During the past year, there have been a lot of changes in the design leadership of many luxury brands. Also frequently known as “creative musical chairs”. We saw Virginie leave Chanel, Sarah Burton exit McQueen, Pierpaolo leave Valentino and Heidi Slimane exit Celine. This was to name only a few.
There has been quite some drama in the luxury industry, which has coincided with a lot of change in the world at large.
We can reflect on why this is happening. Certainly, there are many factors that may contribute to these changes. The pandemic and pre-pandemic saw a huge growth in the acquisition of luxury goods, handbags shoes, and clothing. It seemed that everyone was shopping Chanel. Luxury democratisation became a thing. The increase in the popularity of luxury influencers proved very powerful in educating many people about luxury goods, beauty and creativity at best. At worst, the average shopper filled their doubts about themselves by consuming expensive items.
During the post-pandemic cost-of-living surge and interest rate hikes, people have had less disposable income, and the impact is real. The realities of life mean many people are questioning the relevance and importance of owning a lot of luxury products. Plus, we have faced a lot of uncertainty in the world, which inevitably has an impact and people want to hold onto their money.
As we scan through YouTube and other social media sites there is a lot of concern, crisis, and fear drama about what’s happening in the world. We have wars waging across parts of the Middle East, the Russia-Ukraine conflict is rolling onto its third year. Is all of this uncertainty having an impact on fashion? Is it just that people are worried about money and scared to spend, or is it deeper than that?
From a spiritual perspective, we could be said to be facing a time of “awakening”. Certainly, if you look to astrologers or spiritual leaders, the talk of mass awakening is a frequent conversation. To add to that, there is the recent interest and frequency of UFOs.
We are really living in a time of change from a financial perspective due to many uncertainties. These all contribute to why we see so many changes in luxury fashion houses. Certainly, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Kering are all looking to increase their profitability and market share. Yet there is a deeper occurrence the world is facing – a considerable shift in the way we feel about everything.
Questions like:
Do we want to consume as much?
Are we ready to consume something that feeds our soul at a whole new level?
Are we tired of being sold to and want to have agency in what we buy and how we buy it?
Are we looking for deeper meaning in life, rather than filling a void with more consumption?
These are all very relevant questions.
From my own perspective, and I think my view is quite dialled in, I’ve become rather fatigued with the whole luxury goods industry. We see so many complaints about the quality of Chanel bags (not that I have faced those myself) and then buy into and commit to a brand only to find that the designer is moving again. This can be incredibly frustrating. To see powerful brands like Gucci who brought so much glamour, fun and diversity, somewhat lose their way and be unapproachable for many people. It all gets rather tiring.
I love fashion. I am clear about this and why I got into the industry. I believed it was a place of possibility, creativity and beauty. I consider fashion, at Its best, as being like art. Now, as I look forward to the era ahead, the movements of last week have restored some of my faith in the industry (which has been somewhat missing for some time).
Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel appointment brings a whole new potential life into the Brand. I believe his work will bring a new sense of youth, relevance and a breath of fresh air to tailoring, making it very approachable. Well, let’s see. I’ve always loved Alessandro Michele and he at Valentino reviving those beautiful aesthetics of the past is inspiring, stunning and a place to dream. Sarah Burton at Givenchy seems like just a natural place for her to be and I really look forward to seeing her talent expressed through the dark beauty of Givenchy.
One of the brightest lights of the past week was Louise Trotter‘s appointment at Bottega Veneta. Many people probably don’t know who Louise Trotter is. She was formally at Carven and before that Lacoste and Calvin Klein. I had the good fortune of working with Louise when she was head designer at Whistles, a wonderful UK High Street brand. She is a fellow British Northerner, she is down to earth, hugely talented and extremely committed to what women want to wear. I’m super excited about what she brings to Bottega, which is already a very beautiful brand. It seems that whatever it is, she will have women, and what they realistically want to wear, as her focus. We are in an era where femininity, quality, and beauty are coming back to fashion. I truly believe that and I want to enter 2025 with that belief.
Let’s make 2025 a place of creativity, beauty, inspiration, and quality however that may be.
… We still have the magical potential of what Mr. John Galliano will do next. I can’t wait!
As always, have fun, love life, and enjoy fashion.
Kate xx
