Fashion Designers as Personalities

[Crying Diamonds]

When Philo went to Celine her influence was so strong that she singlehandedly changed every designer's current aesthetic to minimal. I think that's proof enough that you don't have to be sashaying down the catwalk flanked by bodyguards to rock the fashion world.
On a different note, I've always detested the idea of celebrity designers, they completely undermine the ridiculously hard work genuine designers put into their work all year round, and of course the work they put into getting to the place they are - all celebrities need to create a fashion line is a whim.

 

[BerlinRocks]

I guess BH is trying to avoid another Galliano scandal ... or is it just a sort of late apology to the Galliano scandal. When the designer is under the radar, nobody pays really attention to what he thinks outside his designs ...

But I think we are not yet ready to go to a system we've never really been into.
Eventhough with blogs, forums, twitters etc. (what The Economist has named the come-back of the coffee house) the fashion industry has landed another level of star-system (with editors, photographers being as celeb as the models and the designers and front row attenders), Fashion has been for a long long time on top of the radar (at least, since the RTW system). Coco Chanel was a star among the European Elite, non ? Gianni Versace was a star, Mr. YSL was as well, Karl has been since he starts working for Chanel, Tom Ford was when @ Gucci etc.
And somebody like Martin Margiela who's always wanted to be an anonymous is a legend now ...

Or perhaps, BH would like to now work with "atelier" (a team of designers that let the brand grow and live by itself, instead of having a brand that mostly exists through the vision of a designer. actually it would not be the end of star designers, but the end of a unique vision ..... like in Dior becoming Zara+ ... ok that's overthinking the quote).

 

[markese91]

Am I the only one who sort of agrees with Bernard. If you watch fashion you will notice that just like there are trends on the runway there are trends OFF the runway in the industry.

For example there was the era of the supermodel which was quickly followed by an era of a bunch of nameless faceless girls after too much attention was paid to the model. There was also an era of the mega stylist where everyone had a stylist and stylists were gaining more and more power, followed quickly by a few seasons where celebrities began to dress themselves for enagements, circumventing the stylist.

I think that right now we are about to step out of this idea of the "star" designer for a few reasons. One because of the Galliano scandal but also because of things like with Balmain, designers just can't handle the stress of being scrutinized while designing 8 collections a year.

Phoebe Philo is not a "star" designer, she is an amazing and influential designer. I think the idea of stardom is something that would transcend the industry. The idea of stardom in my opinion comes with it the idea of like a common knowledge and to be quite honest I don't think many outside the industry know what Celine is let alone Philo's name specificially, though they may have bought numerouspieces that were created due to her influence(and I flash back to the 'pile of stuff' scene in Devil Wears Prada)

 

[iluvjeisa]

^Well, Do you think YSL was a star designer?

 

[TREVOFASHIONISTO]

I mean the only star desingers in my eyes are/were Galliano, Lagerfeld, Westwood, Jacobs, Gaultier, Ford, and Wang who are known for their personalities outside of their designs... this article doesnt completely grasp what Bernard is trying to say

 

[BerlinRocks]

YSL was a famous star designer ... ! Definitely !

Galliano, Lagerfeld, Westwood, Jacobs, Gaultier, Ford, and Wang

That's a very 1990s list ... with a touch of 1980s.
But Wang ? Like in who Wang ? I know no Wang who is a star designer ... I probably don't know enough about the asian fashion scene.

 

[iluvjeisa]

YSL was a famous star designer ... ! Definitely !

That's a very 1990s list ... with a touch of 1980s.
But Wang ? Like in who Wang ? I know no Wang who is a star designer ... I probably don't know enough about the asian fashion scene.

I was trying to put the finger on the real point of some disagreement here - what star means. When I hear the phrase star designer I do not think celebrity designer, I think YSL, Halston, Galliano....

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I don't know how we can discuss that without the Newsweek article in question.

http://www.newsweek.com/2011/07/10/arnault-shakes-up-his-empire.html

 

[fashionista-ta]

Looking at the article, I'm wondering what the aversion to quoting Mr Arnault is, especially considering this is a 'real,' journalistic magazine, not a fashion magazine. I didn't see him ever use the term 'star'--that seemed to be the journalist's interpretation, which was 'rock-star designer.' Mr Arnault seems to be 'on background,' which seems quite odd considering he's the topic of the article.

All he really said was that Phoebe is doing a fantastic job. I suppose he wanted to call attention to the win, rather than the loss ...

 

[BetteT]

Thanks, ta-ta! I agree.

I want to add some excerpts from that link that you posted (the Newsweek article in question), making some points which seem to sum up what Arnault might be planning for Dior ... which seems to be more emphasis on the quality of the product and less on a "cult of personality" (the journalist's words, not his) swirling around "rock star designers" (also the journalist's words).

newsweek.com

Arnault has great faith in the team’s ability to stitch a perfect corset or jacket. That skill is at the heart of the Dior mythology—and right now, that’s all he’s got.


He’s indebted to them for carrying on without a creative leader. “I think we have the equivalent of the Vienna Philharmonic,” Arnault says. “From time to time, the Vienna Philharmonic could play without a conductor because they are so good. But that cannot last forever. We want to [make] the best choice for the house and find the best conductor.”

If any brand hints at how Arnault might solve his Dior problem, it’s Céline. For years, the company was a bland purveyor of bourgeois sportswear before Philo was given free rein. If Dior was defined by bold, swashbuckling strokes, Céline is design innovation measured in millimeters. What Philo created is understatedly, exquisitely chic—without a cult of personality.

Arnault suggests it’s time for change, time to recast his global, glittering, status-laden empire as something else. The watchwords are: intimate, Old World, artful. And the timing feels right.

The point of it all was that these landmarks celebrate characteristics that are the antithesis of the big-top fashion the mogul once reveled in. He’s no longer bragging about that.


After all, Arnault has learned that rock-star designers come and go. “A good product,” he says, “can last forever.”

 

[brooksie]

YSL was a famous star designer ... ! Definitely !



That's a very 1990s list ... with a touch of 1980s.
But Wang ? Like in who Wang ? I know no Wang who is a star designer ... I probably don't know enough about the asian fashion scene.

I suspect it's probably Vera or Alexander. Vera's probably the best bet.

 

[fashionista-ta]

Thanks for the quotes, Bette.

The thing is, whether you think Phoebe is a rock star or not, she is still a talented, individual designer. He acknowledges that no matter how skilled the hands, they need leadership. He would love to clone Phoebe, I'm sure, but that's not an option. (Maybe a 'kiss' from Karl would exponentially multiply her output, and she could take on Dior too )

I mean, sure, he doesn't want another crazy one, but what he really needs is talent and leadership and someone who's tapped into the zeitgeist. Maybe he's anti-personality right now, but that would just seem to place an unnecessary limitation on the selection process.

Maybe this means he's considering an utter unknown? Or maybe he's just pointing out that while he may have had the most problematic designer in the world, maybe he also has the best/least problematic?

 

[HoneyAlexi]

I don't think that writer understands the meaning of star designer. It's not someone who is good at what they do. It's someone who is eccentric and irreplaceable and in some sense accepted even if they misbehave because everyone remembers Aristotle's wise words: "There was never a genius without a tincture of madness."

I could not agree with you more. There is a thin line between genius/madness, and occasionally there is some crossing between of the two

 

[HoneyAlexi]

To be honest I'm not a fan of designers being celebrities themselves, of course its hard though because genius attracts attention..

Just its a shame sometimes when possibly a designers personal life can over shadow their work. Someone's work and personal life should stand apart as two different things, after all we are all flawed. I guess John Galliano is a good example.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ When your personal life and head are FUBAR, it tends to impact your professional life as well ... it's not just Don Imus or John Galliano getting fired for saying really stupid things, it happens to regular people too who have no public profile. I just heard a story the other day of someone who told his female coworker to 'get back in the kitchen where you belong' ... end of career with said company and coworker.

Do I feel bad for these guys? Not so much ... I have to believe they all had plenty of opportunities to straighten up and fly right before their career-ending remarks. And sometimes hitting bottom really helps people get it together ...

 

[softgrey]

i am most interested in fashion designers as Designers...
maybe the idea of designing is getting lost these past years somewhere in the giant machine of commercialism...

but, ultimately...
great design is timeless and everlasting...
everything else is fleeting...
and...
ultimately irrelevant...

so---
i am interested in great designers...
not personalities...

anyone who is amazing enough to be both---
well---
i bow to them...
deeply....and truly...
...

can anyone name anyone who can do both really well?

 

[lucy92]

^ i would say Tom Ford. In some of his interviews he comes off as more down to earth than other designers.

i also like raf. he doesnt have ego problems.

 

[reese06]

Tom Ford and down to earth??? I would say his persona is that he isn't down to earth at all. He's pretentious and arrogant and that's what people seem to love about him.

While i used to be a fan of his image, lately his designs haven't lived up to his "attitude" and it's made me dislike him somewhat.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I find Tom's personality to be shot full of Botox & Restylane

Alber Elbaz, Alexander McQueen, Elsa Schiaparelli ... I think there are plenty of designers past & present with both talent and personality.