some can.. some cant đ we need a list of unproblematic fashion geniuses.
I have a issue with the word unproblematic because it implies a very linear and definitive POV on what is after all human natureâŚ
And when I say human nature, I talk about the complexity of a human being. There are paradoxes and contradictions in every human being and so, I donât think everything can be judged the same.
What I think itâs difficult is that fashion, much like every artistic endeavor has that weird thing where we love those peopleâs work but at the same time, their personal lives and experiences informs their work.
A banker, or people in those non-artistic world can totally isolate their work from their personal lives. They can have the most ÂŤ problematic Âť opinions but they wonât necessarily have an impact on their tasks.
Talking about ÂŤ problematic Âť geniuses, Itâs very difficult for me to apprehend Chanel. She was an horrible woman, itâs highly documented and was shared by so many people on French Media that I never had the occasion to have a warm idea regarding her personality.
That being said, her rags to riches story is admiring, my favorite designer (who had his fair share of dumb statements) worked at that house. The twist comes even more regarding her Nazis associations.
Because it was all about taking down the Weirthemers, family that still owns the brand today. I think it must be a mind game for them to think about the history of their family and the relationship with the name Chanel.
Then, having worked in fashion, my POV of what a problematic designer is may be different from the person outside. Iâm very sensible on the way people of power treats other people. So a designer that was never on a public scandal, can be very problematic to me.
The story of John is also a very difficult one. Because that side of his personality (what he said that was captured in the video) wasnât known by many. At the time I knew people who worked at Dior in his studio and while his substance abuses were hard to hide, Iâve never heard anything about how he treated assistants, interns or people of the teamâŚDespite his huge ego.
So there, itâs quite easy to understand that he is complex, he can be many things at the same time.
But I canât lie and say that part of my liking of designers or their work isnât influenced by my appreciation of their personalities, what I know, have heard or witnessed about them. And I love strong personalities.