It’s a big week in fashion, folks. New York Fashion Week is in full swing, and beyond the glitz and glam we see on the runway, major fashion news has been announced in time with the launch of new collections.

In the world of creatives particularly, this is a big time — not only for smaller designers hoping to rise to global status but also for those already established in the business. As we look forward to the future of brands through their collections, we can also anticipate any changes — good or bad — that come with new creative director appointees for some of the top brands in the world.

Sarah Burton, former creative director of Alexander McQueen, was appointed the new creative director of Givenchy. Haider Ackermann, the current creative director of Canada Goose, was appointed the next creative director of Tom Ford.

However, with positive change comes harder truths, including saying goodbye to familiar faces and style trailblazers. Y/Project creative director Glenn Martens announced his departure after 11 years. Meanwhile, Dion Lee, the brand that popularized the corset t-shirt style, has announced its liquidation as a company as it cannot recover from its accrued debt of $35 million.

As we wait to see what ripple effect these changes may bring, it doesn’t mean that we have to blindly predict or wait anxiously for a Vogue headline, nor does this mean we must return to data and debate based on historical performance and gut instinct. Instead, how we feel, understand each other and connect could be the way to go.

Turns out, thanks to Prada’s Fall/Winter 2024 campaign theme, “Now That We’re Here,” you can connect with a creative beyond the clothing — well, kind of. Dialing the so-called “Miranda July Hotline” at (833) 526-8880, former Vogue Italia creative director Ferdinando Verderi teamed up with Prada and July to create this hotline in which you can speak with and get advice from pre-recorded scripted responses from Miranda July, the American filmmaker, artist and writer.

It’s a really cool way to make the campaign reachable to a wider audience while still giving it the personal touch of a unique, genuine experience for each consumer beyond the distinctiveness of campaigns’ effects based on interpretation.

And yet, it feels weird and dystopian to feel like I am talking to July. The cybersecurity professional in me won’t let my guard down — despite how real she sounds, July is not hanging out in bed, kicking her feet and enjoying our conversation as much as I did. And yet, I know that this campaign and my slight discomfort (but overall enjoyment) made me think, discuss and connect how a fashion campaign should.

But connectedness is not a new concept in fashion; we see continuity and little, graceful, fluid tweaks all the same as collections pay homage to past silhouettes, a la Alaïa’s wrap belt dress that was re-debuted at NYFW this past week. We even see it in lightning moments when opening a package or with that glimmer in someone’s eye when you compliment their outfit in passing.

We, as people, crave interaction, and the Prada campaign was a genius way to do so — especially with the pull and prestige of speaking to such an influential figure. While I’ll keep what July and I talked about a special secret, I am excited to see how else this style of interaction can be creatively used in future fashion campaigns. And, with the warning of monitoring and recording any calls does make me think that these conversations or advice given by July may end up in a post-Fashion Week campaign.

I hope, if anything, though, that it teaches us to remain connected in ways beyond our own selves — to remain connected through listening, being the bigger person and apologizing first or feeling brave and fearless enough to conquer that one “what if” in the backs of our minds.

This tech-forward and innovative campaign only further reiterates that older brands like Prada are still one to be considered amongst the fresh, up-and-coming brands. By giving customers a chance to feel connected and important, they’ve claimed a (digital) stake in the world to remind us that they’re not going anywhere — in real life or the world of ones and zeroes.

Hadyn Phillips is a senior writing about fashion in the 21st century, spotlighting new trends and popular controversy in her column, “That’s Fashion, Sweetie,” which runs every Wednesday.