Lighting illuminates a runway. It sculpts the space, creates a mood, intensifies the textures of fabrics, and transports the audience into the designer’s universe. The right lighting can transform a traditional runway show into an experience that feels like stepping into a dreamscape.
Saint Laurent and Gucci have pushed the boundaries of how lighting can define a show. Lighting isn’t just a technical detail for them; it’s an extension of the fashion itself, helping to tell a story that’s as unforgettable as the clothes on display. And in a world where visuals are everything, lighting becomes a designer’s final brushstroke—bringing the masterpiece to life.
For Saint Laurent’s Spring Summer 2022 Ready-to-Wear show, held by the Eiffel Tower at night, the brand embraced a cinematic approach to lighting. As models walked down the runway, they were illuminated by sleek spotlights that carved them out from the inky night sky. The lighting was focused and precise—a testament to creative director Anthony Vaccarello’s vision of strong silhouettes against an urban landscape.
"Lighting should be invisible yet unforgettable," Vaccarello said in an interview after the show. "We wanted the models to appear like figures moving through a city at night—untouchable, with a sense of power and independence." Each flash of light highlighted the clean cuts of the garments, the metallic accents, and the subtle textures that would be lost without such an intense scheme. The entire scene felt like a noir film brought to life—where every shadow and every glint of fabric played a role in telling Saint Laurent’s story of cool, unbridled confidence.
Gucci’s Fall Winter 2018 Ready-to-Wear show, held in a hospital-esque, sterile white environment, used lighting to blur the lines between fashion and the surreal. Models walked through a dimly lit room filled with operating tables and bizarre surgical equipment, bathed in eerie, green-tinted fluorescent lights. It was unsettling but mesmerizing—an environment where fashion felt like something both alien and strangely familiar.
"I think of lighting as part of the character," Alessandro Michele shared after the show. "It adds personality to the space, to the model, even to the fabric." By casting unusual hues and shadows over the models, Gucci transformed traditional runway expectations into a narrative of its own. This wasn’t just a show of clothing; it was a fully immersive experience where lighting played the role of a silent actor that guided the viewer through a strange hospital ward.
