Starting today, we’re kicking off a weeklong look at the state of fashion in 2015. Glancing back at the Fall collections that concluded last month, it’s clear that the industry is in fascinating flux. You only have to consider the designer comings and goings to see that: Gucci, Nina Ricci, Hermès, and by season’s end, Emilio Pucci all had new creative directors, and that’s just naming a few of the most prominent examples.

The designer merry-go-round is nothing new, of course, but in this case I think it shows that fashion houses are not happy with the status quo. Judging by the appointments of youngish designers like Alessandro Michele (Gucci), Guillaume Henry (Ricci), and Massimo Giorgetti (Pucci), companies are no longer content with monolithic brand statements and “seasonal messages” and are looking instead to forge a more direct and perhaps more personal connection with their customers. In her recently published “Anti_Fashion” manifesto, the respected trend forecaster Li Edelkoortgoes so far as to argue that the way we currently produce and market fashion is obsolete.

Photo: simple wedding dresses

That’s a deliberately provocative opinion, but I like her assertion that “for now we are going to concentrate on clothes, celebrate clothes.” I do think that the most interesting designers today are the ones who have a very clear sense of who they’re trying to reach. Among those, I’d include people as diverse as Riccardo Tisci at Givenchy; Julie de Libran at Sonia Rykiel; Christophe Lemaire with his own line, Lemaire; and Hedi Slimane, who was the first to see that conceptual fashion had reached an impasse and who is articulating a consistent vision at Saint Laurent rather than making a 180-degree turn each season. I’m also very intrigued by Vetements, the newish, semi-underground Paris-based design collective that eschews grand statements in favor of respecting “the real life of clothes—the way they’re tossed on, DIYed, worn out, resurrected.” And—haters be damned—I think Kanye West’s desire to make fashion more accessible is a timely one. In any case, there is no shortage of intriguing story lines at the moment. With that in mind, here is this week’s lineup:

MONDAY: Janelle Okwodu talks to casting directors about the unconventional beauties who are livening up the modeling ranks.

TUESDAY: Executive editor Nicole Phelps explains why the eccentric individualism of Alessandro Michele’s debut collection for Gucci struck a chord this season.

WEDNESDAY: Senior beauty editor Amber Kallor welcomes the return of extreme hair and makeup looks on the runway and discusses how that will translate to consumers.

Plus: Fashion market director Rachael Wang brings you the looks of the moment, as worn by some of fashion’s most influential dressers.

THURSDAY: Steff Yotka quizzes a number of fashion insiders on their latest purchases. Their answers create a snapshot of our collective buying habits right now.

FRIDAY: These days stylists can exert as much influence as designers. Kristin Anderson asks some leading lights in the field for their take on the current scene.

Plus: The men’s market has been heralded as the new growth engine in fashion. So why, asks deputy editor Noah Johnson, can’t menswear designers resist the siren call of womenswear?

We hope you enjoy these stories and look forward to hearing your views on fashion in 2015.

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