Demna Gvasalia - Designer, Creative Director of Gucci

[reese06]

Interesting promotion for Demna. I’ve always enjoyed his work at Balenciaga—he’s consistently delivered desirable products, which is why he’s been so successful. He’s capable of much more than just streetwear, but the question is whether he’ll explore that at Gucci. I don’t think he’ll bring exactly what he did at Balenciaga to Gucci, since Balenciaga has always been about silhouette, and he’s remained true to that even in his streetwear. I think he’ll explore Gucci’s history in a unique way.

He’s definitely a wild card choice, but far from the worst. He knows how to create moments, produce great products that sell, and if you look at his early collections, he can do sexy and edgy very well, it’ll be interesting to see where he takes it.

Also, I can’t take this place seriously when people act like Haider—who couldn’t sustain his own brand or have a successful tenure at a major house—is the ideal choice for another big brand like Tom Ford. Meanwhile, Demna, who has a proven track record, has created commercial and cultural success, and even withstood scandal and turned it around, gets the opposite reaction. It’s a double standard.

 

[GIVENCHYlover]

Even though his work for Balenciaga was a commercial success, few designers have had a "wow" moment at the next brand they worked for.

A few examples:
- Nicolas Ghesquière
- Riccardo Tisci
- Daniel Lee
- Alessandro Michele
- Haider Ackermann
- Kim Jones after decent collections at LV
- even John Galliano until his last Margiela collection

 

[Monsieur Cristobal]

Interesting promotion for Demna. I’ve always enjoyed his work at Balenciaga—he’s consistently delivered desirable products, which is why he’s been so successful. He’s capable of much more than just streetwear, but the question is whether he’ll explore that at Gucci. I don’t think he’ll bring exactly what he did at Balenciaga to Gucci, since Balenciaga has always been about silhouette, and he’s remained true to that even in his streetwear. I think he’ll explore Gucci’s history in a unique way.

He’s definitely a wild card choice, but far from the worst. He knows how to create moments, produce great products that sell, and if you look at his early collections, he can do sexy and edgy very well, it’ll be interesting to see where he takes it.

Also, I can’t take this place seriously when people act like Haider—who couldn’t sustain his own brand or have a successful tenure at a major house—is the ideal choice for another big brand like Tom Ford. Meanwhile, Demna, who has a proven track record, has created commercial and cultural success, and even withstood scandal and turned it around, gets the opposite reaction. It’s a double standard.

Interesting point of view.
It is undeniable that Demna's Balenciaga has had a huge impact in fashion and it was a commercial success.
In this sense, if we see as a logical step for Jonathan Anderson to move from Loewe to Dior, the same should apply for Demna's internal evolution to Gucci.

General scepticism might come from the fact that very often you couldn't differentiate his proposals for Vetements and Balenciaga (even when he officially left Vetements!)
He has reduced his aesthetic to something very recognizable but also limited, and the impact that had at the beginning has faded.
You cannot say the same about Jonathan.

I was very surprised with the announcement and I am curious to see what Demna does for Gucci.
But he needs to substantially change his proposal in order to succeed.

 

[yslforever]

Thanks for the insight, very good points.

I truely think that was the case of Daniel Lee at Burberry: he did applauded collections, which I personnally disliked, but they got lots of attention, and he offered the company tons of designs and goods to produce and sell.
BUT it was the CEO and C-suit decision to raise the price like crazy and I think, if they would have gone contemporary pricing instead of mega-exclusive luxury pricing, we could have seen lots of silly ducks trousers and bags in the streets (if they were 600 instead of 3 200).
And everybody would have hailed Daniel's tenure as influential and successful.
The failure of Daniel Lee at Burberry is 90% on the CEO.

Same thing at Ferragamo, the 1st runway of Maximilian Davis got people interested by the novelty but immediately prices go higher than Celine RTW and extremely limited and chaotic distribution of his runway pieces and RTW.

It matters how good and desirable are the runway and the CD, but, in the end, if the CEOs and shareholders don't follow, or adapt poorly, there won't be $$ results, and that's out of reach of nearly all creatives.

 

[NYLA22]

I do believe uninterested.
Every reputed or established, available or soon-to-be-available, CD (MGC, Jones, Gallieno, Hedi, PPP, Viard) knows Gucci is a shitshow and that Ancora guy was a second choice.
Coming right now would make them the third choice and not a savior.
Also every one of them know that the CD will be the fall guy, even if factually 90% or more of the financial successes depend on the c-suite : distribution, production, merchandising, advertising budgets, pricing strategy, small accessories, perfumes, beauty, watches, etc etc. All things that have very little connection with the 4/6 collections a year, the runway shows, the set design, the casting…
For instance : Saint-Laurent, AV provides two great shows a year, look books and campaigns, RTW is less than 7% of the revenue. And his own runway creation even less, if you take into consideration the carry-ons and RTW merchandise : denim, tuxedos, leather jackets, shirts and hoodies.

So what’s the point for an established name of going to Gucci if you know full well 90-95% of the financial results will not be yours put 100% of the blame will be put on you ?

Ancora was not an established name so he took the chances, took the money, and took the blame too. Good for him because he had not prior reputation.

Such an interesting analysis, thanks for this. Just curious, I wonder what Kering was willing to offer Demna in terms of compensation. I'm guessing somewhere around $4 million? Blazy reportedly is getting about that much at Chanel, perhaps a bit more.

 

[Creative]

Even though his work for Balenciaga was a commercial success, few designers have had a "wow" moment at the next brand they worked for.

A few examples:
- Nicolas Ghesquière
- Riccardo Tisci
- Daniel Lee
- Alessandro Michele
- Haider Ackermann
- Kim Jones after decent collections at LV
- even John Galliano until his last Margiela collection

This is so true, very good point

I’d add Raf Simons who was not bad at Jil Sander but quite bad at Dior and Calvin

 

[Lola701]

Such an interesting analysis, thanks for this. Just curious, I wonder what Kering was willing to offer Demna in terms of compensation. I'm guessing somewhere around $4 million? Blazy reportedly is getting about that much at Chanel, perhaps a bit more.

More 5,6€ I would say….And with the clauses and advantages (I hope he is draining them), the contract might worth 7M.
They are certainly paying him to move to Milan, they are certainly paying the rent of an apartment and of his travels between Milan to wherever. He is certainly getting a clothing allowance budget (it’s common practice at this point no?). I guess he is taking his husband with him to on payroll.

Blazy can’t be compared. It’s his first contract with Chanel. If he stays 10 years already he will earn a lot more.
Demna was renewed at Balenciaga two times. And now they are moving him to Gucci.

I must say by the way that this whole thing has been very messy. KERING just proved that they aren’t very professional or considerate. Ancora could have stayed. No matter what, his collections generated a certain kind of interest around Gucci.

I don’t know if having 2 collections designed by the studio (FW, Resort) will help their numbers. Sales will continue to decline harder between the announcement and the arrival of Demna’s clothes in stores.

 

[Creative]

More 5,6€ I would say….And with the clauses and advantages (I hope he is draining them), the contract might worth 7M.
They are certainly paying him to move to Milan, they are certainly paying the rent of an apartment and of his travels between Milan to wherever. He is certainly getting a clothing allowance budget (it’s common practice at this point no?). I guess he is taking his husband with him to on payroll.

Blazy can’t be compared. It’s his first contract with Chanel. If he stays 10 years already he will earn a lot more.
Demna was renewed at Balenciaga two times. And now they are moving him to Gucci.

I must say by the way that this whole thing has been very messy. KERING just proved that they aren’t very professional or considerate. Ancora could have stayed. No matter what, his collections generated a certain kind of interest around Gucci.

I don’t know if having 2 collections designed by the studio (FW, Resort) will help their numbers. Sales will continue to decline harder between the announcement and the arrival of Demna’s clothes in stores.

Good point, that’s also what I mentioned in SDS’ thread. I think it would’ve been much much much cleaner if Sabato had been given the opportunity to have a decent goodbye, not rushing to redo a collection in two weeks just cause you are having an assemblée générale… investors were way more shocked by the new appointment than with anything Sabato related.

Now Balenciaga has no CD, same for GUCCI… the Dior / Loewe way has been way more smooth.

I guess it was important to send a message of action, but still, not the right way to do it HR wise and image as I mentioned.

 

[GIVENCHYlover]

Imagine how Balenciaga's sales will skyrocket in the next months as fans purchase their collectible items

 

[Blaiseybabey]

I was wondering...what if LVMH will snatch Hedi to Fendi? As a middle finger shown at Gucci? Imagine!

 

[proseccotabis]

I was wondering...what if LVMH will snatch Hedi to Fendi? As a middle finger shown at Gucci? Imagine!

If this is happening I am SAT for this in advance 💅

 

[LadyJunon]

I was wondering...what if LVMH will snatch Hedi to Fendi? As a middle finger shown at Gucci? Imagine!

They'd have to boot out the Fendi family to do so.

 

[style_expert]

They'd have to boot out the Fendi family to do so.

If that's what it takes...
I don’t think Silvia is truly interested in taking the creative director role on her own.
Otherwise she should have done it before the Kim Jones nightmare happened at Fendi.
Fendi needs a boost. And a new CEO? The previous CEO Pierre-Emmnauel Angeloglou will move to Dior.

 

[Blaiseybabey]

yeah I'd love to see that drama and mini jawdrops going on.
I mean, it'd be so beautiful because with the overall leather goods heritage, Karl's legacy and so on, Hedi could reaaaallly turn this brand to something even more successful.

They'd have to boot out the Fendi family to do so.

Trruuuuueeee. Unless another collab but can't see Hedi going for the Silvia and Hedi duo.,

 

[PDFSD]

Dear BoF Community,

My initial reaction when I learnt that Demna would be appointed artistic director of Gucci was one of surprise. Although Demna’s name began to circulate as a potential candidate during Paris Fashion Week, I didn’t believe Kering would choose him to take on the challenge of restoring Gucci’s fashion credibility — and sales momentum — in a deeply troubled luxury market.

After gorging on fashion products during the pandemic, demand for luxury fashion is waning. Luxury customers are increasingly focusing their attention (and their wallets) on travel, dining and wellness. The only way to get them to pay attention to a fashion brand like Gucci is to offer something new and exciting, something that connects with the current moment and pushes fashion forward.

Is Demna the right person for the job?


Judging by the reaction from financial markets and fashion fans on social media, the answer is no. Kering shares plunged by 12 percent on Friday morning after digesting the announcement. Of the more than 9,000 people who replied to BoF’s Instagram poll linked to the breaking news on Thursday,
only 10 percent of you believe that Demna is the right pick for Gucci to reassert its fashion authority.
Sixty-seven percent of you think that Demna is not right,
and another 23 percent are not sure, preferring to “wait and see.”

But I have a different view. Once the news began to settle in, and I had time to process the comments made by Kering’s deputy CEO Francesca Bellettini and Gucci CEO Stefano Cantino as to why they, together with François-Henri Pinault, made this choice, their logic began to make sense to me.

Kering needed a heavyweight name and could not take another gamble on an unknown quantity.

There are very few designers with the creativity, technical skills and proven ability to not just capture but shape the fashion zeitgeist.

Jonathan Anderson is tied to LVMH through their investment in his own brand and seems certain at this stage to be headed to Dior, after his farewell Loewe presentation in Paris on Monday.

Matthieu Blazy, whose Bottega Veneta shows were a highlight at recent fashion months, left the Kering group last year (a huge loss) and is readying his vision for Chanel which will debut in October.

Hedi Slimane has a proven ability to transform and build brands (Dior Homme, Saint Laurent and Celine), but his days of shaping the zeitgeist are long behind him. Likewise, Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri, an unmistakably successful creator of luxury products, does not have the requisite fashion quotient.

If Gucci wanted a fashion designer with a capital F, then Demna is a pragmatic choice. After 10 years, the once disruptive fashion aesthetic Demna brought to Balenciaga has run its natural course. Balenciaga needs a change and Demna needs a new creative challenge, and by installing the designer at Gucci, Kering is also creating opportunities to address other issues in the group, while retaining a top talent.


That Demna is already part of Kering also means there are no pesky non-compete agreements to contend with, and he can already begin to develop his ideas for Gucci while he works on his final Balenciaga couture collection which will be shown in July.

But still, the success of this strategy rests on one critical question. Can Demna himself move his creativity forward?

If Demna simply takes his Vetements and Balenciaga look and implements that at Gucci, it will not work. Indeed, we already know what that looks like after “the hacker project” that brought Demna’s Balenciaga and Alessandro Michele’s Gucci together in a vibrant mash-up of their unique looks at the height of their creative powers at those brands back in 2021.

But there is nothing that fires up a designer like Demna like the opportunity to reinvent a historic house like Gucci. I first got to know Demna through his brother Guram when they came out from the background of the designer collective at Vetements as the driving forces behind the disruptive fashion start-up which BoF was first to write about back in 2014.

Demna has a strong foundation of creative fashion education from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, and professional training at Margiela and Louis Vuitton, where he worked alongside both Marc Jacobs, and then Nicolas Ghesquière, two top designers with very different approaches to design and creativity at the world’s largest luxury fashion house.

Over the years, I have also had the opportunity to get to know Demna as a human being. I interviewed him for a BoF cover story in 2015 just after he was announced as the new creative director at Balenciaga and sat down for a rare television interview with him just as the pandemic lockdowns were lifting and he was set to debut his incredible first Balenciaga couture show in July 2021.

What I can say without a doubt is this: Demna is one of the most provocative and thoughtful people working in fashion, and is someone who is deeply committed to his work. Like all of us, he has had his ups and downs, and the Balenciaga PR crisis was a reality check for him on a number of fronts.

More recently, he has been focusing on his own personal wellness and happiness, and I think he is now emotionally ready for one of the biggest jobs in fashion. If there is anyone in fashion who is up for this challenge, it’s Demna. Now we just have to wait and see if he can find it in himself to deliver the goods. I am really excited to see what he does.

We have a lot more coverage on all the news in fashion from the week gone by, including a special breaking news podcast episode with Tim Blanks digesting this week’s big news from Gucci and Versace, in addition to our always popular, must-listen seasonal episode reviewing the fashion season that was. There is also our take on the Top 10 Shows of the Season, a report on the state of the Pat McGrath Labs business and an in-depth case study on how to succeed in China’s new reality.

I hope you will find the time to listen, read and learn about this exciting time in fashion.

Imran Amed, Founder and Editor-in-Chief

LOLZ

 

[Blaiseybabey]

Also, not sure if my observation is correct or if it's already been pointed out...but have you noticed how suddenly there's so much content with Demna's face and people talking to him after the show? Not sure why, but I always remember him as a person that kinda hid away...and one could only hear his voice? Suddenly, he doesn't seem so shy anymore? Wonder if that's him being guccified?

Curious if Gucci will release another "Who's Sabato (Demna in this case)?" video... I know it's not necessary ofc - but what I am trying to "foresee" is how the house will want to "push him to the front" a bit. But do they have to? Again, just brainfarting here!

 

[proseccotabis]

Dear BoF Community,

My initial reaction when I learnt that Demna would be appointed artistic director of Gucci was one of surprise. Although Demna’s name began to circulate as a potential candidate during Paris Fashion Week, I didn’t believe Kering would choose him to take on the challenge of restoring Gucci’s fashion credibility — and sales momentum — in a deeply troubled luxury market.

After gorging on fashion products during the pandemic, demand for luxury fashion is waning. Luxury customers are increasingly focusing their attention (and their wallets) on travel, dining and wellness. The only way to get them to pay attention to a fashion brand like Gucci is to offer something new and exciting, something that connects with the current moment and pushes fashion forward.

Is Demna the right person for the job?


Judging by the reaction from financial markets and fashion fans on social media, the answer is no. Kering shares plunged by 12 percent on Friday morning after digesting the announcement. Of the more than 9,000 people who replied to BoF’s Instagram poll linked to the breaking news on Thursday,
only 10 percent of you believe that Demna is the right pick for Gucci to reassert its fashion authority.
Sixty-seven percent of you think that Demna is not right,
and another 23 percent are not sure, preferring to “wait and see.”

But I have a different view. Once the news began to settle in, and I had time to process the comments made by Kering’s deputy CEO Francesca Bellettini and Gucci CEO Stefano Cantino as to why they, together with François-Henri Pinault, made this choice, their logic began to make sense to me.

Kering needed a heavyweight name and could not take another gamble on an unknown quantity.

There are very few designers with the creativity, technical skills and proven ability to not just capture but shape the fashion zeitgeist.

Jonathan Anderson is tied to LVMH through their investment in his own brand and seems certain at this stage to be headed to Dior, after his farewell Loewe presentation in Paris on Monday.

Matthieu Blazy, whose Bottega Veneta shows were a highlight at recent fashion months, left the Kering group last year (a huge loss) and is readying his vision for Chanel which will debut in October.

Hedi Slimane has a proven ability to transform and build brands (Dior Homme, Saint Laurent and Celine), but his days of shaping the zeitgeist are long behind him. Likewise, Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri, an unmistakably successful creator of luxury products, does not have the requisite fashion quotient.

If Gucci wanted a fashion designer with a capital F, then Demna is a pragmatic choice. After 10 years, the once disruptive fashion aesthetic Demna brought to Balenciaga has run its natural course. Balenciaga needs a change and Demna needs a new creative challenge, and by installing the designer at Gucci, Kering is also creating opportunities to address other issues in the group, while retaining a top talent.


That Demna is already part of Kering also means there are no pesky non-compete agreements to contend with, and he can already begin to develop his ideas for Gucci while he works on his final Balenciaga couture collection which will be shown in July.

But still, the success of this strategy rests on one critical question. Can Demna himself move his creativity forward?

If Demna simply takes his Vetements and Balenciaga look and implements that at Gucci, it will not work. Indeed, we already know what that looks like after “the hacker project” that brought Demna’s Balenciaga and Alessandro Michele’s Gucci together in a vibrant mash-up of their unique looks at the height of their creative powers at those brands back in 2021.

But there is nothing that fires up a designer like Demna like the opportunity to reinvent a historic house like Gucci. I first got to know Demna through his brother Guram when they came out from the background of the designer collective at Vetements as the driving forces behind the disruptive fashion start-up which BoF was first to write about back in 2014.

Demna has a strong foundation of creative fashion education from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, and professional training at Margiela and Louis Vuitton, where he worked alongside both Marc Jacobs, and then Nicolas Ghesquière, two top designers with very different approaches to design and creativity at the world’s largest luxury fashion house.

Over the years, I have also had the opportunity to get to know Demna as a human being. I interviewed him for a BoF cover story in 2015 just after he was announced as the new creative director at Balenciaga and sat down for a rare television interview with him just as the pandemic lockdowns were lifting and he was set to debut his incredible first Balenciaga couture show in July 2021.

What I can say without a doubt is this: Demna is one of the most provocative and thoughtful people working in fashion, and is someone who is deeply committed to his work. Like all of us, he has had his ups and downs, and the Balenciaga PR crisis was a reality check for him on a number of fronts.

More recently, he has been focusing on his own personal wellness and happiness, and I think he is now emotionally ready for one of the biggest jobs in fashion. If there is anyone in fashion who is up for this challenge, it’s Demna. Now we just have to wait and see if he can find it in himself to deliver the goods. I am really excited to see what he does.

We have a lot more coverage on all the news in fashion from the week gone by, including a special breaking news podcast episode with Tim Blanks digesting this week’s big news from Gucci and Versace, in addition to our always popular, must-listen seasonal episode reviewing the fashion season that was. There is also our take on the Top 10 Shows of the Season, a report on the state of the Pat McGrath Labs business and an in-depth case study on how to succeed in China’s new reality.

I hope you will find the time to listen, read and learn about this exciting time in fashion.

Imran Amed, Founder and Editor-in-Chief

LOLZ

Imran summed TFS comments very well in one article we stan loooool

Also, not sure if my observation is correct or if it's already been pointed out...but have you noticed how suddenly there's so much content with Demna's face and people talking to him after the show? Not sure why, but I always remember him as a person that kinda hid away...and one could only hear his voice? Suddenly, he doesn't seem so shy anymore? Wonder if that's him being guccified?

Curious if Gucci will release another "Who's Sabato (Demna in this case)?" video... I know it's not necessary ofc - but what I am trying to "foresee" is how the house will want to "push him to the front" a bit. But do they have to? Again, just brainfarting here!

oh i would say the PR machine in Gucci will start working tirelessly now that Demna has been appointed...whether he wants that or not they will push him down our throats because the initial shock of his appointment has to go on i would say....

 

[Lola701]

Good point, that’s also what I mentioned in SDS’ thread. I think it would’ve been much much much cleaner if Sabato had been given the opportunity to have a decent goodbye, not rushing to redo a collection in two weeks just cause you are having an assemblée générale… investors were way more shocked by the new appointment than with anything Sabato related.

Now Balenciaga has no CD, same for GUCCI… the Dior / Loewe way has been way more smooth.

I guess it was important to send a message of action, but still, not the right way to do it HR wise and image as I mentioned.

And the irony in choosing Demna and yet the market don’t respond well to it.
So it means one full year of bad performances from Gucci again and the impact of this appointment won’t be felt until at least June of 2026.

Because even a Demna farewell will only have a minimal impact on Balenciaga as it is below Bottega Veneta.

A sh*t show really.

I think the transition at Celine was cleverly done for example. And I think it’s also very clever for Rider to show during the resort season. He is showing his collection at the time Hedi’s last collection is getting out of shelves.

KERING is really gambling their cash cow.

I really hope that Demna will choose the extra luxe approach instead of the same oversized tshirts and everything. What he proposed at Balenciaga could actually hurt Gucci. The brand is already very seen as « accessible ». The Demna look could hurt the perception of the brand…Even more considering that Gucci, unlike Vuitton, doesn’t have the most exclusive distribution.

 

[Blaiseybabey]

Is it weird when I am going to say that really,,,Friday wasn't that bad as people have projected her to be? I know it was all super commercial and maybe a bit flat sometimes. But at least she was coherent? She could speak in a firm way what's she's come up with and why.
With Michele, the same, he was consistent with his "waterfall of romanticism" language and he always stuck to that.
With Demna, I've always had this impression that there is disintegration between what we see on the runway and what he says?

All in all, I wonder if we will be speechless in a few months if his debut actually turns out to be successful

 

[justpassingthrough]

It’s almost impossible to think he’s actually going to just do his cookie cutter oversized ran over t-shirts, chip bags, wrap around sunglasses, HUGE sneakers & trash bag gowns at Gucci. But then I think about the one trick ponyism going on at Valentino & have to remind myself that literally anything is possible at this point in fashion. Again, I am exhausted.