Jonathan Saunders Joins Diane Von Furstenberg as Chief Creative Officer

[lakomka]

This one is very surprising for me. I thought he is in good terms not only with brand, but with DvF herself. I wonder what is the real reason? Poor sales?

 

[lakomka]

This one is very surprising for me. I thought he is in good terms not only with brand, but with DvF herself. I wonder what is the real reason? Poor sales?

 

[GERGIN]

^
A lot of DVF has been pulled out of a variety of department stores especially transitioning into the new year...

 

[thatsfierce]

What in the world! He was the best for the Brand, such a shame.

 

[Koibito]

That escalated quickly! I'm wondering what made him out of the house that fast thou his debut was fresh and cool.

 

[ThatDudeOverTher]

OMG! these were literally his words last month, so he must have had plans for 2018 at DVF. What could have happened??

I’m curious about what we will be seeing from you and DVF in the coming seasons, both in terms of collections and the formats through which you show.

We’re changing the way we present collections, definitely, next year. We’re also going to break up collections so that they’re more like individual capsules, creative ideas which can be expressed, and definitely playing around with fashion shows. And we’re going to try to include the consumer much more and how we communicate. It’s all a work in progress, but watch this space.

 

[mathiaskatz]

This is a surprise. I thought his SS18 collection was one of the best.

 

[iclawhands]

There's an article on Vogue.com with more details:

"While the label enjoyed a growing sense of relevance among fashion insiders, behind the scenes there was some instability. About six months into Saunders’s tenure, the company’s CEO, Paolo Riva, exited. And earlier this month, Von Furstenberg announced that she planned to hire an investment banking firm to help sell an equity stake in the brand."

I'd imagine that is a huge factor.

 

[gazebo]

Very disappointed. I thought he made DVF from dated and irrelevant into fresh and forward.

By now I think we are desensitized to this kind news.
But still it's like: what the heck is going on?!?!?

 

[lelaid]

Damn, that was fast! Such a shame he shut down his own label for this opportunity only to have it fall through.

 

[Benn98]

Very disappointed. I thought he made DVF from dated and irrelevant into fresh and forward.

He really did! Diane ruined her own brand by doing that tacky reality show. I think someone lied to her that it may increase relevance and sales?
The only way for this label to survive would be to sell it on, and for the new owners to revamp completely. DVF's aesthetic was never that defined to begin with. Maybe a decade or two ago. It always felt like a supplementary and unneccesary player in the American fasion ecosystem. She may have invented the wrap dress, but Donna Karan and Kors constantly highlighted her shortcomings.

If it's true that she's preparing the brand for sale then it's good that he's leaving. I hope he'll come back to London. We can do well with his sense of refinement, and whatever experience he may have lapped up at DVF.

 

[Nomar]

There was so much potential with Saunders but I wish him all the best and hope he gets another opportunity to show off his incredible talent.

 

[Nymphaea]

He felt like a breath of fresh air. A pity.

 

[Benn98]

Nathan Jenden Returns to Diane von Furstenberg

JANUARY 4, 2018 7:14 PM
by NICOLE PHELPS

Nathan Jenden, who worked alongside Diane von Furstenberg for a decade in the early 2000s, is returning to the label as its chief design officer and vice president, creative.
“It is with joy and pride that I look forward to welcoming Nathan back at DVF,” Von Furstenberg said in a statement. “Nathan is an extremely talented and technically skillful designer who also has a great gift for surrounding himself with young, emerging talent. He totally embraces the DVF woman, and the brand enjoyed its greatest commercial success during his tenure.”
Jenden left DVF in 2010 to focus on his eponymous collection. Vogue covered his Fall 2010 runway show, which was built in the DVF spirit, heavy on prints and party dressing. But he has mostly operated behind the scenes in the interim years. Recently, he was the creative director of Bebe.

Following Jenden’s exit, Yvan Mispelaere and Michael Herz held the creative director position at DVF, both for short stints. Jonathan Saunders was named chief creative officer in 2016. His arrival marked a period of change at the brand: The logo was reimagined and runway shows were replaced with more intimate presentations, but after a series of well-received collections, Saunders resigned in December, not long after Von Furstenberg announced that she was planning on selling an equity stake in her business.
Jenden’s hire suggests that Von Furstenberg is looking for stability in the design studio when much in the business is changing. He’ll have a busy January; his first collection for the brand, Fall 2018, will be presented next month at New York Fashion Week. “The fundamental essence of DVF that Diane created is an identity that has empowered women everywhere, delivering accessible style, confidence, independence, and a sense of self-worth,” Jenden said in a statement. “Diane delivers that message not only through fashion, but in her approach to life and her love of art, culture, diversity, and philanthropy. I see DVF as being more relevant today than it ever was in its message of self-empowerment while being dynamic and modern. I want to give the DVF girl what she wants when she wants it, and with the joie de vivre and sense of purpose that epitomizes Diane, DVF the brand, and the spirit of women today.”

Source: Vogue.com

 

[Benn98]

Life After the Runway

By Elizabeth Paton Sept. 24, 2018

Jonathan Saunders

Most recently: Diane von Furstenberg chief creative officer, 2016-2017

Previously: Founded Jonathan Saunders, which he closed in 2016

Living in: New York

“For quite a few years I had a longing to design a collection of furniture. My initial degree was product design before studying fashion. Once I felt I had done what I set out to do at DVF, I decided to finally focus on this in 2018. I decided to stay in New York, and live with my partner in a 100-year-old converted shoe polish factory that looks over the East River in Williamsburg.

“When I was a kid, all I wanted to do was study and work and get somewhere in life. I didn’t really travel, apart from work trips where you barely had time to immerse yourself in a place. I have always been inspired by both Japan and India, so after I left DVF, I traveled around both Japan and Rajasthan for two months. I was flooded with ideas for design, and also how to live. It was one of the best decisions I made.

“As well as my furniture, I’ve been mentoring a group of young designers in London who struggle with finding the finances needed to start their own brands. I believe designers should come from talent, not privilege, and in Britain it’s harder than when I was a student relying on bursaries. It’s been good to think about other people more. When designing endless collections and marketing strategies and collaborations a year, as you do at a big brand, you can become very self-orientated.

“I love fashion though. I miss the human element, and how clothes and designs change with the people who wear them. I’m exited about getting involved again, but in a way that embraces the new ways of working that are happening now, rather than being burdened by old-fashioned processes and formulas.”

Source: Nytimes.com