Marco Balich, chairman and creative director of Balich Wonder Studio, told WWD’s Apparel and Retail CEO Summit that fashion events can build stronger connections when they give audiences a meaningful emotional experience. He said luxury brands should make their work understandable beyond a small, specialist crowd, including to a distracted 14-year-old watching from anywhere in the world.

Balich’s Milan-based company has produced ceremonies for 17 Olympic Games and six FIFA World Cups. Its Balich Bespoke division, launched in 2013, creates live events for fashion and jewelry clients including Dolce & Gabbana, Bulgari, Max Mara and Louis Vuitton.

He described fashion’s ability to apply a “filter of beauty” to products, stores and runway presentations as a source of fascination. But beauty alone, he said, does not make an object or spectacle meaningful: emotion and ideas such as unity, love, respect and beauty give it resonance. He urged brands to add what he called a small “flick” of meaning to their events and establish a connection with people beyond the velvet rope.

Balich said location and budget are not the essential ingredients; the goal is to create something meaningful. He cited the opening ceremony for the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, produced by Balich Wonder Studio, as an example. The ceremony celebrated Italian craftsmanship through a tribute to Giorgio Armani, whose green, white and red designs were worn by 60 models. Balich said the presentation honored the late designer while connecting his work to the Italian flag in a way that resonated with people at the stadium and across Italy.

He also made the case for simplicity, arguing that a clear idea can be accessible without being banal or cheap. In an environment shaped by social media, he said, straightforward creative statements can reach people more widely.

Balich cautioned against relying on AI tools to develop creative concepts, saying that the same prompt given to different systems could produce similar answers, while different creative directors would bring distinct points of view. Those perspectives, he argued, make fashion and its shows more interesting.

He encouraged brands to be courageous about reaching audiences beyond fashion insiders. Livestreams, watch parties and public venues can help turn runway shows from business-to-business events into entertainment for consumers, he said.

Sources: WWD.