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 looking at why there are so many creative directors in flux in luxury fashion brands. We have seen so many changes in these highly influential positions recently. It seemed to start when this blog’s favourite, Alessandro Michelle, left Gucci. Since then, Gabriella Hearst has left Chloe; this was a big disappointment for me. I really thought Hearst at Chloe could create a truly sustainable luxury brand, as Stella McCartney is. Yet, it is clear to see that if the commitment is not coming from the top, it isn’t going to happen.
As we know, Hearst has been replaced by Chemena Kamali. This appointment brings back the bohemian-spirited glamour so famously created by Phoebe Philo at the Brand. The debut collection of Kamali had a front row filled with all the Chloe girls, including the most famous one - Sienna Miller. Chemena Kamali is a German designer and a Central Saint Martin graduate. She has had a 10-year History at Chloe, and this is really her world. I’m sure LVMH is delighted to launch a collection of some of the most successful bags and ready-to-wear from that era. I certainly had several ready-to-wear items and a few gorgeous bags and shoes from the Philo era. To bring that excitement to a brand is truly exciting and inspiring.
What other movements have we seen?
Sarah Burton left Alexander McQueen, where she had been creative director since the death of McQueen. The Brand has now lost the “Alexander” and is known as “McQueen” only. Burton was replaced by Sean McGirr, who graduated with an MA in Fashion in 2014. His collection was not greeted with the resounding success as expected, so let’s see what happens with that brand.
To circle back to Gucci, we have talked about Sabato DiSarno and how he brought the era of minimalism back to Gucci—something we could relate to from the Tom Ford era. Yet many people have said he has made Gucci look like Prada. The sales are dropping, and we keep hearing how badly Kering and Gucci are doing. As we move through this text, we will look at what we expect and the pressures on newly appointed creative directors.
There’s been lots of excitement around the future appointment of the creative director at Chanel after Virginie Viard announced her departure in June. There were a lot of rumours and quite unpleasant commentary on how ugly her clothing was. Nevertheless, sales grew during her tenure. She was able to pick up and continue after Karl’s Death. As Susie Lau so clearly addressed: “It’s hard enough for women in this industry, and unless you’ve been there, I don’t think any of us should be commenting so negatively.”
This Chanel position remains open. There’s been so much excitement and talk about everyone from Hedi Slimane, John Galliano, Simon Jacquemus, and Jeremy Scott, the trailblazing American currently at Moschino. Only time will tell who the replacement is, but I’m certain the LVMH HR is under a lot of pressure not to lose some of their most successful creative directors to this role. It will be very interesting to see who takes on this role and, most importantly, if Chanel is ready for a new era of style and image.
John Galliano had set the rumour mill going when he deleted the content of his Instagram shortly after Viard’s departure. He has found an extraordinary home at Maison Margiela, somewhere where he can be himself and express what he wants to express in the world. There’s been a lot of talk of him returning to Dior or even going to Chanel. If I could speak to him, I would encourage him to be somewhere where he is truly loved and appreciated and given an opportunity to flourish in a healthy way.
Dior is experiencing great success with Maria Grazie Chiuri in womenswear and Kim Jones in menswear. It seems unlikely that she will move anywhere or be replaced by Galiano, but let’s see. For Louis Vuitton, again, those positions seem pretty stable. Nicholas Ghesquiere has just signed a five-year contract, and Pharrell Williams is another newbie for menswear; let’s see how that progresses. I do think it brings a certain celebrityism and a very relaxed vibe which could so easily have been lost after the premature death of Virgil Abloom.
Then, most recently, Tom Ford designer Peter Hawkings stepped down from his role as creative director. This came as a complete shock, as it was such a natural position for him, having worked next to Tom Ford for many years and building the brand with him. Givenchy still needs a creative director. Hedi Slimane may not stay at Celine. A lot is going on at Burberry, and whatever strategy Daniel Lee had in place, it doesn’t seem to be working. Let’s see what happens there. What’s next? Gucci is still unclear, and we don’t know where Pier Paolo Piccioli is going, nor Sarah Burton for that matter, although there are rumours that she is going to Givenchy.
Enough talking about all the moving parts; let’s explore what could potentially be happening. Firstly, the luxury industry is facing a downturn. Kering’s slump due to Gucci, seems to have continued. LVMH is showing falling demand. There are endless stories on YouTube, Instagram and other channels, talking about bad quality, sweatshops, unethical practices, and the end of luxury. This certainly isn’t the end of luxury; it’s not going to happen. But clearly, there seems to be some change in the mood. Everything that goes up must come down, and the demand for luxury goods cannot keep rising forever.
Brands must keep finding new ways to attract customers and grow their market share and desirability. After all, this is a business; it’s not only about who is the most creative or has the best products. It is a commercial business, which may be why all these creative changes are at play. Getting a new designer is always exciting and has, at times, been the absolute genius stroke of reviving and transforming a brand. Perfect examples are Tom Ford at Gucci and Alessandro Michele also at Gucci. These are very different times to when Ford arrived at Gucci. Then, there wasn’t anything much to buy. He created a whole world, a new realm of product lines and desirable products. He created items we didn’t know we needed, and we bought them. Equally, when Michele took over from Freda Giannini, he created a vibe that was so of the zeitgeist. We wanted that androgynous, glorious maximalism again. We all wanted those items we didn’t even know we wanted, and we bought and wore them.
The world is different now. Everything is available all the time, all at once. Nothing is that new; the trends move really fast. Everybody is a bit tired of the transience of things, and there are always so many challenges like wars and real-world challenges to deal with. The cost of luxury goods has increased so much, and it could be said to be something of a fatigue. The Sabato DiSarno products are beautiful. They’re not as easy to buy and consume as were his predecessors, Ford and Michelle.
There haven’t been any dramatic successes at any brand recently. The new appointments have lacked lustre, maybe not through their creativity but certainly through their business results. One of the most exciting appointments, Kamali at Chloe, isn’t new but a return to the past when the business at Chloe was booming. The focus on the luxury goods industry has also brought with it a lot of focus on what is happening; nothing is hidden, or at least not for long, hence the deal with the sweatshop scandal.
In summary, a creative director’s appointment at a brand comes with tremendous pressure on them. The world has changed, and the luxury fashion world with it. There are so many things out there; we have so many choices. Prices are increasing, but quality isn’t. As consumers, we are not unquestioningly seduced by the marketing of brands. We always want to look behind that beautiful hand-embroidered curtain, explore the supply chains and understand what’s really going on (including sweatshop scandals). There’s a greater understanding of mental health and personal well-being. This amount of pressure on creatives is extraordinary. A new creative head for a brand is not a quick fix anymore. Once again, we all desire authenticity, to be respected, and to have beautiful, well-made clothes that address our concerns. Making easy money isn’t easy nowadays; with the wealth gap widened, luxury now is less aspirational and can be seen as bad taste. Let’s look forward to a new era of creativity and beauty for all of us.
Whatever it is, remember: As always, have fun, love life, and enjoy fashion.
Kate xx
