Lacroix fashion house declares insolvency *Update* Inks Deal with Ajman Sheikh

[Littleathquakes]

i hope Lacroix will go back to black soon...

I'm not familiar with the financials of really any brand, but Tim Gunn (he of Project Runway fame) was asked about the situation at Lacroix and he's quoted as saying he didn't believe the house should be saved. He said in its 22 years of existence the house has never been profitable. I find that incredibly hard to believe (considering haute couture is so expensive) but if it's true, I kinda agree with him.

 

[Leeroi]

I'm not familiar with the financials of really any brand, but Tim Gunn (he of Project Runway fame) was asked about the situation at Lacroix and he's quoted as saying he didn't believe the house should be saved. He said in its 22 years of existence the house has never been profitable. I find that incredibly hard to believe (considering haute couture is so expensive) but if it's true, I kinda agree with him.

Tim Gunn is great at what he does, but his mindset is pure NY Fashion where it's all about money making and fashion relevance is based on profitability. I don't think he understands the importance Lacroix in Parisian culture and how quality and artistry means more than selling cheap jeans for hundreds of dollars to make a profit. This is why Parisian fashion is the most respected, in my opinion, fashion in the world. If Tim Gunn and NY had it's way around the fashion world, we would all be wearing jeans and tshirts for the rest of our lives.

Haute-couture in general these days isn't very profitable, except maybe for Chanel (since their collections are very wearable), so I agree that Lacroix isn't the most profitable of brands. But this is where things should be change, Lacroix has very lavish exuberant shows, but I think it would be a very good idea to have more easy to wear clothes translated into the racks. I've seen Lacroix clothes in racks, and I can't believe at how exact they are to the runway collection. Most over the top designers usually tone it down; like Galliano, Yamamoto, and McQueen.

 

[Salvatore]

Tim Gunn is great at what he does, but his mindset is pure NY Fashion where it's all about money making and fashion relevance is based on profitability. I don't think he understands the importance Lacroix in Parisian culture and how quality and artistry means more than selling cheap jeans for hundreds of dollars to make a profit. This is why Parisian fashion is the most respected, in my opinion, fashion in the world. If Tim Gunn and NY had it's way around the fashion world, we would all be wearing jeans and tshirts for the rest of our lives.

Haute-couture in general these days isn't very profitable, except maybe for Chanel (since their collections are very wearable), so I agree that Lacroix isn't the most profitable of brands. But this is where things should be change, Lacroix has very lavish exuberant shows, but I think it would be a very good idea to have more easy to wear clothes translated into the racks. I've seen Lacroix clothes in racks, and I can't believe at how exact they are to the runway collection. Most over the top designers usually tone it down; like Galliano, Yamamoto, and McQueen.

Well Tim Gunn has a point, though. First and foremost, fashion is a business and no matter how artistic and detailed a garment is, it's still a good that is meant to be sold and hopefully make a profit. I'm pretty sure he does understand the importance of Lacroix to Parisian culture, but you cannot make a boat sail with a whole in it. Lacroix, while a master at his craft, wants to create art and is reluctant to compromise for the sake of sell which in this case is not good and how he ended up here. If he wanted to make beautiful art, he would be better to return to costume design where there is no demand to make a sell. I looked at his PAP collections and they honestly do not fit into the lives of the modern woman which is where he fails. If the house should be saved, Lacroix needs to think about the business a little and design some things to sell and other things to be strictly editorial like most designers do. I also think he should refresh the design team (if he has one) to help translate the grand ideas into demi-couture pieces. Overall, Lacroix needs one big refresh!

I'm not saying completely strip the collections of the character of the designer like Dior has done (absolutely heartbreaking and too much of the extreme of commercial), but just think a little more about the potential women who he could dress in their everyday lives. There's not really anything to sustain his business in the form of a major, major fragrance or popular bag (eventhough I hate it-bags, they do sustain) or something along this lines. I really do hope it can be saved and I do hope Mnsr Lacroix will get just a little more business minded.

 

[eternitygoddess]

Tim Gunn is great at what he does, but his mindset is pure NY Fashion where it's all about money making and fashion relevance is based on profitability. I don't think he understands the importance Lacroix in Parisian culture and how quality and artistry means more than selling cheap jeans for hundreds of dollars to make a profit. This is why Parisian fashion is the most respected, in my opinion, fashion in the world. If Tim Gunn and NY had it's way around the fashion world, we would all be wearing jeans and tshirts for the rest of our lives.

Haute-couture in general these days isn't very profitable, except maybe for Chanel (since their collections are very wearable), so I agree that Lacroix isn't the most profitable of brands. But this is where things should be change, Lacroix has very lavish exuberant shows, but I think it would be a very good idea to have more easy to wear clothes translated into the racks. I've seen Lacroix clothes in racks, and I can't believe at how exact they are to the runway collection. Most over the top designers usually tone it down; like Galliano, Yamamoto, and McQueen.

Agreed with both of your points. Your first point is why I think NY fashion is so yawn worthy and inferior to London, Milan, or Paris fashion week.

In terms of profitability, I'd say Elie Saab HC is the most profitable, although I refuse to see Elie Saab as a true haute couture house.

Regardng relevance and bring-down-to-earth, I think Lacroix's F/W 09 RTW was a perfect example of what he should've aimed to do all these years. F/W 09 was toned down, relevant to the modern woman, and still remained true to the Lacroix aesthetic.

The review from style.com:

Christian Lacroix has got into a great groove with his ready-to-wear. From beginning to end, it was like watching a miniaturized, much more wearable version of one of his couture shows but with all the daintiness and charm left in.

Ultimately, Lacroix is a true craftsman and couturier, superior to the likes of Miuccia Prada, Marc Jacobs, Christopher Bailey, Versace, Stefano Pilati, Tom Ford, etc.

 

[agee]

If you are going to play on the stage that LaCroix has played in for most of its existence, namely putting together haute couture and RTW collections to show at fashion week, then you do have to also recognize the business aspect and also not lose sight that ultimately you are dressing women. There is artistry and then there is self indulgence and I think that some designers collections look more like exercises in self indulgence rather than artistic expression.

Some designers play the game by coming up with artistic collections but still making deals with Target, H&M and licensors or making sure that the they get a strong stream of revenue from accessories, perfume and other beauty products; they also court celebrities and stylists. If you want to be something beyond an atelier in Paris, which is what I believe that LaCroix said is his next move, then this is what you need to do. I don't think that the government or the capitalist ethic should be blamed for LaCroix not being able to sustain itself, if anything LaCroix and those who appreciate his artistry should feel lucky that it lasted as long as it did.

ETA:
Interestingly I think that LaCroix' last collection was his best and one of the best, if not the best of the FW 2009 couture collections - it was beautiful, artistic, unique but it was still grounded in reality and for the most part woman friendly. Perhaps if heat was put on LaCroix a few years ago, he would have better figured out how to integrate his artistic expression to the realities of sustaining a business.

 

[JunyaSchick]

At some Point, Tim Gunn is right. Fashion is business and the key is in profitability. However HC has never been profitable for any house (maybe for Chanel or Elie Saab as you pointed out here). For fashion houses HC only means marketing, public attention in order to sell their other more saleable, popular and ordinary products; such as fragances and leather goods... and Lacroix has never had any of this, any It-item that was purchased massively to generate enough incomes.

Nevertheless, I think the downturn caused catastrophic changes in the fashion industry and it was hard to anticipate what to do in order to stay in the same place you were before it. For instance, Martin Margiela, although having followed a different artistic path, was able to have a conceptual line that cover his artistic ambitions with a small demand as well as an "inferior" line with a wider audience... and even so, nowadays the house is in the tighrope, facing an unpredictable future.

 

[Boomer]

^ I was sick about this as well- until I started hearing stories about his arrogance and unwillingness to do some marketable lines...If you won't put together collections that will sell and make some money for your own company... I mean Galliano and Karl present $50 Zillion worth of bags, rtw items, sweaters whatever every year- which bring in the cash for the more 'artistic' things; I even read somewhere that Chanel only actually sells 20% of their HC line each season- it would be tough to pay the bills with that!

 

[JunyaSchick]

^yeah, I also read about two years ago that Givenchy HC line was able to sell 6 pieces out of a collection of 30 looks and they were happy that season. 6 out 30!!!

 

[Leeroi]

In terms of Haute-Couture, we have to think about the fact that most regular clients don't buy the pieces from the actual collections; but rather get custom designed wise. So it's not out of the ordinary for a designer to only sell a few pieces from a collection, because their actual clients aren't that size or actual want those exact pieces; the show is just pure entertainment (and a bit of a waste of money really). Most of the pieces from the show are loaned to celebrities for publicity; and clients don't like buying those.

The problem with making the Lacroix brand into something more commercial is that it may work against his favor instead of with it. There's a few brands, like Halston, who have failed because investors wanted to make designer brands into logo induced manufacturers that rely on accessories for income. Also like Alaia, Lacroix's clients or aspired clients want his aesthetics, not the name; and women like that are usually turned off by brands who rely heavily on the logo names like Gucci.

His last fall collection was a testament to his ability that he can create a very wearable collection that still favored his artistry; but it was too late.

Galliano (Dior) and Lagerfeld (Chanel) are lucky to be working under a brand that already had a lot of praise before their revival and lucky to be working for companies who aren't afraid to advertise the silliest of things just to have their names out there.

 

[JunyaSchick]

In terms of Haute-Couture, we have to think about the fact that most regular clients don't buy the pieces from the actual collections; but rather get custom designed wise. So it's not out of the ordinary for a designer to only sell a few pieces from a collection, because their actual clients aren't that size or actual want those exact pieces; the show is just pure entertainment (and a bit of a waste of money really). Most of the pieces from the show are loaned to celebrities for publicity; and clients don't like buying those.

.

I know...

I think I didn't make it clear enough: when I said that 6 pieces out of 30 looks, I meant orders for real HC clients.... excluding celebs (of course), which I think it's a small number for a brand.

but it's true what you said, each brand is a very different business and therefore must find its own strategy. Logo items work for dior or Chanel but it wouldn't have had to work for Lacroix. However, in high-fashion labels I think the key may be on creating the "big illusion" that leads clients to buy a brand and Lacroix failed at that part.

 

[Salvatore]

but it's true what you said, each brand is a very different business and therefore must find its own strategy. Logo items work for dior or Chanel but it wouldn't have had to work for Lacroix. However, in high-fashion labels I think the key may be on creating the "big illusion" that leads clients to buy a brand and Lacroix failed at that part.

Definitely agree about creating a 'big illusion' to buy into. Lacroix's aesthetics are gorgeous from an artistic standpoint in haute couture, but not many women are wanting to/can buy into that in this moment. There's nothing to really to catch the aspiration to haute couture.

 

[Boomer]

^ So all of this sounds reasonable- was LaCroix just doomed then? Couldn't he have been putting some more wearable, less artful pieces all along, as he evidently was asked to?

 

[Spike413]

I think with Lacroix people tend to forget to take into consideration his RTW. It's never been particularly outrageous or overly artsy.

Before he first stopped doing RTW, a couple years before LVMH sold the company, he had a few different bridge lines. Besides his runway RTW I remember his Bazaar line and a jeans line as well. I believe both of them were discontinued after he started up his RTW business again, after the sale to Falic. Plus he's always done shoes and jewelry, and while they may not be it-items they're available to those who want them, so I really would find it hard to believe that the tragic outcome of Lacroix's financial situation comes from a lack of products.

Ignoring the haute couture, he has the product. It's just my personal belief that the problem lies in the fact that a watered down version of Christian Lacroix (aka anything he's done outside the couture arena) just doesn't hold the same potent allure.

 

[Leeroi]

Ignoring the haute couture, he has the product. It's just my personal belief that the problem lies in the fact that a watered down version of Christian Lacroix (aka anything he's done outside the couture arena) just doesn't hold the same potent allure.

Thank you for this, because I think it is very important to say. His regular clients are very much like any other Haute-Couture clients; dwindling and do not compromise to anything other than pure Lacroix.

 

[eternitygoddess]

Ignoring the haute couture, he has the product. It's just my personal belief that the problem lies in the fact that a watered down version of Christian Lacroix (aka anything he's done outside the couture arena) just doesn't hold the same potent allure.

I disagree. His F/W 09 RTW collection - his last RTW - was exquisite. It held all the fantastical allure as Lacroix's regular couture collections, and was appropriately distilled and less flamboyant, befitting a RTW collection.

It's a shame that that F/W 09 never made it to the racks.

 

[mikeijames]

i don't know why there's this stilted argument about whether lacroix can maintain artistic credibility while offering more palatable retail offerings. there exist luminaries in fashion right now -- i think of alber elbaz for one -- who manage to put on some of the most bouffant confections while managing to create entire product lines that keep the lights on -- from sneakers to stillettos; from t-shirts to tulle-covered pearls.

it's in lacroix's refusal that he has run into these problems. now, he'll have a licensing concern and we'll probably see a revival in three to five years with some upstart CSM graduate that will get us excited all over again. i mean, alexis mabille has broken into the couture club....who knows?

 

[JunyaSchick]

^the revival would still be a revival and not true lacroix! it would be someone else (maybe better, but someone else)

agree with you 100% on alber elbaz.

 

[Squizree]

Good news for Lacroix fans!! I'm excited!

Lacroix’s New Creative Director Hopes to Revive Couture in the Future

Besides Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen, there is no designer in the world with a more enviable/terrifying job than Sacha Walckhoff, the new creative director at Christian Lacroix.

Walckhoff’s been working at Lacrroix in some capacity or another since 1992. He started as a knitwear designer, moving onto diffusion line Bazar, then to jeans, and eventually menswear. In 2000, he left the company full time to consult for brands like Kenzo, but returned in 2003 when Lacroix began spending more energy working on his collections for Pucci.

The Swiss-French designer has been at Lacroix’s side ever since, through the last two years of financial trouble right, culminating with the company filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May 2009.

It wasn’t until after Lacroix–the man–announced he was breaking all ties with the company, that CEO Nicolas Topiol and Miami, Fla.-based investors the Falic Group asked Walckhoff to come on as Creative Director.

Walckhoff’s first ready-to-wear collection? Menswear, which is funded by a licensee. Women’s pret-a-porter and couture are part of the future, but not the present.

“We must first pay the debts,” Walckhoff told me over breakfast today at New York’s Gramercy Park Hotel. After a warmer-than-expected reception in Paris, the designer is in town to sell his menswear collection for the first time ever to US buyers. Along with the menswear and bridal licenses, the company is now dabbling in home textiles, sunglasses and stationery as well.

Walckhoff had one of the notebooks, which retails for about $25, with him. He has filled with inspirational collages. The book’s cover is a black and white image of Lacroix’s birthplace of Arles, adorned by lofted felt. The inside of the cover is a black and white stripes, plastered here and there by pink and red carnations. It does look, in the most strangely natural way, very Lacroix.

A notebook may not scream ‘le pouf,’ but Walckhoff believes it’s part of a brand’s evolution. As a devoted member of the house, it was difficult for him to see it all being wasted away because of misdirected pride. “The last two years have been very painful,” he says, and you can see the sadness in his eyes. “There was no money, and there was no harmony.” Much like the rest of us, it was difficult for Walckhoff to watch Lacroix’s lack of concern for his financial problems. For years, he struggled to see beyond the couture; to offer the same magic in more affordable items.

But after the sadness, comes hope. “The Falic brothers proposed that we go on, and I believe that the brand can succeed. It’s a personal conviction,” says Walckhoff. “When you mention ‘Christian Lacroix,’ people open their eyes wide with excitement,” he says. “But no one believes that they can actually own Lacroix. I want to change that.”

For instance: Recently the designer was sitting in the lovely Georges Restaurant in Paris, when a gentleman came up to him and admired his black velvet blazer. “It’s Lacroix,” said Walckhoff. The gentleman said, “Oh well, then I can’t afford it.” Walckhoff said, “If you can eat in this restaurant, you can afford this blazer.”

Indeed, price points are not wild for the Lacroix menswear collection–they’re comparable to other ready-to-wear labels, not couture. Pants range from $260 to $310; jackets are $1,100 to $1,400; suits are $1,600 to $2,300.

But it’s less about the cost for Walckhoff and more about offering access to a brand that’s almost as much a part of him as it is Mr. Lacroix. “When Lacroix hired me, I didn’t know anyone. I wasn’t the ’son of a friend, of a friend.’ That’s how our company is–everybody is different; accepted for who they are. And I want everyone to be able to enjoy the brand.”

 

[Squizree]

It won't be the same without Christian Lacroix in the creative seat though. I wonder if they'll hire him back.

 

[eternitygoddess]

NO.

I want Monsier Lacroix back!