@fashionweekfrog looks on the bright side
Now fashion month is officially in the rear mirror we can all officially relax…at least until men’s fashion weeks kick off in July. Yet there’s no denying that the conveyor belt of shows, planes and late-night transfers takes it out of even the most travel-hardy. In the last few seasons, we’ve had some comic relief in the form of @fashionweekfrog.
An anonymously-run Instagram account, @fashionweekfrog uses Kermit memes to poke fun at all the behind-the-scenes action at fashion month; be that disagreeing with a show’s seating plan or the trials of packing a fashion-forward capsule wardrobe with your baggage allowance. As live-streaming takes us ever-closer to the runway action, @fashionweekfrog continues in this vein by using humour to evoke editors’ over-caffeinated, under-slept fashion month mindset.
We caught up with the elusive meme-maker to chat copycats, Kermit and all things fashion month.
Why did you start @fashionweekfrog?
I made a riff on a Kermit meme and put it on my Instagram stories about a year and a half ago. A lot of my friends asked for more, so I kept it going on stories. Last September, I made an official account and it’s been super fun. It gets a little weird to have people you work with start associating you with a meme account, but it’s almost even weirder to maintain a secret identity? At the end of the day, it’s a fun internet project I’ve had a great time working on.
Why Kermit?
I cannot take credit for Kermit memes! It’s a genre of memes that have been around for a minute and I’ve always found them to be funny and cute. It’s been a real joy to do them with a fashion twist.
What’s the most stressful thing about fashion month in your opinion?
Fashion month is a test of patience, endurance and sanity. People get really twisted when it comes to accommodations, seating and gossip. It’s a hotbed of negativity as much as it’s a fun time to connect with friends and meet new people in the business, but the choice is yours!
What are your fashion month survival tips?
I always try to keep calm and grateful. Attending shows is definitely work but it’s also a huge perk of the job that won’t always be there, so I try to be pleasant and make the most of it.
What’s been the highlight of running the account?
The best part of making memes is making people laugh. I don’t do it for any other reason. I’m glad it resonates with so many people from industry veterans to interns or even followers who don’t work in the industry. People get so riled up this time of year and it’s been fun to call out certain things no one else would and put a little green frog behind it. It gives it all a bit of relief and breathing room. If this business can’t be fun, what the hell are we doing here?
Where is @fashionweekfrog headed next?
I’m not so sure! This season was a super weird one. It immediately felt very “off” starting in New York. The collections felt kind of uninspired and overall the business feels a little bleak. I genuinely had a hard time finding some laughs but I did my best. Milan got weird after the Coronavirus outbreak, which definitely helped with some jokes and to lighten the mood. Paris just got even weirder because everyone started to leave early or not come at all. It was hard to find humour when everyone felt so tense. I sincerely hope next season will be a little brighter. It’s also been a bit annoying seeing a few knock-off accounts start to pop up but that’s very typical of this business, right? I’d love to keep the Frog up and running, but let’s see how the next season turns out.
You can follow @fashionweekfrog on Instagram. Check out some of their greatest hits below.
