Marc Jacobs - Designer

[Simera]

Have you see this past few collections and ad campaigns? I think it’s time for MJ to say Auf Wiedersehen and peace out ✌🏻

His collections are always the same nonsensical crap. He’s clearly out of ideas. He only had 19 looks in his last collection. I think he’s done

 

[Lola701]

Have you see this past few collections and ad campaigns? I think it’s time for MJ to say Auf Wiedersehen and peace out ✌🏻

His collections are always the same nonsensical crap. He’s clearly out of ideas. He only had 19 looks in his last collection. I think he’s done

His runway collections follows a different model. Only 19 looks but only (for now) sold at Bergdorf. The runway collection is a separate entity almost to the whole big operation.

The brand is maybe more mass than what his creative fashion expression suggests.

He needs to stay and fix his house before leaving though. I don’t think he wants his brand to like Karl’s. Karl stopped designing for his brand long before his death so in a way he was at peace with the hyper-commercialism operated under his name.

 

[susseinmcswanny]

Is he trying to be like ice spice or something

 

[Phuel]

His runway collections follows a different model. Only 19 looks but only (for now) sold at Bergdorf. The runway collection is a separate entity almost to the whole big operation.

The brand is maybe more mass than what his creative fashion expression suggests.

He needs to stay and fix his house before leaving though. I don’t think he wants his brand to like Karl’s. Karl stopped designing for his brand long before his death so in a way he was at peace with the hyper-commercialism operated under his name.

It’s unfortunate to see the Marc Jacobs label deteriorated the way that once great American labels Donna Karan and Clavin Klein have. That there’s some chaotic effort to keep his mainline’s aura alive with whatever he’s doing right now with the mainline is at once endearing and desperate. But I wonder what would be the incentive, for any potential investor to revive the brand in any way? Would you invest in the brand’s revival? Marc himself seems to have abandoned the signatures that made his label so worthy: The oddball-meets-blueblood Andy Warhol NYer of his namesake, then the sportsweary American in couturey Paris of his Vuitton have both been discarded for this Rick/Rei/Lady Bunny wannabe playing dressup for likes/follows to just hustle the most basic tote bags to impressionable 15yos.

And interesting that the mainline's pricepoints aren’t ridiculously outrageous, so I wonder how well Marc Jacobs Runaway does at Bergdorf? But even with the measly availability of the mainline, is it really a sustainable earning for the brand’s business model? The overhaul of such the label would be such a heart-attack inducing project with the label’s Runway Rick/Rei/Lady Bunny sensibility an entirely different entity from the current consumer totebag-pushing campaign’s Tory Burch/Kate Spade/Coach Outlet targeted counterpoint. It’s this hilarious and desperate everything, everywhere, everyone at once slop: How soon before those totebags are an international licence to the highest bidder-- like what's happened to the Karl Lagerfeld name? (BTW, the Bergdorf site is insultingly budget/clearout/outlet in its sensibility I thought I had stumbled onto its outlet site— or one of those warehouse operations from the late-2000s that carry countless LA brands, like Revolve. I’ve experienced the cheapening of highend establishments from my neck of the woods, but to be reminded that the cheapness plague is at an international level, is still sort of disheartening.)

 

[Kanzai]

Sound dumb, but I feel Marc Jacobs (a girl who think she's popular) is basically the antithesis of Nicolas Ghesquière (nerd, I mean nerd math teacher rather school boy).

 

[Lola701]

It’s unfortunate to see the Marc Jacobs label deteriorated the way that once great American labels Donna Karan and Clavin Klein have. That there’s some chaotic effort to keep his mainline’s aura alive with whatever he’s doing right now with the mainline is at once endearing and desperate. But I wonder what would be the incentive, for any potential investor to revive the brand in any way? Would you invest in the brand’s revival? Marc himself seems to have abandoned the signatures that made his label so worthy: The oddball-meets-blueblood Andy Warhol NYer of his namesake, then the sportsweary American in couturey Paris of his Vuitton have both been discarded for this Rick/Rei/Lady Bunny wannabe playing dressup for likes/follows to just hustle the most basic tote bags to impressionable 15yos.

And interesting that the mainline's pricepoints aren’t ridiculously outrageous, so I wonder how well Marc Jacobs Runaway does at Bergdorf? But even with the measly availability of the mainline, is it really a sustainable earning for the brand’s business model? The overhaul of such the label would be such a heart-attack inducing project with the label’s Runway Rick/Rei/Lady Bunny sensibility an entirely different entity from the current consumer totebag-pushing campaign’s Tory Burch/Kate Spade/Coach Outlet targeted counterpoint. It’s this hilarious and desperate everything, everywhere, everyone at once slop: How soon before those totebags are an international licence to the highest bidder-- like what's happened to the Karl Lagerfeld name? (BTW, the Bergdorf site is insultingly budget/clearout/outlet in its sensibility I thought I had stumbled onto its outlet site— or one of those warehouse operations from the late-2000s that carry countless LA brands, like Revolve. I’ve experienced the cheapening of highend establishments from my neck of the woods, but to be reminded that the cheapness plague is at an international level, is still sort of disheartening.)

Maybe I’m reading too much about it but I wonder if the trajectory of the Marc Jacobs brand is not the fate of the conception of success as seen in America. You have to be big it seems at all cost. And commercial success is what matters the most in that area where Fashion is just Fashion and it’s seen as normal that a Michael Kors does the same numbers as Levi’s because…They are all American Sportswear.

The ones who escaped that decided to establish themselves in Europe, where prestige is more valued. We see it with Thom Browne, Rick Owens and Tom Ford. They may never reach the numbers of CK, TB, RL and others but the cachet is preserved.

The only one really who did it perfectly is Ralph Lauren. But that comes from his genius in « marketing » or at least story telling.
He manages to sell the same lifestyle at different price points without hurting his brand or his cachet. And success of all success, a Ralph Lauren Collection/Purple Label customer buy Polo RL without feeling like it’s a lesser brand.

It would have been courageous for Marc and LVMH to let the brand have a period of turmoil in projection for brighter days.

When Marc left Vuitton, the promise was that his brand had a potential. They stopped Marc by Marc in the same way that Dolce & Gabbana stopped D&G…But I think it was clear, shows after shows that Marc lacked identity. He could reinvent himself every season at Vuitton but part of having your own brand or even language as a designer is to be identifiable.

There’s a Marc Jacobs RTW collection of cute pieces, well priced, very in the spirit of Marc as we knew, the Marc that Sofia Coppola could wear. There’s Heaven that I still don’t understand…And there’s the runway extravaganza that doesn’t really interact with the two others.

But really? Who is the Marc Jacobs person today? The Kiki boots fan can’t possibly connect with the brand as it is. The tote bag person trade MJ for MK, TB or Coach at any given time and the historic MJ woman for me, Sofia Coppola has become a full Chanel woman (interesting that Sofia never went for Prada now that I’m thinking about it).

 

[disco54]

He needs to exit and he can clack his nails all day long in a pool of Labubu dolls , his last interesting collection was 10 years ago and its been in decline since then. The brand is surviving on perfumes and Tote Bag there is no fashion cache. Ultimately they will just sell the name and you will see Marc Jacobs being sold at TJ Maxx and Ross for random sh!t

 

[brandon J pierre]

The only one really who did it perfectly is Ralph Lauren. But that comes from his genius in « marketing » or at least story telling.
He manages to sell the same lifestyle at different price points without hurting his brand or his cachet. And success of all success, a Ralph Lauren Collection/Purple Label customer buy Polo RL without feeling like it’s a lesser brand.

I love Ralph he is what all Americans should look up to when It come to fashion business. He never sold his soul because he created his own. The best Part is the amount of price points he he was able to deliver without mudding up the brand. I don't think any american was able to ever do that.

 

[LadyJunon]

Maybe I’m reading too much about it but I wonder if the trajectory of the Marc Jacobs brand is not the fate of the conception of success as seen in America. You have to be big it seems at all cost. And commercial success is what matters the most in that area where Fashion is just Fashion and it’s seen as normal that a Michael Kors does the same numbers as Levi’s because…They are all American Sportswear.

The ones who escaped that decided to establish themselves in Europe, where prestige is more valued. We see it with Thom Browne, Rick Owens and Tom Ford. They may never reach the numbers of CK, TB, RL and others but the cachet is preserved.

The only one really who did it perfectly is Ralph Lauren. But that comes from his genius in « marketing » or at least story telling.
He manages to sell the same lifestyle at different price points without hurting his brand or his cachet. And success of all success, a Ralph Lauren Collection/Purple Label customer buy Polo RL without feeling like it’s a lesser brand.

It would have been courageous for Marc and LVMH to let the brand have a period of turmoil in projection for brighter days.

When Marc left Vuitton, the promise was that his brand had a potential. They stopped Marc by Marc in the same way that Dolce & Gabbana stopped D&G…But I think it was clear, shows after shows that Marc lacked identity. He could reinvent himself every season at Vuitton but part of having your own brand or even language as a designer is to be identifiable.

There’s a Marc Jacobs RTW collection of cute pieces, well priced, very in the spirit of Marc as we knew, the Marc that Sofia Coppola could wear. There’s Heaven that I still don’t understand…And there’s the runway extravaganza that doesn’t really interact with the two others.

But really? Who is the Marc Jacobs person today? The Kiki boots fan can’t possibly connect with the brand as it is. The tote bag person trade MJ for MK, TB or Coach at any given time and the historic MJ woman for me, Sofia Coppola has become a full Chanel woman (interesting that Sofia never went for Prada now that I’m thinking about it).

I love Ralph he is what all Americans should look up to when It come to fashion business. He never sold his soul because he created his own. The best Part is the amount of price points he he was able to deliver without mudding up the brand. I don't think any american was able to ever do that.

America has never really been the place for "capital F" fashion. The core of American fashion is based around versatility, accessibility and affordability, which is the antithesis of typical opulence and rarity of high fashion. That's why Rick Owens, Tom Ford and Thom Browne latched themselves onto Europe to build their image. As for Ralph Lauren, he has a whole ecosystem of brands, which each have very seperate philosophies and approaches to design. Polo isn't just a cheaper version of Collection, it's its own brand. Michael Kors on the other hand is very homogenous.

Now Marc Jacobs is very specific, because his brand has always tried to straddle high fashion and sportswear without leaning to far in one direction. For most of its existence, the brand had built a reputation of quirky ladylike pragmatism until 2015/16. The brand struggled a lot in the late 10s with Jacob's shift to conceptual collections that alienated his clientele along with the closure of the diffusion line, which was a huge revenue generator. Today, the brand depends on a tiered model of three brands: Heaven (elevated merch), Mainline (wardrobe staples) and Runway (conceptual seasonal collections). The issue here is that there's essentially no luxury customer engaging in the Marc Jacobs brand, making it a stain on LVMH luxury group image.

Sound dumb, but I feel Marc Jacobs (a girl who think she's popular) is basically the antithesis of Nicolas Ghesquière (nerd, I mean nerd math teacher rather school boy).

I always saw the MJ girl as a grown-up art hoe, but yes, the Ghesquiere girl (Balenciaga and LV) is definitely a nerd with an obsession with 80s/90s anime.

 

[Phuel]

Maybe I’m reading too much about it but I wonder if the trajectory of the Marc Jacobs brand is not the fate of the conception of success as seen in America. You have to be big it seems at all cost. And commercial success is what matters the most in that area where Fashion is just Fashion and it’s seen as normal that a Michael Kors does the same numbers as Levi’s because…They are all American Sportswear.

The ones who escaped that decided to establish themselves in Europe, where prestige is more valued. We see it with Thom Browne, Rick Owens and Tom Ford. They may never reach the numbers of CK, TB, RL and others but the cachet is preserved.

The only one really who did it perfectly is Ralph Lauren. But that comes from his genius in « marketing » or at least story telling.
He manages to sell the same lifestyle at different price points without hurting his brand or his cachet. And success of all success, a Ralph Lauren Collection/Purple Label customer buy Polo RL without feeling like it’s a lesser brand.

It would have been courageous for Marc and LVMH to let the brand have a period of turmoil in projection for brighter days.

When Marc left Vuitton, the promise was that his brand had a potential. They stopped Marc by Marc in the same way that Dolce & Gabbana stopped D&G…But I think it was clear, shows after shows that Marc lacked identity. He could reinvent himself every season at Vuitton but part of having your own brand or even language as a designer is to be identifiable.

There’s a Marc Jacobs RTW collection of cute pieces, well priced, very in the spirit of Marc as we knew, the Marc that Sofia Coppola could wear. There’s Heaven that I still don’t understand…And there’s the runway extravaganza that doesn’t really interact with the two others.

But really? Who is the Marc Jacobs person today? The Kiki boots fan can’t possibly connect with the brand as it is. The tote bag person trade MJ for MK, TB or Coach at any given time and the historic MJ woman for me, Sofia Coppola has become a full Chanel woman (interesting that Sofia never went for Prada now that I’m thinking about it).

HIs last quintessentially classic NYer showing was A/W 2020. But his S/S 2024 was also very directional--l maybe borrowed from Ghesquiere’s previous Vuitton doll collection as much as from Rei’s Comme past, and still solid. He’s always been wildly inconsistent.

As much as Marc’s never been a personal fav (his menswear was generic diffusion line trash), at his best, he was a strong, directional talent designing and producing versatile separates for women when stripped off its theatrical and high drama showcase. And frankly, at least currentday Marc found a distributor for his mainline’s costumes… Ghesquiere on the other hand, with all the LVMH money at his disposal, can’t/won’t even be bothered to make the effort to have available the runway showpieces for his customer even on the site (something even our little mid Anthony’s willing to do for his YSL) runway looks)— unless they’re Vuitton's paid ambassadors, of course. It’s more fitting to accuse Ghesquiere being that girl who’s desperate to be popular, with a lot of help from daddy’s money, and Marc being the weirdo fashion nerd (maybe in the depths of his midlife crisis even), in this instance.

The Marc Jacobs woman is also unpredictable— and the impression now is she’s also moved on from Marc. unfortunately: With Rabanne for the sartorial separates (junior Ghesquiere); Alaia for the clean, girly sportswear; classic American sportswear from Khaite; classic feminine froufrou from YSL’s runway, she doesn’t need Marc anymore, unless she’s just a faithful devotee. But looking at his archive from the best of his mainline to the best of his Vuitton, he’s sort of irreplaceable when thinking in terms of installing someone new for the label who’s capable of producing a fashion world. (…I’d start with scrapping the tote bags since their shelf life is numbered anyway. Then risk it all by going back to a tightly, strictly edited version of his signatures— that includes his surreal doll clothes alongside his clean American sportswear. Looking at his A/W 2020 showing next to his S/S 2024 one, they both can exist in the same Marc Jacobs universe— just like that preppy with the Mayflower pedigree mingled amongst the drag queens and hustlers at Andy’s Factory. That’s the quintessential essence of Marc.)

 

[Lola701]

And frankly, at least currentday Marc found a distributor for his mainline’s costumes… Ghesquiere on the other hand, with all the LVMH money at his disposal, can’t/won’t even be bothered to make the effort to have available the runway showpieces for his customer even on the site

It does always feels like I’m « defending Nicolas » on that subject but it’s an unfair and unbalanced comparison. The Marc Jacobs runway collection is available in one store in the entire world. Even the most exclusive showpieces by Vuitton are bought by 2/3 stores in the world. It would be ridiculous for them to have them on the website as their best clients usually order it as soon as the show is done.

And even if we have to compare Marc to NG, the problem with Marc is precisely because there’s no direct alignment between his proposition on the runway and the spirit of his brand. NG for better or worse is totally aligned with his aesthetic at Vuitton. As ugly and uninviting it can look sometimes…

Marc’s Vuitton was fabulous because it was much more about a moment, the bag it sold than the fashion proposition. And I think what people are missing from his own brand is the fashion proposition when it seems like he is chasing a moment.

As great as are the collections you showed, in the pure tradition of classic American sportswear, it’s almost a pity that Marc Jacobs is now about Kiki Boots and a tote bag.

And as I said earlier, the irony is that from his look and his attitude, one could assume that he is done with fashion. But then at the same time, he was very vocal about wanting Chanel.

The brand being sold will implies thinking about his legacy. You have a clear understanding of what Marc Jacobs is. I’m not sure a lot of people in the industry or even customers have the same feeling.
He is not even the king of NYC anymore. That title went back to Ralph again. Beyond products being sold, do people really have a connection with his brand?

 

[Phuel]

^^^ I don’t mean to drag Ghesquiere, Lola LOOL I’ve never worn Vuitton nor Marc Jacobs— and likely never will. So it’s always going to be an outsider looking in when it comes to these two brand. @Kanzai brought the two up, and Marc will always have the stronger output up to even 2024, even if he’s so over it. Ghesquiere has the blessed good graces and the goodwill of his Balenciaga to this very day— of which speaks to the endearing relevance and endurance of his Balenciaga. But if it were only up to his Vuitton, we wouldn’t be so kind to him, frankly.

(And Marc always had the stronger shows.)

 

[Lola701]

^^
Oh sure! Marc always had stronger shows. He is a showman and story-teller.

We are comparing them because they both did Vuitton but they are in essence very different designers.

They were already when one was doing Vuitton and the other Balenciaga and it’s even more obvious today.

It’s just interesting to see how those figures are moving forward. Marc is still one of the greats of American fashion. Nicolas has 3 years left at Vuitton and a future full of possibilities.

The funny thing is that even if they have a 8 years difference, they are almost from 2 different eras and they are becoming the new old guard.

 

[Kanzai]

^^^ I don’t mean to drag Ghesquiere, Lola LOOL I’ve never worn Vuitton nor Marc Jacobs— and likely never will. So it’s always going to be an outsider looking in when it comes to these two brand. @Kanzai brought the two up, and Marc will always have the stronger output up to even 2024, even if he’s so over it. Ghesquiere has the blessed good graces and the goodwill of his Balenciaga to this very day— of which speaks to the endearing relevance and endurance of his Balenciaga. But if it were only up to his Vuitton, we wouldn’t be so kind to him, frankly.

(And Marc always had the stronger shows.)

Haha Phuel, I was actually talking about the vibes between the two. Ghesquière gives off introvert energy, kind of nerdy, super into his craft (back in the days), probably happiest sketching futuristic silhouettes alone in studio. Meanwhile, Marc is the social butterfly – charming, wildly popular, and very much part of Anna Wintour’s inner circle. They were like fashion’s yin and yang in terms of personality. NG might not be the obsessive fashion nerd he was back in his Balenciaga days, but he’s still got that low-key energy. Guess that's what you get when you don’t fry your brain with drugs .

 

[Kennnnn]

I actually feel a deep connection to Marc Jacobs, mainly his work in the late 90s and early 2000s. I lived in NY then and visited his store on Mercer St quite often, which was around the corner from where I worked on Crosby St. His rtw was of course very expensive, but you could also pick up a leather belt or a pair of socks for less than $100. And you never knew who you would bump into in that store, or in fact, on that street. He really created a world and a sensibility that was the absolute essence of downtown NY in those days. He has a deep archive and really a long list of signatures that the company could keep reissuing and selling for years - doll dresses, slip dresses, the Minnie Mouse heels, shrunken pea coats, etc.

 

[Phuel]

^^^Yes. He was very organic in all his ventures. Stinky Rat felt as genuine to his world as much as his mainline and Vuitton was.

^^
Oh sure! Marc always had stronger shows. He is a showman and story-teller.

We are comparing them because they both did Vuitton but they are in essence very different designers.

They were already when one was doing Vuitton and the other Balenciaga and it’s even more obvious today.

It’s just interesting to see how those figures are moving forward. Marc is still one of the greats of American fashion. Nicolas has 3 years left at Vuitton and a future full of possibilities.

The funny thing is that even if they have a 8 years difference, they are almost from 2 different eras and they are becoming the new old guard.

…And Marc’s Vuitton campaigns were awesome.

I wonder if LVMH is prepared to let Ghesquiere go— or willing to do anything to keep him at Vuitton…??? Vuitton is a brand that’s become entirely dependant on the bags and the starpower of its high profile ambassadors. Unlike Marc’s replacement, Ghesquiere’s replacement if he were to leave is easy; not because he’s untalented. Does it really matter that a genuine talent leads its womenswear? Pharrell could be installed as its CD for all LVMH cares. Ghesquiere’s really wasted at Vuitton, since he's one of those exceptional individuals that’s able to effortlessly assimilate into the current era of fashion without losing his signature, his clout, his influence—while others had their moments and seemed to have been unable to maintain their momentum, and fall into obscurity. Ghesquiere is extremely tapped into the zeitgeist in a way that’s beyond practiced and shrewd industry and corporate experience: It’s talent onto itself. Even his debut for Vuitton was such a departure from his Balenciaga sensibility, that he was clearly designing with a shrewd, commercial sensibility and aiming for a more accessible appeal, He really needs to start his own label, much in the vein of Phoebe’s: Clutterless, direct, tight, investable separates (of which no doubt LVMH will have a stake in as well).

@Kanzai : Perhaps back in his more humbling Balenciaga days… He seems to have eased into his celeb designer role these days. I sense an invincibility, even an arrogance in his sensibility hnowadays— he’s less thoughtful, and more restless— even trolling. …Because who would dare criticize Vuitton???

 

[Lola701]

NG might not be the obsessive fashion nerd he was back in his Balenciaga days

He may likely still be that way actually (from what I have been told). It’s just that you don’t like his work the same way today.
His collections reads more nerdy than ever before. Maybe the biggest change, which likely has to do with Vuitton not having a « Haute Couture atelier », is that he has trade his fabrics experimentation with challenging taste.
The other biggest change in his fashion proposition happens to be bags in fact…Because his Balenciaga silhouette was never really about bags and the bags he featured were really part of a seasonal silhouette and not of a long lasting offer (add to that the fact that they were logo free).

He really created a world and a sensibility that was the absolute essence of downtown NY in those days. He has a deep archive and really a long list of signatures that the company could keep reissuing and selling for years - doll dresses, slip dresses, the Minnie Mouse heels, shrunken pea coats, etc.

While It’s obvious that the said world doesn’t exist anymore, there’s this impression that Marc is still interested in what’s going on.

The problem is that we have our desire as people who experienced it and there’s also the desire of a designer who may not be interested in reliving in his past too.

Maybe more than the clothes (that are available on his website and elsewhere his clothes are sold as the runway show is only for Bergdorf), there is a need to redefine the idea of a Marc Jacobs woman. She is very difficult to identity today.
It’s so weird to see Nicky Hilton attend his shows in Kiki boots. She is not a MJ woman.

^^^Yes. He was very organic in all his ventures. Stinky Rat felt as genuine to his world as much as his mainline and Vuitton was.



…And Marc’s Vuitton campaigns were awesome.

I wonder if LVMH is prepared to let Ghesquiere go— or willing to do anything to keep him at Vuitton…??? Vuitton is a brand that’s become entirely dependant on the bags and the starpower of its high profile ambassadors. Unlike Marc’s replacement, Ghesquiere’s replacement if he were to leave is easy; not because he’s untalented. Does it really matter that a genuine talent leads its womenswear? Pharrell could be installed as its CD for all LVMH cares. Ghesquiere’s really wasted at Vuitton, since he's one of those exceptional individuals that’s able to effortlessly assimilate into the current era of fashion without losing his signature, his clout, his influence—while others had their moments and seemed to have been unable to maintain their momentum, and fall into obscurity. Ghesquiere is extremely tapped into the zeitgeist in a way that’s beyond practiced and shrewd industry and corporate experience: It’s talent onto itself. Even his debut for Vuitton was such a departure from his Balenciaga sensibility, that he was clearly designing with a shrewd, commercial sensibility and aiming for a more accessible appeal, He really needs to start his own label, much in the vein of Phoebe’s: Clutterless, direct, tight, investable separates (of which no doubt LVMH will have a stake in as well).

Ohh Nicolas will leave after his 3 years he has left. I don’t think Vuitton will grow that much than it has grown in his tenure.

The sole reason I would want for him to start his own brand, beyond his aesthetic and classics, is because I loved his universe at Balenciaga. He needs to start with a store.
His obsessions are so him that it will be niche anyway even if he can cut great pants and outerwear.

I think it will be a more difficult challenge for the CD coming after NG because in a way, NG came to solve an issue they had at Vuitton. But he has a personal aesthetic that is strong and distinctive enough.

The next CD of Vuitton will be a star but you can’t replicate Marc Jacobs, you have to have a strong personal aesthetic too because the RTW has been developed and the catalogue has been changed.

It’s bit like taking over Louis Vuitton menswear after Kim Jones. Kim Jones actually sold clothes and bags. The supreme collab was so successful that they couldn’t comeback from it.

The issue with Vuitton is that in 2013, there were a lot of stars that weren’t already pressed by the system. All the stars today are already working for top brands. I hope we will see emerge strong voices in the next 3 years.

 

[Phuel]

^^^ He will start his own label then…

When talents like Phoebe, then Ghesquiere, then Hedi, all start their own labels, insisting on providing and offering investable separates for their very real and discerning customers again, then a high fashion renaissance of sorts could be sparked. Once it were the young, independent, individual talents that made a difference designing under their own names from the very start-- but the new generation is just not talented. These suffocating corporate days where installed CDs are demanded to reach annual revenues in excess of 10 billion, it’s only merch that may reach those goals, not high fashion designs, it will be older, established and still strongly relevant talents that are established like Ghesquiere/Phoebe/Hedi (maybe even Marc if he changes his mind because he’s still got it when he puts in the effort) that will take the lead in a new fashion revolution to reestablish high fashion. They will be the new indies. That’s my ideal anyway LOL

 

[Lola701]

^^
With Hedi, I don’t know because it’s not so much about the clothes than a project in a 360 way…
But Nicolas has expressed his desire to have his house, I think what Phoebe is doing is ushering a new way to envision an eponymous brand without all the fanfare expected before and that we saw at Tom Ford.

What is interesting is that Phoebe and NG have done the classic trajectory for any fashion designer of their era: interns, assistant, iconic success, huge responsibilities with being the CD of a major house. So what comes after? Back in the day, designers wanted to do Haute Couture. When you have achieved every success, it was the icing on the cake: Mugler, Alaia, Gaultier, Montana had that opportunity.

Maybe creating your little brand, following your own path, doing things your way without necessarily wanting to lead or shape anything in terms of fashion conversation is the way to go.

I feel like Marc wants still to be in the game. He wanted Chanel…Now I wonder if he wouldn’t want Prada or MiuMiu. Maybe his brand not being attached to LVMH would actually be an opportunity for him.

I really don’t see Hedi creating his own brand. His projects have so much envergure that I wonder if he would spend his own money on it.
Maybe he should take over the brand of the Meyers kid.

 

[Monsieur Cristobal]

I don't think Nicolas has the cult following that had Phoebe or has Hedi.
Being on the top position in the business doesn't guarantee you success in your solo project...
And I think he knows it.

I can see him pulling a Margiela and living a beautiful life outside fashion.
He looks really in love with his partner.