Let’s be honest. Most fashion films feel like a commercial someone forgot to end. Pretty, yes. Memorable? Not really. But Runway Wish, the animated short from RUNWAY MAGAZINE and Runway Studio Web3, doesn’t just stick with you — it low-key follows you around.
Maybe because it’s not trying to be a campaign.
Maybe because it features an ice-cold diva cat in black gloves descending a snow-covered staircase with Runway Magazine tucked under her arm like it’s state property.
Or maybe because, for once, the story isn’t about selling fashion — it’s about reading it.
These Animals Are Way Too Stylish to Be Fictional
Let’s start with the cast. We’ve got foxes in berets reading Runway in front of the Eiffel Tower like it’s the gospel according to Givenchy. A girl gang of bunnies and bears pulling luggage through Grand Central, flipping through the latest issue like they’re prepping for a front row they actually earned. And then there’s her — the jet-set snow queen, feline edition, fresh off the plane with three snow leopards as her entourage. (Is it security? A glam squad? Her cousins? Unclear.)
But it works. Because these aren’t just animated animals.
They’re… us. Or who we think we are when we put on a good coat, open our favorite magazine, and pretend to read while secretly watching people walk by.
Runway Magazine That Opens Like a Portal
There’s this moment — blink and you’ll miss it — when a page opens and it doesn’t just flip. It transforms. You go from a cover to a rooftop, from layout to skyline. No narration. No pop-ups saying “Welcome to Web3!” (thank God). Just space opening up behind the page — like the magazine is less something you read and more something you walk through.
That’s the quiet genius here. Runway Wish doesn’t waste time explaining what Web3 is, or how immersive storytelling works. It just does it. You’re in Paris. Then you’re on a train. Then you’re suddenly inside a digital showroom, and then it’s back to real snow, real steps, real cities.
And you’re still holding that magazine.
Let’s Talk About Her
We need to circle back to the cat. Not the bakery one — we’ll get to her — but the main event.
White fur. Black dress. Sunglasses. Snow. She doesn’t speak. She doesn’t need to. She just walks off a plane like she owns both the airline and the climate.
In one paw: a perfect stack of Runway Magazine.
Behind her: her crew. Ahead of her: wherever she wants.
She doesn’t post. She publishes.
And Then There’s the Other Cat…
She’s sitting in a Parisian café window, tiara on, pearls in place, latte in paw. She’s either just come from a breakfast at Tiffany’s or is about to host her own. Behind her? Chandelier. Outside? Paris in the snow. On the table? Runway Magazine, obviously.
She’s not trying to be anything. She already is.
And honestly, if you’ve ever walked into a café in the Marais during fashion week, you’ve seen her. You’ve maybe even been her (minus the tail, hopefully).
It’s Giving… Reader Energy
The smartest twist in Runway Wish is that none of these characters are designers or influencers. They’re readers. Fans. Observers. They don’t model fashion. They live it.
And that makes the message clear without ever spelling it out:
Fashion isn’t just for the runway. It’s in how we move through the world.
Whether that’s in sneakers and a hoodie dragging a suitcase, or in full glam holding a croissant and a collectible print issue like it’s gold.
Soundtrack That Doesn’t Scream — It Sings
The music, written by Eleonora de Gray and sung by Ryan Whyte Maloney, doesn’t blast emotion at you. It holds it gently — like a background thought you can’t shake.
The lyrics talk about distance, connection, rhythm — and they land because they don’t force themselves. They let you feel what you’re already feeling.
Think less “let’s manipulate your heart,” and more “you’ve been here before.”
Final Verdict? Runway Is Still the Moment
We’ve seen fashion media chase every trend under the digital sun — AR filters, AI voiceovers, click-to-shop chaos — and most of it feels like panic disguised as innovation.
Runway Wish isn’t panicking.
It’s walking — very stylishly — into the future, knowing exactly where it came from.
Print. Digital. Web3. Rooftops. Cafés. Airports. Snowstorms. All of it: Runway.
And the message isn’t “look at us.” It’s “you’re already part of this.”
So if you see a fox in a scarf reading RUNWAY by the Seine… don’t question it. Just nod. They’re probably ahead of you in the story.
Credits
Producer: RUNWAY MAGAZINE
Design, Concept, Animation: Runway Studio Web3
Lyrics: Eleonora de Gray
Music / Vocals: Ryan Whyte Maloney