-
Watch Live & Comment... The 2025 Golden Globe Awards!
Hedi Slimane leaves Dior Homme
- Thread starter DontSleep
- Start date
ETROsexualJ said:
why not do both his own label and chanel menswear... the latter would be a relatively small line.
i sort of see your point though and the last words i heard from Karl about that in an interview were that it might not be the right time to do a big collection for men but just a few pieces. He says they do watches, fragances, etc. so why not do a few clothes...
ETROsexualJ
Active Member
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2006
- Messages
- 1,401
- Reaction score
- 1
"Sources said Dior was willing to back a signature house, but there were wide differences over the estimated value of the Hedi Slimane brand and control rights."---WWD
It was never an issue that they said "No way, no how." The issue was Hedi's inflated idea of his worth and Bernard's concept of what Hedi is worth.
It was never an issue that they said "No way, no how." The issue was Hedi's inflated idea of his worth and Bernard's concept of what Hedi is worth.
Salvatore
Wanderlust
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2003
- Messages
- 7,365
- Reaction score
- 2,496
I know it would never happen...
But I would so prefer to see Slimane at Gucci as creative director for some odd reason before at Chanel. It seems so wrong that it's right (at least in my mind). There's to wishful thinking.
Maybe I am so late but I did not even have any idea that there were talks about him leaving! Still in shock!
But I would so prefer to see Slimane at Gucci as creative director for some odd reason before at Chanel. It seems so wrong that it's right (at least in my mind). There's to wishful thinking.
Maybe I am so late but I did not even have any idea that there were talks about him leaving! Still in shock!
Not very sudden, but it's still kind of a surprising move. I never thought they would actually part ways. This is horrible, but I don't fear Slimane's future. He'll make it. (I'm sure there are companies already lobbying to get him.
I really don't think Hedi was too full of himself. I wouldn't have trusted Arnault with a signature brand either, if I were in Hedi's position. Remember that Arnault did fire Givenchy from his own line.
ETROsexualJ said:
I really don't think Hedi was too full of himself. I wouldn't have trusted Arnault with a signature brand either, if I were in Hedi's position. Remember that Arnault did fire Givenchy from his own line.
the more i think About it, the more i hate this pairing.
I would have loved to see Plokhov (Alexandre) heading up Dior (Sandy Dalal where art thou?)
The problem i have with KVH is that he seems very inconsistent to me.
Slimane (and Alexandre) like Raf, Like Chalayan, Like Theyskens, and all the great designers of this generation have a specific viewpoint. and a singular way of working, that gives thier clothes a cetain ........... well, "authenticity"
I dont see that with KVH ........ while there are a few nice pieces that he does, I get no emotional reaction from his collections........
and he seems to have not yet established what his identity is.....
worst off is the fact that he will still be designing his own collection.......
Does he have the kind of versatility and range to design for his house and Dior while keeping their identity seperate?
Is he prolific enough to consistently create clothing for two houses?
I wont write him off yet though. I will give him the opportunity to prove himself.................................
I would have loved to see Plokhov (Alexandre) heading up Dior (Sandy Dalal where art thou?)
The problem i have with KVH is that he seems very inconsistent to me.
Slimane (and Alexandre) like Raf, Like Chalayan, Like Theyskens, and all the great designers of this generation have a specific viewpoint. and a singular way of working, that gives thier clothes a cetain ........... well, "authenticity"
I dont see that with KVH ........ while there are a few nice pieces that he does, I get no emotional reaction from his collections........
and he seems to have not yet established what his identity is.....
worst off is the fact that he will still be designing his own collection.......
Does he have the kind of versatility and range to design for his house and Dior while keeping their identity seperate?
Is he prolific enough to consistently create clothing for two houses?
I wont write him off yet though. I will give him the opportunity to prove himself.................................
Kris Van Assche is a follower, and what Dior needs is a leader. Someone as revolutionary as Slimane and Dior himself.
But, they may have just sought Van Assche out because his clothes are rather commercial and safe. Maybe they'll only keep him until they've found the next big designer.
But, they may have just sought Van Assche out because his clothes are rather commercial and safe. Maybe they'll only keep him until they've found the next big designer.
zamb said:
I totally agre with the above. With KVA, i look at the shows and actually have to THINK about what is good and what isn't, where as with DH, the early collection FW01-FW04, I look at the shows and want to buy half the collection.
anyways, this better not be a early april fools joke, Hedi better really be leaving.
OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGg....NO HEDI!!! My GOD, what am i to do without my Hedi? He is my inspiration. What is the world coming to? Who is this that is replacing him? NO ONE CAN REPLACE HEDI, he will forever be synonymous with the slim man, the tall/skinny man, and Dior Homme, PERIOD.
I love the Chanel Homme speculation you all. Imagine Hedi taking the reins of Chanel, the woman will have to be emaciated, the clothes will be super tailored, it will be a gay man's dream, much to the fancy of Karl, who loves a skinny woman. THIS MIGHT WORK OUT!!!
boomslang20117
Member
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2005
- Messages
- 12
- Reaction score
- 0
Dior parts with star designer
Dior parts with star designer
By Suzy Menkes
Published: March 29, 2007
PARIS: Christian Dior, the luxury house that is part of the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton group, has lost one of the brightest bulbs in its couture chandelier.
The Paris house announced Thursday that a new menswear designer would take over from Hedi Slimane, 38, after Dior and Slimane failed during drawn-out negotiations to agree on a way to support a new label under his own name.
Slimane, the creator who gave a jolt of youth and cool to the bourgeois men's line and lifted sales to about 10 percent of the company, was swiftly replaced by Kris Van Assche, 30, a Belgian designer who formerly worked with Slimane before setting up his own line.
The news is far more significant to the luxury industry than this latest round of designer musical chairs suggests. With the big brand conglomerates needing deep talent to plump up the bottom lines of publicly quoted companies and with aging designers about to reach the end of their illustrious careers, the 30-something talents are at a premium.
Slimane, with his strong design personality and powerful aesthetic, had galvanized and modernized the image of Dior Homme, using his connections to the world of rock, like making a fashion icon out of bad boy Pete Doherty, and translating his passion for photography and for the techno world into striking advertising campaigns and into accessories for carrying cyberspace gizmos.
Far from being dropped by Dior, as rumors had suggested, the designer himself decided to walk away, rather than sell his name in order to set up his own label, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who declined to named, citing the confidentiality of the discussions.
The designer had previously said that he wanted to create a women's line to fit with his skinny, androgynous male tailoring and that had been his objective since he signed with Dior in 2001.
The sticking point of the Dior negotiations was apparently over the ownership of any eponymous line, said the person familiar with the discussions. In the case of John Galliano, Dior's women's designer and of Marc Jacobs, creative director of Louis Vuitton, LVMH has complete ownership of both names and therefore control of development and strategy of their personal labels.
Sidney Toledano, the president and chief executive of Dior, while refusing to discuss the tension between Slimane and his former parent company, admitted that it was not easy to make appropriate choices of designers who were mature enough to give creative input to product, image, branding and various ready-to-wear collections.
The departure of Slimane is being compared with the ousting of Tom Ford from Gucci Group three years ago. Ford will next month open a self-financed menswear store on Madison Avenue in New York and has signed licensing deals with Marcolin Group for sunglasses as well as fragrance and skin care with the Estée Lauder group. Meanwhile, the Gucci brand, which Ford made a fashion leader in the 1990s, has had two subsequent designers, but has continued to flourish financially.
Other top designers have left their own labels, raising questions at the time about how the departure of a big name would hit the company's bottom line. Jil Sander, for example, voluntarily left the company she had sold to the Prada group, later mending fences before walking out a second time. In that case, the company suffered financially until the arrival of Belgian designer Raf Simons who is now repairing the brand's ragged reputation. Helmut Lang also walked away from his own label, then part of Prada, in 2005.
Is Slimane's departure likely to hurt Dior's bottom line, as the company aims to reach its sales target of €1 billion, or $1.3 billion?
Antoine Colonna, a financial analyst with Merrill Lynch, said that would depend on how Dior's growth and position in the industry is viewed.
"With Jil Sander, its business was driven by style, but it depends if a company is driven by accessories, like Gucci, or whether it is a fashion company," Colonna said. "The key question is whether Dior is more timeless and I would say that it is a company in transition."
Colonna said Gucci and Dior shared the fact that in their companies menswear accounted for far less than women's wear.
On the more general question of how companies could manage the departure or retirement of signature designers, Colonna said that it all depended on the preparation and "how they pass on the baton," citing the choice facing a company such as Armani about whether to "drive the process" or leave others to fill the vacuum.
The future of Slimane will depend on his ability to find funding for his own label and for that, Colonna said, any investor would need patience.
"No one today can do anything like Armani in the 1980's," Colonna said. "It will be very interesting to see who puts money in and takes the long-term stance."
Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/29/business/lux.4.php
Dior parts with star designer
By Suzy Menkes
Published: March 29, 2007
PARIS: Christian Dior, the luxury house that is part of the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton group, has lost one of the brightest bulbs in its couture chandelier.
The Paris house announced Thursday that a new menswear designer would take over from Hedi Slimane, 38, after Dior and Slimane failed during drawn-out negotiations to agree on a way to support a new label under his own name.
Slimane, the creator who gave a jolt of youth and cool to the bourgeois men's line and lifted sales to about 10 percent of the company, was swiftly replaced by Kris Van Assche, 30, a Belgian designer who formerly worked with Slimane before setting up his own line.
The news is far more significant to the luxury industry than this latest round of designer musical chairs suggests. With the big brand conglomerates needing deep talent to plump up the bottom lines of publicly quoted companies and with aging designers about to reach the end of their illustrious careers, the 30-something talents are at a premium.
Slimane, with his strong design personality and powerful aesthetic, had galvanized and modernized the image of Dior Homme, using his connections to the world of rock, like making a fashion icon out of bad boy Pete Doherty, and translating his passion for photography and for the techno world into striking advertising campaigns and into accessories for carrying cyberspace gizmos.
Far from being dropped by Dior, as rumors had suggested, the designer himself decided to walk away, rather than sell his name in order to set up his own label, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who declined to named, citing the confidentiality of the discussions.
The designer had previously said that he wanted to create a women's line to fit with his skinny, androgynous male tailoring and that had been his objective since he signed with Dior in 2001.
The sticking point of the Dior negotiations was apparently over the ownership of any eponymous line, said the person familiar with the discussions. In the case of John Galliano, Dior's women's designer and of Marc Jacobs, creative director of Louis Vuitton, LVMH has complete ownership of both names and therefore control of development and strategy of their personal labels.
Sidney Toledano, the president and chief executive of Dior, while refusing to discuss the tension between Slimane and his former parent company, admitted that it was not easy to make appropriate choices of designers who were mature enough to give creative input to product, image, branding and various ready-to-wear collections.
The departure of Slimane is being compared with the ousting of Tom Ford from Gucci Group three years ago. Ford will next month open a self-financed menswear store on Madison Avenue in New York and has signed licensing deals with Marcolin Group for sunglasses as well as fragrance and skin care with the Estée Lauder group. Meanwhile, the Gucci brand, which Ford made a fashion leader in the 1990s, has had two subsequent designers, but has continued to flourish financially.
Other top designers have left their own labels, raising questions at the time about how the departure of a big name would hit the company's bottom line. Jil Sander, for example, voluntarily left the company she had sold to the Prada group, later mending fences before walking out a second time. In that case, the company suffered financially until the arrival of Belgian designer Raf Simons who is now repairing the brand's ragged reputation. Helmut Lang also walked away from his own label, then part of Prada, in 2005.
Is Slimane's departure likely to hurt Dior's bottom line, as the company aims to reach its sales target of €1 billion, or $1.3 billion?
Antoine Colonna, a financial analyst with Merrill Lynch, said that would depend on how Dior's growth and position in the industry is viewed.
"With Jil Sander, its business was driven by style, but it depends if a company is driven by accessories, like Gucci, or whether it is a fashion company," Colonna said. "The key question is whether Dior is more timeless and I would say that it is a company in transition."
Colonna said Gucci and Dior shared the fact that in their companies menswear accounted for far less than women's wear.
On the more general question of how companies could manage the departure or retirement of signature designers, Colonna said that it all depended on the preparation and "how they pass on the baton," citing the choice facing a company such as Armani about whether to "drive the process" or leave others to fill the vacuum.
The future of Slimane will depend on his ability to find funding for his own label and for that, Colonna said, any investor would need patience.
"No one today can do anything like Armani in the 1980's," Colonna said. "It will be very interesting to see who puts money in and takes the long-term stance."
Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/29/business/lux.4.php
Last edited by a moderator:
I think it's about whoever can make the most money. I did hear DH was losing money and a few people I know stopped carrying the brand, (because DH likes to start the fax with what you MUST buy that season and an anticipated budget [so rude]. Not to mention their rude PR team which consists of silly kids fresh out of college who like the flex their authoritative muscles) but more so than that, I think it's more of a money thing. Whoever can generate the money revenue is the one that gets hired. I suppose it's what Arnault perceived in KVA that allowed him to be hired...it would be nice if Nicolas Andreas Taralis could touch the brand....ilaughead said:Not very sudden, but it's still kind of a surprising move. I never thought they would actually part ways. This is horrible, but I don't fear Slimane's future. He'll make it. (I'm sure there are companies already lobbying to get him.
I really don't think Hedi was too full of himself. I wouldn't have trusted Arnault with a signature brand either, if I were in Hedi's position. Remember that Arnault did fire Givenchy from his own line.
Last edited by a moderator:
style_expert
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2006
- Messages
- 8,793
- Reaction score
- 928
JJohnson said:
well, more labels do that actually
I think this whole thing is going to turn into a disaster for Dior and into a great new line for Hedi. I hope he presents his first collection this year already.
belletrist
Member
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2005
- Messages
- 521
- Reaction score
- 0
zamb said:Well, Why can Chanel offer him that?
Lagerfeld is 73 er, 68 according to him. so he won't be around forever.
quote]
Hahaha my eternal friendship for those words!
A few points:
I'm pretty sure that Karl CAN'T retire, he's got a life-contract with the Wertheimers who certainly won't let him go. Chanel Homme is no more than a speculation, a great one though. I hope so...
Dior is making the same stupid mistake that ¨Prada did with HL and JS - what are the luxury MBAs made for?
They thought their brand was strong enough to survive without the cult designers, and voilà, it failed.
Same with Dior, even the stupidest skinny rock teenage that buys once a blue moon a Dior t-shirt knows who Hedi Slimane is. And everyone, from that teen to his superstars followers - name them: Karl, Deneuve, Jaggers, ELTON
I totally see new Dior Homme, maybe it will be successfull, with the amount of people who aren't fashion conscious : the label-whores (totally see Brad Pitt in new Dior Homme) but it will have nothing to do with Hedi's work. They only hired KvH - who, by the way, and in my humble opinion, has never been able to produce any edgy and decent collection - to have a "serious" image but their goal is to sell. Which, in other terms, means to make bland clothes.
Last edited by a moderator:
belletrist
Member
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2005
- Messages
- 521
- Reaction score
- 0
Another point. Honestly who is shocked by this news? We know that Dior was pressuring hedi since SS 05 to make more commercial collections. Look at the difference between YSL era + Dior first collections (with great designs, great fabrics, etc) and now, put a feet into a DH shop: what do you see? Hineous polos, t-shirts, and diesel jeans. About the collections themselves, there isn't any substance, it's like a playground for him to dress rockstars and revamp past rock trends. C'mon, he can do better than that 
The news is not shocking, rumors have been going on for ages.. but it is still surprising and definitely a turning page for DH and HS..
I totally agree with you about KvA... i think they hired him primarly because he's worked a lot with Hedi in the past and therefore has some kind of credibility to take over... However i also find his collections bland and non edgy, and i am sure the DH consumers will realize this as well..
I mean DH is so associated with HS, all the way to the store design, the ad campaigns, the music ... is this all going to be pushed away in a new direction??
more importantly, the clothes of course... i am wondering if the signature traits such as the scars, the bee, and even the hook on the jeans, are these part of the HS "trademark" or does DH own the right to these, and furthermore, will they be carried over to DH by KvA ??
regardless, i am of course anxious to follow hedi's next move.. i hope it happens quick ( took tom ford 3 years to get his own label started and he's probably a better buisness man than hedi heh)
I totally agree with you about KvA... i think they hired him primarly because he's worked a lot with Hedi in the past and therefore has some kind of credibility to take over... However i also find his collections bland and non edgy, and i am sure the DH consumers will realize this as well..
I mean DH is so associated with HS, all the way to the store design, the ad campaigns, the music ... is this all going to be pushed away in a new direction??
more importantly, the clothes of course... i am wondering if the signature traits such as the scars, the bee, and even the hook on the jeans, are these part of the HS "trademark" or does DH own the right to these, and furthermore, will they be carried over to DH by KvA ??
regardless, i am of course anxious to follow hedi's next move.. i hope it happens quick ( took tom ford 3 years to get his own label started and he's probably a better buisness man than hedi heh)
style_expert
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2006
- Messages
- 8,793
- Reaction score
- 928
^ no because the sales of the fw0708 collection already ended in January 
