Discussion: Who Should Be The Creative Director of Balenciaga?

[reese06]

Unfortunately hiring Marc at Balenciaga would completely destabilize the brand due to the aesthetic that Demna has popularized at the house - I say this as a fan of both and as someone who would like to see Marc at a big house.

It would completely alienate their current base right now. I could see Tisci if they want to retain some of their current clients but I don't think he's as strong with silhouette. I think Tisci can be pretty basic when speaking to silhouette specifically whereas Demna excelled at pushing it in streetwear. The people buying Demna may find Tisci to be too basic and passe.

 

[Kimihiro]

Idk how sustainable the current Balenciaga clientele is. Most of the Demna guys will go to Gucci, the rest will find the next hot thing.

 

[THD96]

Yes won't happen, the relationship between NG, Ramsay-Levi, MAS and Kering are broken since Balenciaga.

I would also love to see Nico de Felice somewhere bigger, not sure about Balenciaga though not because Pinault wouldn't ask him but he contributed to NG's vision his entire career other than a 1.5 year stint for Raf Dior. I wonder if he would find it difficult to separate his path of thinking with what he was contributing to NG's vision there, and maybe not want to touch it because nothing for him can top NG's era?

But MAS still attended shows of Kering like Saint Laurent, so you can't say that the relationship is completely severed. Also she has Mastermind so she still needs that advertising money from Kering.

I think NDF is the logical choice for Kering right considering the state of the group right now. He has a strong vision, and he knows how to revive a brand, he managed to make Courreges relevant again ( which is quite a task because not even the stunt boys at Coperni can do that). And Courreges is owned by Groupe Artemis which is owned by Pinault so it's easier to move him to Balenciaga.

 

[yslforever]

I dream of seeing Marc Jacobs design for a historic fashion house like Balenciaga. His latest collections and experiments with volume could be a hint (a la Proenza). Eventually, LVMH should let him go, close his own brand, and dedicate himself to Balenciaga with a 5- —to 10-year contract. That would be the real plot twist.




StyleNotCom

No thanks, Marc is exhausted (really ? Sprouse again ?) and exhausting.

 

[HigthaVandah]

I dream of seeing Marc Jacobs design for a historic fashion house like Balenciaga. His latest collections and experiments with volume could be a hint (a la Proenza). Eventually, LVMH should let him go, close his own brand, and dedicate himself to Balenciaga with a 5- —to 10-year contract. That would be the real plot twist.




StyleNotCom

I wish there was a 🤔 reaction emoji.

 

[reese06]

Idk how sustainable the current Balenciaga clientele is. Most of the Demna guys will go to Gucci, the rest will find the next hot thing.

Fair

But I don’t think Kering is in a place to drop a clientele in hopes that another will come in droves.
They did that with Sabato and their push for quiet luxury.
Tisci or NDF but I think it’s a bit much for NDF to bite off with the way these houses operate.

It was also late when I wrote my comment and I don’t think I care to see Marc at a house actually. That was the nostalgia talking

 

[hamburgers]

With the last big creative transition at Kering there was at least a clear prompt for 1. targeting a younger audience and 2. penetrating the Chinese market. You could sense Nicolas trying to follow along with his last Balenciaga collection, and it’s obvious why they thought Wang could do it. After Wang’s failure, they stuck to the prompt and hit their target with Demna (but also with Michele and Hedi beforehand and Daniel Lee after). So what’s the vibe now? “Brand elevation”, but then the recent appointments Look Like That?

We saw how hard it is to do a brand elevation strategy after a majority logo/streetwear customer at Givenchy. After Riccardo, all that sold under Clare was generic factory merch printed with GIVENCHY, so they reneged and hired Matthew Williams and later even Panos again to style the shows. It was too late and all those customers were deep in Demna’s Balenciaga. Even now with Sarah’s debut, there is still that haphazard GIVENCHY slapped on the runway.

I agree with people saying Nicolas Di Felice. His womenswear has a similar sensibility and he can work within the existing frame and slowly bend the brand to his POV a la Vacarello after Hedi. He knows how to put on a runway spectacle and has couture show experience. Besides, he’s kind of designed himself into a corner at Courreges where prices are starting to get unattractively high. It’d be good for him to go somewhere with more room to grow unless he’d prefer a quieter career like Dossena at Rabanne.

I don’t think Pieter, Roseberry, or Raf can handle the cannon fodder approach to business Kering likes to do.

 

[KilltheLook]

I honestly think Roseberry needs to stay put at Schiaparelli. Diego Della Valle needs to give him the world (or at least a huge pay raise) to keep him there. He also has the freedom of doing whatever he wants. I went to the Schiaparelli boutique recently and I got to admit the world building is perfect. And for a small brand like Schiaparelli, they don't need a lot of clients (just a few wealthy one is enough - and they do shop).

Re Balenciaga, maybe it's not bad to give it to Ralph Rucci after all (JK). But honestly, I think Daniel Lee can do wonder there.

 

[kingtheyskens]

you can add schiaparelli to the list of houses that don't need to exist anymore too lol

 

[KilltheLook]

you can add schiaparelli to the list of houses that don't need to exist anymore too lol

I might have agreed with you for the previous iteration (pre 2021). I was confused about the brand too and asked why do we need another revival of a stuffy dormant house. But I love the latest few collections. They counteracted the mundane clothes and the streetwear trend. I think my favorite show is the last RTW one (lone star). it has clothes with distinctive point of view and hard to find anywhere else (not like an oversized bomber jacket or hoodie).

 

[Salvatore]

I agree that Roseberry should stay at Schiaparelli because he's doing a great job there. The house isn't stable enough to lose him, though. Also I wonder how he would handle menswear at Balenciaga, although coming from Thom Browne, he actually might be good at it. I don't want him to risk it, though. Kering is extremely volatile and one has to be sure they can bounce back if/when they are let go.

 

[Avonlea]

I don't think Roseberry could handle a brand like Balenciaga. Demna turned it into a huge monster. It's the total opposite of Schiaparelli.

 

[fenty]

Martine Rose is actually okay, even Nicolas Ghesquiere supports her. If they want a hyped designer, then Craig Green

Craig Green would reference the hell out of NG, and I'm here for it

 

[youthinasia]

Craig Green would reference the hell out of NG, and I'm here for it

With what? Padded quilting? Strings? Lacing? Eyelets?

 

[fenty]

With what? Padded quilting? Strings? Lacing? Eyelets?

To be fair his SS25 collection was very Fall 2003, so it's not really far-fetched

 

[Kanzai]

I don't think Roseberry could handle a brand like Balenciaga. Demna turned it into a huge monster. It's the total opposite of Schiaparelli.

Yes, and at this point Schiaparelli is an ultra exclusive and prestigious label. If I were Daniel, I would never leave.