Alexander Wang leaving Balenciaga

[StoneSkipper]

Another person that I'd like to see in the helms is Cédric Charlier. He has that great balance between sportswear and craftmanship, besides his experience with luxury brands. I think they could make a successful partnership.

 

[xPedro]

Guys, I don't know if this was already discussed here in the threads but this week here in Brazil there has been a whole speculation about Pedro Lourenço being appointed as the designer for Balenciaga. What do you guys think? I personally think it's an amazing idea, Pedro is young but he has his brand since he was 15 years old, and I also think his style is very similar to Ghesquiére's.

 

[ManuLuize]

Guys, I don't know if this was already discussed here in the threads but this week here in Brazil there has been a whole speculation about Pedro Lourenço being appointed as the designer for Balenciaga. What do you guys think? I personally think it's an amazing idea, Pedro is young but he has his brand since he was 15 years old, and I also think his style is very similar to Ghesquiére's.

I love this new rumor! I don't know about the possibilities, but I would love to see what he could do at Balenciaga.

 

[moss trey]

Guys, I don't know if this was already discussed here in the threads but this week here in Brazil there has been a whole speculation about Pedro Lourenço being appointed as the designer for Balenciaga. What do you guys think? I personally think it's an amazing idea, Pedro is young but he has his brand since he was 15 years old, and I also think his style is very similar to Ghesquiére's.

Yes! This is a rumor I can get behind for sure. I think this is a role that he could grow into beautifully.

 

[Littleathquakes]

Guys, I don't know if this was already discussed here in the threads but this week here in Brazil there has been a whole speculation about Pedro Lourenço being appointed as the designer for Balenciaga. What do you guys think? I personally think it's an amazing idea, Pedro is young but he has his brand since he was 15 years old, and I also think his style is very similar to Ghesquiére's.

That's a problem for me. I don't know his work but a quick glance at his last 2 collections on style.com shows similarities between him and Ghesquiere's most recent work for the house, which I thought were very ugly collections.

 

[jmrmartinho]

Guys, I don't know if this was already discussed here in the threads but this week here in Brazil there has been a whole speculation about Pedro Lourenço being appointed as the designer for Balenciaga. What do you guys think? I personally think it's an amazing idea, Pedro is young but he has his brand since he was 15 years old, and I also think his style is very similar to Ghesquiére's.

Well, all that Pedro has done in his career was copying Ghesquiére so no thank you.

 

[tatouejeremie]

that pedro fella has never had an original idea, it'd be ridiculous if he got the job

someone like rick owens would be quite exciting i think, but i doubt he'd go for it though

 

[xPedro]

Well, all that Pedro has done in his career was copying Ghesquiére so no thank you.

I don't think Pedro copies Ghesquiere at all, if you look at his parents work you'll see that he stays true to his family style of designing clothes, and his parents have been doing fashion way longer than Nicholas.

 

[Scott]

oh dear that tired rhetoric that everything lies at the feet of almighty nicholas,again.

you guys do realize,that there was an actual existence at this house before nicholas arrived....that the legend that is cristobal paved a long road for many talents to be influenced by? not to mention,has an extensive archive that nicholas himself has conveniently borrowed from? to make it seem like everything he's done as inherently original is a truly naive to buy into. and also he did gain a reputation when the direction of the house changed(especially post Gucci Group and ultimately PPR)for borrowing or referencing other professionals himself in this industry. so to accuse one of copying him is an unfair statement to make.

 

[eugenius]

I think Balenciaga can do with or without an in-house designer. If they choose an in-house designer that's been working w/ Ghesquiere for years, they run the risk of a designer who'll most likely come up with clothes that have a Ghesquiere slant to it (see: Sarah/McQueen and/or Olivier/whatsisface from Balmain). But, if they choose somebody with no previous association w/ Balenciaga, then that somebody can easily say "Well, I'm more interested in Cristobals work and not Nicholas, so I'll go from there instead" (see: Raf/Dior).

Not like I care that much, but please, anybody but the accessory designers.

 

[Mutterlein]

oh dear that tired rhetoric that everything lies at the feet of almighty nicholas,again.

you guys do realize,that there was an actual existence at this house before nicholas arrived....that the legend that is cristobal paved a long road for many talents to be influenced by? not to mention,has an extensive archive that nicholas himself has conveniently borrowed from? to make it seem like everything he's done as inherently original is a truly naive to buy into. and also he did gain a reputation when the direction of the house changed(especially post Gucci Group and ultimately PPR)for borrowing or referencing other professionals himself in this industry. so to accuse one of copying him is an unfair statement to make.

Completely disagree,

Yes, Balenciaga himself was hugely influential, but that has little to do with all the derivative designers who reference Nicholas' designs now.

The difference between Nicholas and all those derivative designers is that when Nicholas references he is open about it, he pushes the original idea and updates it in a contemporary context. He's looking at forgotten designers whose ideas haven't been in play in fashion for decades. There's as much skill and insight in what he references as there is in what he totally designs.

These copycat kids have no skill. They have no insight. They are only reproducing hackneyed versions of Nicholas's designs that are at most a few seasons old.

No, Nicholas is not infallible, but his originality and influence is undeniable. To give credibility to these impostors, to actually bring them into the discussion about succeeding Nicholas at Balenciaga, is really just embarrassing.

 

[StoneSkipper]

^You make it sound like they're doing some kind of heinous, unforgivable crime. It seemsa as you're saying that anything that Nicholas created is only his and cannot be even source of inspiration for anyone. Why should that happen?

 

[arlekindearrabal]

I wholeheartedly agree with Mutterlein, and disagree completely about Pedro Lourenço being a copycatter of Ghesquière's work. There might be similarities, but the end result is obviously different.

I think he's actually a sensible option to fill the head post at Balenciaga, though I'm not sure Isabelle Guichot and the suits there are necessarily looking for the next directional designer. It seems obvious they're looking for a watered-down, wholly commercial proposition.

 

[Mutterlein]

^You make it sound like they're doing some kind of heinous, unforgivable crime. It seemsa as you're saying that anything that Nicholas created is only his and cannot be even source of inspiration for anyone. Why should that happen?

Didn't say that shouldn't happen. I just don't think those designers should be considered to replace a designer who they owe so much to creatively. It's not healthy for a house that wants to be a benchmark to have their head designer work off the collections of the last.

 

[Mutterlein]

I wholeheartedly agree with Mutterlein, and disagree completely about Pedro Lourenço being a copycatter of Ghesquière's work. There might be similarities, but the end result is obviously different.

I think he's actually a sensible option to fill the head post at Balenciaga, though I'm not sure Isabelle Guichot and the suits there are necessarily looking for the next directional designer. It seems obvious they're looking for a watered-down, wholly commercial proposition.

Very unlikely, the suits know very well the commercial power of a strong and relevant vision: just look at Celine.

As far as Pedro goes, his first two collections had the mark of a true master, but its gone down since then. I do feel he relies too much on Nicholas' ideas, to a fault.

 

[rip_ian curtis]

Why on earth would they even consider hiring someone with an aesthetic similar to Nicholas? They need someone completely different, but someone who can reinterpret the house heritage in as equally modern way as Nicholas did. At Dior, did they look for someone who fits what Galliano did for the house? No, that's why Raf is there to turn a new page.

 

[arlekindearrabal]

Very unlikely, the suits know very well the commercial power of a strong and relevant vision: just look at Celine.

As far as Pedro goes, his first two collections had the mark of a true master, but its gone down since then. I do feel he relies too much on Nicholas' ideas, to a fault.

Then why bother ousting/letting Ghesquière walk? (Assuming it wasn't a solely personal desition on his part.)

I doubt they'll get another strong personality to run the brand. The scenario I'm thinking will most likely play out is that it'll be an internal promotion. Something along the lines of what happened at Alexander McQueen.

As for Lourenço, he is still very young and Nicolas' influence is hard to escape nowadays. I think it very largely depends on copycatting versus being 'inspired by'. There may be some similarities, but as xPedro said (the member that brought up Pedro as a possible contender), his work reminds me more of his own parents' work back in Brazil than of Ghesquière's oeuvre.

 

[shanhuq]

Alexander Wang Appears as Leading Candidate for Balenciaga
By CATHY HORYN
In the continuing Balenciaga drama, Alexander Wang appears to be the leading candidate to succeed the star designer Nicolas Ghesquiere, and an announcement of his appointment could be made as early as next week, a Paris source with knowledge of the discussions said on Wednesday night.

There has been growing speculation that Mr. Wang, a popular New York designer, would be chosen for Balenciaga, which is owned by PPR. Calls to Mr. Wang and his spokeswoman were not returned on Wednesday night.

Mr. Ghesquiere said two weeks ago that he would leave Balenciaga after 15 years. He thoroughly modernized the house and became one of the most influential designers in Paris, but indicated that, at age 40, he was eager for new challenges.

If Mr. Wang is the choice for Balenciaga, he will bring a different perspective, certainly a strong urban sensibility. Although he likes to experiment on his New York runway, he is perhaps best known for his easy interpretations of street and athletic clothes, like sports jerseys, parkas and, of course, jeans and T-shirts. He sells his line in contemporary sections of stores like Bergdorf Goodman and Barneys, as well as in his own boutique in SoHo. He also has manufacturing connections in China.

The choice of a designer like Mr. Wang, who has built a youthful following in New York and elsewhere, certainly suggests a different direction for Balenciaga. And for Mr. Wang, a move to Paris would allow him to expand his career.

runway.blogs.nytimes

 

[Dutchhie]

^ I hope not...

 

[LagerfeldBoy]

Uh oh.... this isn't good :/