Hello Darlings!
Welcome back and welcome to another blog from the Future of Fashion, a place where we can magically impact the future of fashion, beauty and creativity for all living creatures.
This week, we are diving into another Fashion Newsflash! The new Valentino Collection, which made its debut this week.
In this blog, we have discussed the impact of Alessandro Michele and his tenure at Gucci. His career as Gucci’s Creative Director, spanning from January 2015 to November 2022, left a significant mark on the fashion industry. There has been a lot of discussion about whether he should have left Gucci and how the new Gucci era is more like Prada. However, that is a topic for another blog. Earlier this year, in April 2024, he was announced as the new Creative Director for Valentino, a move that has sparked anticipation for the brand's future under his leadership as he replaces the extraordinary Pierpaolo Piccioli.
This week, Michele surprised everyone during Milan’s Men’s Resort 2024 Fashion Week (the same day as the Gucci Show). “Despite not slated to deliver anything until his first runway show at September's Paris Fashion Week, Michele caught everyone off guard (in a good way) with his unexpected resort 2025 collection, which ran to a whopping 171 looks”. The presentation covered looks for both men and women. The noise from social and traditional media was deafening. The main statements being: “It’s just like Gucci” and “Gucci at Valentino”.
My lovely, considered Italian Intern declared how beautiful the collection was and how it had taken the Garavani Designs of the 1970s and brought them up to date. This was the most aware remark I heard of the collection and provided me with the space to look closer. Indeed, the looks were very ‘70s Valentino, executed in Michele’s maximalist aesthetic. Since then, I have seen posts and videos from serious fashion influencers, including @Bryanboy, @ideservecouture and @fashionroadman. All of whom had created content to show how the Michele “New Valentino Collection” is not “Old Gucci”.
There are a few considerations to consider here. Firstly, why is everyone such a fashion expert, and why do they not go deeper into the archive to understand what is really going on? Social media, Tim Tok, YouTube Shorts and Reels have made us so fast to judge what we see in front of us. Indeed, Alessandro Michele's maximalism is right there in this Valentino Collection. That alone would confirm the “Gucci-ness”. However, that is more Michele than Gucci. We could say that Michele brings his aesthetic to the brand, and they use it for excitement and sales. As a decorative, romantic Roman who loves the ‘60s and ‘70s, Michele is probably more suited to Valentino than he was to the Florentine looks of Gucci.
Back to the Fashion commentary… With so many loud opinions on social media, it is hard for any designer. Recently, with the news of Virginie Viard leaving Chanel, there was so much commentary about how bad she is as a designer. I had planned to write a blog about the possible new Chanel designer, but I could not face it after witnessing the harsh criticism. Susie Lau @susiebubble wrote a post about the judgement of Virginie Viard and how tough it is for women designers. Let’s give these talented people some support and enjoy their designs.
The job of a Creative Director is a great one, but it also comes with such pressure to perform. We have seen such a lot of change in the Luxury Fashion Brands. Gucci, Chanel, Valentino, Alexander McQueen, Chloe, and Givenchy all changing their designers. Everything in the world is changing and shifting these days, and fashion is a reflection of this.
Now, let’s look forward to the new era of Alessandro Michele at Valentino. Valentino with Pierpaolo Piccioli was beautiful and inspiring but apparently not commercially successful enough. Valentino had tremendous success in the “Rocketed” era. Since then, there have not really been any ready-to-wear clothing hits or “must-have” accessories. This will certainly change with Michelle at the helm.
The bags are certainly going to be miraculous. Michele is an accessories designer; he will definitely be putting out some iconic bags. We have seen that the first collection has some future icons. I can see myself buying a bag, yet the initial offering shows some incredible coats and ‘60s-style suits.
The collections will have the maximalism of Michele (and “Old Gucci”) with the feminine beauty of Valentino. Remember, Jackie (Kennedy) Onassis was a big Valentino fan. She married Aristotle Onassis in a short Valentino Dress. She was instrumental in securing Valentino’s place as a celebrity designer. I am certainly looking forward to this era of iconic glamour and chicness.
As always, have fun, love life, and enjoy fashion.
Kate xx