I think he could do just fine at a house like Balenciaga as long as he can add some polish to his work. For me, his designs have always had this somewhat gritty, dirty feel to them and under Nicolas the designs at the house were always so razor sharp and clean. With the right ideas and with the help of the atelier I think he's going to do pretty good
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"For something to be beautiful it doesn't have to be pretty." - Rei Kawakubo
I can appreciate that people will miss Nicolas (I will too, as he was an unbridled genius when it came to designing), but Christopher does something that PPR were finding Nicolas often struggled with when it came to creating collections - the commercial aspect of the clothing.
Christopher is a little bit more dark with his humour and his design aesthetic a lot of the time, but what he's also capable of is creating a collection that has show pieces AND commercial viability, which, let's face it, is what every designer wants.
Obviously, Nicolas sold fairly well, or else PPR would have ousted him earlier rather than later. But I feel like Kane will bring a new sense of direction that is both artistic and creative, but also commercia,l and most importantly, wearable. Sure, his main line stuff is a little kooky at times (see: the metallic pool shoes from SS12, the floor length red printed puffer coats from aw12, and the rubber bow skirts from SS13), but then again, so was Nicolas' a lot of the time.
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I may not be perfect, but neither was Tom Ford SS12. And that's good enough for me.
While I appreciate Kane's spirited collections, I find he lacks the conceptual and technical breadth to pull off designing for such a label like Balenciaga. His own collections are rarely ever more than sketches (and often the clothes on the rack read more like rushed together theater costumes than they do like actual clothes) and his work for Versus is atrocious bordering on inane.
His appointment to Balenciaga would only result in a few clumsy, poorly received collections that would sink him down and his own brand along with it. If I were him, I'd stay away from any chances to screw up on such a massive and widely watched stage.
^ a magazine posted the info aswell, it's so weird. But then again not long ago there were a few 'reliable' sources putting any kind of names for certain at Dior, so who knows.
Christopher Kane wouldn't be the best option anyway, so I'm not sure why he was even considered in the first place. He uses similar techniques and likes to combine fabrics, but his creative vision has always inclined towards cool, quirky trendsetter rather than edgy and chic. I dunno, he's much more suited at Versus.
Balenciaga needs someone who understands silhouette and has proper cutting skills (think Jil Sander, Alaïa...) Who can we suggest from the younger generation?
Kane is too much of a stylist for the job, even though I understand he appeals to the same clientele Nicholas did.