Roland Mouret quits

[helena]

Let's get this straight,"backers" own nothing in a company. They're only behind a designer with financial support but they own nill in one's label. So I think they're using this term rather loosely. Otherwise,what we've all come to deem as an indie would not be,as the majority of them do have backers. He must have just allowed them to buy his label,like Gucci Group did with McQueen and Balenciaga....albeit it's much larger....it's the same premise.

But seeing it in that sense,I understand completely. A little surprising but not entirely shocking. Yes,it's disgusting that he doesn't own his name but this is precisely the ultimate horror when one thinks of selling their labels off like that.

Scott - its the price one has to pay in order to get funding I'm afraid...and without funding from his backers he may not have been so commercially successful. Its easy to cast the funder as the bad guy in all this.....but it gives an otherwise 'indie' designer a platform that he/she otherwise wouldn't have had. This is something all 'creators' of wealth need to bear in mind at the outset. Fact of life...and the company may well 'own' all IPR in the name. Again thats the deal he signed up to to get the money to expand. C'est le vie. Its how the world of commerce operates. Iam sure Mr mouret will have been well recompensed for his efforts over the last few years.

 

[mdankwah]

And after all those wonderful collections.

 

[Meg]

yes yes, I understand what you are saying. Sort of what happened with Clements Ribeiro earlier this year. But what I think happened in this case is that the backers owned the name (ie. Mouret sold the name to them from the very start) and now they are parting ways and get to keep the name. Is it no different than when a record label 'owns' a band and all their material?

 

[softgrey]

no scott...
each and every situation is different and unique...
some investors just put money in ...
others become actively involved...

i have only seen problems when the money people start to get to involved in the creative aspect...
i have seen this very thing happen before...firsthand...
they invest and then the designers pretty much owe them everything and have not possible way of re-paying in order to buy back full control of the company...


it's really very sad...
it must have been pretty awful for mouret to walk away from a company he built up and to walk away from his own name...

 

[baklanyc]

Sadly, you would think people would have learned from Halston's example and not sell the rights to their name. I suppose he felt very strongly about the partnership in the beginning and didn't feel it would ever sour. This is sad news.

 

[Meg]

And sometimes you're so desperate you're willing to do anything and think, once I make money, it will all work out. Clearly not the case. Everyone thinks they will be the exception, non?

 

[Caffeine]

NO!
wherever he goes, I will follow him. He is my favorite now...

 

[Scott]

Okay,so certain situations. I understand. I think maybe I have in mind the particular's I've seen and learned of over the years so that how I always understood it to work. But I see.

 

[Mutterlein]

that's awful. He's at the top of his game too.

 

[helena]

Well I guees the reality is that if he is at the top of his game, he'll start afresh using another name & he'll continue to be successful and the 'Roland Mouret' label (as owned by his backers) will expire as RM himself was the real talent behind it. After all, ....the brand isn't so established for that not to be a possibility.

 

[No1Here]

Omg.

 

[Mutterlein]

Well I guees the reality is that if he is at the top of his game, he'll start afresh using another name & he'll continue to be successful and the 'Roland Mouret' label (as owned by his backers) will expire as RM himself was the real talent behind it. After all, ....the brand isn't so established for that not to be a possibility.

yeah, it just sucks to see a good thing dissappear. And you never know what could happen...

 

[MizBlue]

Oh no...........

..this Is Crazy

 

[adorefaith]

how bizarre....
and sad really....like everyone has said, to walk away from something you poured your life and soul into....and your very name itself...
what a strange concept to me...

but it makes sense...
that as a young, up & coming designer you would give almost anything to get things lifted off the ground....
hoping it will all loop back and work out in the end....

he is a great talent....and hopefully that will be allowed to flourish...
but to walk away having sold your 'name' is outrageous...
you'd think with such a solid partnership, as it seemed to be at least initially, these 'backers' would be willing to negotiate with mouret about his name and rights to it....

 

[leyla m.]

these are his own words to me (yeah im proud i got to talk to him recently)
"it amazes me every day to see that i've only started 5 years ago and now i am represented worldwide, i neevr expected that!"

i truly think this is the saddest thing in fashion at the moment considering he was at the height of his career and going upwards!

 

[urd]

Are they planning to sell clothes under his name, with another designer. that is twisted!

 

[Kimkhuu]

SAD..... I HOPE they don't keep the same name, would be RIDICULOUS!!!

 

[Kimkhuu]

Are they planning to sell clothes under his name, with another designer. that is twisted!

Only one thing going through their head : $$$$.......

 

[susie_bubble]

This is really sad.......another example of corporate priorities going head to head with creative talent in fashion. If Roland Mouret continues to produce collection with another designer, it will probably go along the route of Jil Sander and will never recover from losing its namesake designer.

I'm sure he will emerge successfully under another fashion guise.

 

[tricotineacetat]

This is really sad.......another example of corporate priorities going head to head with creative talent in fashion. If Roland Mouret continues to produce collection with another designer, it will probably go along the route of Jil Sander and will never recover from losing its namesake designer.

I'm sure he will emerge successfully under another fashion guise.

The thing is that Roland was only around for 5 years... so only 10 collections in total... there´s not so much they can do with the brand, it´s not that he build up a very recognizable signature like Jil Sander, or even Christian Dior who himself wasn´t around for long... so, once the team is trying to push the concept forward for Roland Mouret, there won´t be much left that you can identify with Roland Mouret... especially when the designer himself is quite young and intending to come back with a line on his own... very silly!