The era of stars is over.. and the designer has lost the aura that surrounded him
In the world of fashion designers, keeping a low profile is fashion
Rapper Kanye West displayed his fashion in the mud, a few weeks before Balenciaga cut all ties with him.
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Fashion houses are now looking for “consensual artistic directors” who do not stir up division.
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Karl Lagerfeld bid farewell to the fashion world with the Chanel Winter 2019 collection. Archives
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The era of superstar fashion designers such as John Galliano and Karl Lagerfeld is over, and if the giant luxury fashion houses still include distinguished personalities in their ranks, seeking to reposition themselves in the market, then keeping a low profile and working silently is the fashion.
The studios are now designing Louis Vuitton men's collections, a year after the death of American designer Virgil Abloh, who breathed the winds of street fashion, rap and NBA culture into the prestigious French house of the LVMH group.
Brand identity
It will remain the same until further notice at Gucci, a subsidiary of the rival Kering group, after Alessandro Michele left his post at the end of November.
In seven years, the designer rose to the top of the Italian house in the sector, but he stepped down due to what he described as "two different points of view", after he failed to revive the house's sales, which fell compared to "Vuitton" and "Hermes".
And if the reason for the absence of the "Vuitton" designer was different from the reason for the departure of his counterpart in "Gucci", then what followed revealed a phenomenon represented in the fact that the fashion sector is currently witnessing a "golden age to keep a low profile", as Arnaud Kadar, a portfolio manager at a company, noted. Asset Management «Flormoa Ferry».
And the author of the book "Luxe et digital" (Luxe et digital), Eric Brion, saw that the designer had lost the aura that surrounded him, considering that the most expressive example of this is the "Vuitton" house, which "works very well", without an artistic director. .
Julie Al-Ghawzi of Caltz, a consulting firm, said, "The brand's identity is no longer represented by the designer. Rather, designers have become interpreters of the brand's identity."
Arnaud Kadar stressed that "the fashion houses that have achieved the best results in recent years are those in which the artistic director is far from the limelight," such as "Hermes", "Chanel", "Dior" and "Vuitton".
And in “Chanel”, it is “impossible” to find an alternative to Karl Lagerfeld, who died in 2019, who enjoys the same global stardom.
Eric Brion referred to "the designer who was his right hand, in charge of ensuring the continuity of the work, was not at the forefront."
Ordinary women's bags
On the other hand, the artistic director of the "Balenciaga" house (the "Kering Group"), the Georgian Demna, who was ranked by "Time" magazine among the 100 most influential people in the world, came under fire after an advertising campaign for the group, which included pictures of children that were considered offensive.
The reactions were not consistent regarding the penultimate fashion show of one of Dimna's collections in March, as the designer wanted it to be a tribute to Ukraine, so he made it centered around "refugees".
While some applauded the emotional message, others were offended by the way "garbage bags" were displayed, and then each of them was sold for more than 1,500 euros.
And in October, rapper Kanye West opened his fashion show in the mud, a few weeks before Balenciaga cut all ties with him, after his remarks were described as anti-Semitic.
Arnaud Kadar noted that this "causes a negative stir".
"It's hard to imagine that this doesn't break the momentum of the brand, which has been going so strong," he added.
The case of John Galliano, who was fired by Dior in 2011 after a video clip in which he released anti-Semitic slurs while under the influence of drugs, marked the beginning of the end for the star designers.
Benjamin Seminoir, a professor at the French Institute of Fashion, said that fashion houses are now looking for "consensual artistic directors" who do not stir up division.
"This carries another risk, which is that people get bored," he added.
Fashion is supposed to be fun and raise questions.”
The formula is delicate, as the case of Alessandro Michele shows.
However, the enthusiasm for his unconventional and baroque performances, or for his designs, did not convince the financial circles, who expressed relief at his departure.
Arnaud Kadar said, "The markets want (Gucci) to sell black handbags to the whole world, not those floral ones covered with ornaments, so that ordinary women would not dare to wear them in the city."
As for Benjamin Seminoir, he believed that contenting himself with designs that are not associated with the fashion of a particular time harms “Gucci”, as the house is based on violating what is traditional.
"There is a need for a form of baroque seduction, a little bit of madness," he said.
“Chanel” was unable to find a star-studded and “global” alternative to Karl Lagerfeld, who died in 2019.
"The identity of the brand is no longer represented by the designer. Rather, designers have become interpreters of the brand's identity."
"The fashion houses that have achieved the best results in recent years are the ones in which the artistic director is out of the limelight."
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