Daniel Lee - Designer, Creative Director of Burberry

[Lola701]

My first post here, just a reminder that YSL Beauty does not belong to Kering. When Kering won the bidding war on the stock-market to purchase Gucci Group, they overextended their position, so they immediately sold YSL Beauty to L'Oreal. Now, they are desperate to buy it back from L'Oreal and already made 3 offers.
Plus the archives belong to the Fondation Yves-Saint-Laurent, which Kering does not control, and the Yves Saint-Laurent Haute Couture brand, trademark, company and archives belong to Madison Cox, the heir of Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint-Laurent.
So Kering has no power on YSL Beauty, hence the frustation of Hedi Slimane, Pinault or even Vacarello. The relations between SLP and YSL Beauty are non existent, barely a 30 minutes meeting ever couple of months.
YSL has the potential to be a smaller Chanel, Hedi Slimane saw that, but only if the Beauty, RTW and Haute Couture are reunited under the same corporate umbrella and under the same talented Creative Director (Vacarello is also too limited for the role).

YSL had the potential to be a mini Chanel if it wasn’t for egos tbh.
Karl always wanted access to the whole house but the Weirthemers never wanted to let Jacques Helleu go. He tried many times, sometimes he managed to be involved in sneaky ways. But somehow they have found a way to make it work for the well being of the brand. We even saw how he made things turn into his advantage (Vanessa Paradis or Nicole Kidman).

Pinault sold YSL beauty in 2008 because let’s be honest, they didn’t know how to manage that department. Maybe I’m biais but under the direction of Tom, YSL beauty and maybe as a whole was perfect in terms of creativity and art direction. The fragrances were ambitious, some of them became cult overtime, the campaigns were beautiful but it was a commercial flop. Neither M7 and Nu sold well, the same for Rive Gauche pour Homme and even Cinéma that had a more mainstream appeal with a massive campaign failed.
L’Oreal completely destroyed YSL beauty imo but it has proven to be a financial success.

But let’s not forget that things were different back then. I don’t think Pinault was thinking in a long term or even in terms of coherence for his brands. KERING didn’t exist. It was still PPR and fashion/luxury was only one of their activities that only made like what 3 billions… With Gucci alone making 2 billions and Bottega was already bigger than YSL. The then named Gucci Group was a pain in the foot for KERING for a longtime.

That being said, I agree with @Frederic01.
They needs to do a YSL and continue on the same vain to maybe involve into something more timeless.
I’m not a fan of giving too much power to a creative director for a brand that is not his. Sometimes it’s great but it can also put in jeopardy the coherence of the brand.

I don’t mind the stores designs but things like change of logos, packaging and all are those subtle things that needs to be untouchable. That green of Bottega maybe needs an alternative now…

Lee has really pushed the fashion thing and opened Bottega to new frontiers, particularly in terms of sportswear, but Blazy i think can bring the sense of luxury back.
This is something that is very lacking today in the HF circuit…

 

[rick9plus]

YSL had the potential to be a mini Chanel if it wasn’t for egos tbh.
Karl always wanted access to the whole house but the Weirthemers never wanted to let Jacques Helleu go. He tried many times, sometimes he managed to be involved in sneaky ways. But somehow they have found a way to make it work for the well being of the brand. We even saw how he made things turn into his advantage (Vanessa Paradis or Nicole Kidman).

Pinault sold YSL beauty in 2008 because let’s be honest, they didn’t know how to manage that department. Maybe I’m biais but under the direction of Tom, YSL beauty and maybe as a whole was perfect in terms of creativity and art direction. The fragrances were ambitious, some of them became cult overtime, the campaigns were beautiful but it was a commercial flop. Neither M7 and Nu sold well, the same for Rive Gauche pour Homme and even Cinéma that had a more mainstream appeal with a massive campaign failed.
L’Oreal completely destroyed YSL beauty imo but it has proven to be a financial success.

But let’s not forget that things were different back then. I don’t think Pinault was thinking in a long term or even in terms of coherence for his brands. KERING didn’t exist. It was still PPR and fashion/luxury was only one of their activities that only made like what 3 billions… With Gucci alone making 2 billions and Bottega was already bigger than YSL. The then named Gucci Group was a pain in the foot for KERING for a longtime.

That being said, I agree with @Frederic01.
They needs to do a YSL and continue on the same vain to maybe involve into something more timeless.
I’m not a fan of giving too much power to a creative director for a brand that is not his. Sometimes it’s great but it can also put in jeopardy the coherence of the brand.

I don’t mind the stores designs but things like change of logos, packaging and all are those subtle things that needs to be untouchable. That green of Bottega maybe needs an alternative now…

Lee has really pushed the fashion thing and opened Bottega to new frontiers, particularly in terms of sportswear, but Blazy i think can bring the sense of luxury back.
This is something that is very lacking today in the HF circuit…

BLAZY resigned from his position after the Detroit show...

 

[lelaid]

apparently there was some sort of #metoo situation

BLAZY resigned from his position after the Detroit show...

God, something really must have happened in Detroit. Keep reading it all fell apart as a result of/directly after that show.

 

[susseinmcswanny]

YSL had the potential to be a mini Chanel if it wasn’t for egos tbh.

Sorry to be off topic but I never thought about that and it makes so much sense. SLP is doing pretty good now but I mean... its Yves Saint Laurent!! So culturally rich. If any fashion empire makes sense it would be this one. If they didn't flop with that I would argue it'd be a rival, not just a mini Chanel.

Anyways more Bottega T pls

 

[Kimihiro]

Sorry to be off topic but I never thought about that and it makes so much sense. SLP is doing pretty good now but I mean... its Yves Saint Laurent!! So culturally rich. If any fashion empire makes sense it would be this one. If they didn't flop with that I would argue it'd be a rival, not just a mini Chanel.

Anyways more Bottega T pls

As been said, I really think they need to get beauty back and couture. The countless references they could build on with a couture outfit. Many which aren’t really referenced since Hedi came on board. Since Kering allowed Balenciaga Couture maybe they could do the same with Yves Saint Laurent Couture. Hedi actually intended it to be that. There were even editorials with “YVES SAINT LAURENT COUTURE BY HEDI SLIMANE” credits.

YSL beauty too is such an airport special now it needs sprucing up. What’s weird is that lately I’ve seen some private line perfume listed on YSL (clothing) website.

Anyways yes, someone spill more tea on Bottega. It seems like **** really went down in Detroit that even Blazy had to leave.

 

[Lola701]

Sorry to be off topic but I never thought about that and it makes so much sense. SLP is doing pretty good now but I mean... its Yves Saint Laurent!! So culturally rich. If any fashion empire makes sense it would be this one. If they didn't flop with that I would argue it'd be a rival, not just a mini Chanel.

Anyways more Bottega T pls

Chanel historic competitor has always been Dior because they have always had the same structures and they have always seen each other as competitors.

YSL was managed with less care I would say pre-Kering. They had so many pointless licences…

I’m not convinced by the return to Couture today for those Kering houses. I think that we need designers that offers something more than archives. Don’t get me wrong, the Balenciaga Couture by Demna was interesting but not forward looking enough.

There’s this new interest in Couture because it makes money now. People are more and more rich and there’s this desire for individuality from those new fortunes. We already see that in RTW where there à pieces made to order only or produced in very limited editions.

For me to do Couture, you needs to believe in the values of Couture, to treat it as an institution. I think the Raf at Dior documentary showed very well all the emotional and physical involvement that needs for the designer, the atelier and the whole operation.

Is Couture at Balenciaga, YSL, Alexander McQueen can be treated as an institution today? I don’t think so.
They better stay at doing what they do tbh…

 

[Frederic01]

BLAZY resigned from his position after the Detroit show...

Really? Effective when? He hasn’t changed his bio on Instagram to reflect that? Strange, no?


Matthieu Blazy Instagram

 

[RedSmokeRise]

Well … it’s Blazy at the helm after all

 

[dior_couture1245]

Blasé.

 

[velvetandsilk]

The system magazine is delighted.
The aesthetics which he created was a very limited.

For me to do Couture, you needs to believe in the values of Couture, to treat it as an institution. I think the Raf at Dior documentary showed very well all the emotional and physical involvement that needs for the designer, the atelier and the whole operation.

Is Couture at Balenciaga, YSL, Alexander McQueen can be treated as an institution today? I don’t think so.
They better stay at doing what they do tbh…

In my life i saw some incredibly beautiful clothes when you can commune with this kind of clothes you feel that is not ordinary clothes, it somethings more and ooze pure tailoring perfection. The majority contemporary designer haven't knowledge to create HC.

The last Balenciaga Couture collection was nice PR event. The half of collection was copy archive the rest mockery of naive and uneducated customer because all this clothes are available on market and producted by companies with skills and price is pertinent to quality.

 

[chanelh]

not sure if anyone posted this yet......

 

[Frederic01]

not sure if anyone posted this yet......

View attachment 1191503

It astonishes me the depths that some people will sink to in order to grow their social media following. That allegation is utterly deplorable and the person that suggested it should either give concrete evidence or retract their allegation immediately out of common decency for their fellow human being.

Do you really think that Daniel Lee of all people, the man who just staged an entire show in Detroit in tribute to Motown, would utter those words? Seriously? Look at the people he has supported throughout his tenure, look at the campaigns, at the casting in the shows, at the guests he invites to the shows, and the friends of the house. Do you honestly believe that anybody would continue to work alongside him if he harboured even the slightest hints of being so offensive/xenophobic/whatever you want to call it?

The inconsistencies in the seemingly endless theories as to why Lee left Bottega Veneta only further illustrate how little truth there is to any of it. Unless the reasoning comes out of his own mouth, I wouldn't believe any of it. The fashion community thrives off of gossip and slander and this is exactly that.

 

[Mathewthew]

Well … it’s Blazy at the helm after all

Haha, It's funny someone said he's resigned

 

[susseinmcswanny]

Someone on twitter said Bottega was trying to get ahead of a "scandal" that would potentially leak to the press so they fired him. I don't know if that means this incident happened a long time ago and someone is trying to come out with it now and say the company has been continually allowing his sh*t behavior? Which kind of contradicts being him being "promptly fired" by Pinault. Which is also interesting because then that Louis Pisano tweet protects Kering over Daniel Lee if there was indeed stuff going on that they've been trying to bury

 

[Hchloe]

I believe it. It’s Louis pisano, not some random person. Of course he has legit sources.

Also this…

 

[upNorth]

I wouldn’t be surprised at all if this was true. The show in Detroit and Motown theme could be pure projection of guilt, kind of “making up for it”.

 

[rebel]

Twitter/Kering

 

[Marc10]

No idea who this Louis Pisano is, sounds like a Pamboy type of "fashion insider". That's ridiculously serious accusation to drop on someone based on rumors, but sadly it's common on social media.

If there's any truth to it tho, it will likely come out at some point, preferably from reliable reporting.

 

[LostInNJ]

It astonishes me the depths that some people will sink to in order to grow their social media following. That allegation is utterly deplorable and the person that suggested it should either give concrete evidence or retract their allegation immediately out of common decency for their fellow human being.

Do you really think that Daniel Lee of all people, the man who just staged an entire show in Detroit in tribute to Motown, would utter those words? Seriously? Look at the people he has supported throughout his tenure, look at the campaigns, at the casting in the shows, at the guests he invites to the shows, and the friends of the house. Do you honestly believe that anybody would continue to work alongside him if he harboured even the slightest hints of being so offensive/xenophobic/whatever you want to call it?

The inconsistencies in the seemingly endless theories as to why Lee left Bottega Veneta only further illustrate how little truth there is to any of it. Unless the reasoning comes out of his own mouth, I wouldn't believe any of it. The fashion community thrives off of gossip and slander and this is exactly that.

While I agree, that this industry thrives on gossip, I will also add that you seem to have a soft spot for this guy. Even when the news first broke, you refused to believe anything about his alleged behavior. From all the things I've read, and heard (from people within the company as well), his behavior and attitude wasn't so great.

As I always say, where there's smoke there's fire.

And with that, Kering could still be trying to cover their tracks. Especially if, as someone else mentioned, this occurred a long time ago, and they tried to cover it up.

 

[Salvatore]

No idea who that Louis guy is, but it sounds like he breeds off of gossip and mess. Judging by his Twitter, I cannot believe half of what he says. I am not even a Daniel Lee fan or follower.

Gosh, whatever the case/truth is, this industry can be so trash for one that claims to be about beauty and luxury.