an intresting article from today's WWD :
Gaining More Control:
Accessories Designers Fashion's Rising Powers
Published: Monday, September 24, 2007
By Miles Socha
Long on the fringes of fashion's spotlight, accessories designers are now bagging some of the industry's top jobs and are poised to become major stars in their own right — with paychecks to match.
Frida Giannini, who in 2006 went from being Gucci's handbag designer to its sole creative director, said there's a potent reason: "There is a lot of competition in the accessories sector, which is highly profitable."
A growing number of brands have followed Gucci's path: In July, Mulberry accessories designer Stuart Vevers was named the creative director of Loewe, and in February, shoe designer Brian Atwood took control of all categories at Bally.
Such appointments mark a sea change in the industry, which until recently relied on hot names in fashion to rejuvenate brands of all kinds. For example, Spanish leather goods house Loewe, part of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, first engaged New York's Narciso Rodriguez to rev it up, followed by José Enrique Oña Selfa from Paris.
But Pierre-Yves Roussel, chairman and chief executive officer of the LVMH fashion division, said mounting a hot runway show can be tantamount to "putting a fashion patch on a brand." In his estimation, "You have to have some real credibility in the core business of the brand....We are keeping ready-to-wear, but almost as an accessory."
"We do live in an age where accessories have taken center stage, where the 'It' bag or shoe seems to have become more important than the right dress," agreed Atwood, best known for helping Donatella Versace build her accessories line. His first full women's collection for Bally will be unveiled on Tuesday during Milan Fashion Week.
Designers, headhunters and consultants predicted accessories designers would gain an ever-higher profile in the industry, even if their ranks are few.
"The demand for good accessories designers is at an all-time high," said Robert Burke, a New York-based fashion and luxury consultant. "They are more regarded than ever before, definitely."
"I think it is just common sense. When the roots of a brand are in accessories, it makes more sense to have a creative director who is strong in accessories," added Floriane De Saint Pierre, who runs an executive search and consulting firm in Paris. "If the brand comes from accessories, a talented accessories designer brings an immediate creative vision and an immediate know-how."
Maxine Martens, founder of the New York-based executive search firm Martens & Heads, said accessories have become so important that consumers are now interested in knowing the designers behind their favorite bags and shoes. Consider how niche brands such as Anya Hindmarch, Lulu Guinness and Devi Kroell have developed a wide following, while the likes of Kate Spade have entered the "mainstream consciousness," she added.
Martens noted a creative director coming from leather goods may not understand fabrics, garment construction, blocks, draping, fitting, patternmaking, production and correcting prototypes — not to mention how to put together a collection plan for several categories. "This person really needs good people around him or her who are specialists," she noted.
Salary levels for creative directors are closely guarded, but it's understood that within most large companies, design director posts for accessories designers are now commensurate with their rtw counterparts, who can earn 400,000 euros, or $560,000 at current exchange, or more a year.
Jean-Jacques Picart, a Paris-based industry consultant, said such salary levels are understandable.
"It's more difficult to design beautiful accessories than beautiful dresses," he said. "What's difficult with accessories is that small pieces must express the global identity of the brand. Within a small space, you must express a lot of ideas: glamour, seductiveness and identity."
And designers must also strive for a commercial success, given the cash-cow status of accessories. "It's easier to spend 500 euros [or $705] for a pair of shoes than 1,600 euros [or $2,255] for a skirt," Picart said. "It's why accessories designers became so important today."
Silvia Venturini Fendi, the longtime accessories designer at Fendi who turned her hand to the Roman house's men's wear in 2001, said it's about time handbag specialists get their due.
"Many designers who had never worked on accessories started dedicating themselves to this sector, often without success. I think it's normal that the opposite can happen," she said. "If one has a very strong creative vision, to become involved in clothing is a natural step. I believe that accessories are always gaining more room in the market and that the spotlight is now on both categories."
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Photo: Giovanni Giannoni
A look from accessories guru Silvia Venturini Fendi's last show.
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Photo: Davide Maestri
A Gucci runway look.
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