to a fashion week event. That whole setup has always seemed pretty far off to me. This feels more like what clothing is about: being able to feel comfortable in all situations. Of course, that means different things to different people. It would have been interesting to see other clothing brands do their version of this, says visitor Fanny von Schmalensee."

 

Another debated topic of traditional fashion shows is the sustainability issue, where brands work for months to create an event that lasts for a very short time. Both scenery and clothes are often produced and then discarded after the shows have ended – something that did not happen at The Mud Runway.

Nate Travers said:

"We don’t think it’s right to have clothes made to be displayed for 10 minutes on a runway and then thrown away. Instead, we strive for everything we create to be passed on from child to child. Therefore, it was important to us that our visitors could keep the clothes they liked. The construction of our runway has also been donated and has become a new part of the playground where our event took place"

 

The campaign was developed and produced together with Stockholm-based advertising agency Eljest.